The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

London Calling...

June 22, 2008

Cardinal Castrillón June 14, 2008

This is a synchronized posting (i.e. it is identical to this week's church bulletin) and is being published simultaneously
with the distribution of the printed copy to parishioners. So if you're a parishioner you've already seen this before !

The 1 year anniversary of the issuance of the Pope’s document liberalizing the use of the Traditional Missal is fast approaching (July 7, 2007). With this in mind, every time the head of the commission charged with implementing the policy in favor of the Traditional Mass speaks, the media pay attention. Just a week ago the Cardinal was in Westminster cathedral in the heart of London, England where he gave 2 major addresses and a press conference about Rome’s plans for the Traditional Mass. This bulletin is almost entirely given over to those speeches and a commentary (in green) on what I consider to be the parts of major significance.

Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

Address to the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales

London – 14^th June 2008

1. The first thing that I wish to say is that I appreciate the work which the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales has undertaken in the past four decades. You have worked with and under your bishops, at times without all of the results which you desired. Yet in all that you have done you have remained faithful to the Holy See and to the successor of Saint Peter. And you have been loyal during a very difficult time for the Church – a time that has been especially trying for those who love and appreciate the riches of her ancient liturgy.

Quite evidently these years have not been without many sufferings, but Our Blessed Lord knows them and will, in his Divine Providence, bring about much good from your sacrifices and from the sacrifices of those members of the Latin Mass Society who have not lived to be here today. To all of you, on behalf of the Church, I say: "thank you for remaining faithful to the Church and to the Vicar of Christ; thank you for not allowing your love for the classical Roman liturgy to lead you outside of communion with the Vicar of Christ!"

To say that Traditional Catholics have "suffered" in England is to put it mildly; those attached to the Traditional Mass are probably no more than 3,000 people total ! The English bishops received the news that the Latin Mass was "back" with a stony silence. It was widely rumored that the primate of England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor did everything he could to pressure the Pope not to restore the Traditional Mass before the document was released last year. When the liturgical changes hit England in the late 1960s an "ecumenical" letter of petition was sent to Rome signed by notable English men and women. When Paul VI read celebrated author Agatha Christie's name, wheels were set in motion to mitigate the complete outlawing of the Tridentine Mass for England. However, even with this provision, almost every bishop ignored the Traditional Mass and severely restricted its celebration.

I also say, "Take heart!" for it is obvious from the many young people in England and Wales who love the Church’s ancient liturgy that you have done very well in preserving and handing on a love for this liturgy to your children.

This is interesting and very true. Many young people do attend the Traditional Mass in England. One gentleman on the internet, who was a seminarian with me in the early 1990s, attended the Mass in London with the Cardinal and he wrote the following:

"The cathedral was full and many people were standing at the back. A section of about fifty seats was still free when the cardinal arrived at the main door, but that soon filled up. I counted the twenty heads in front of me, and of those only seven were grey or balding. The rest of the people appeared to range in age from early 20s to mid-50s."

2. Secondly, I wish to speak about the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. I know what great joy the publication of Summorum Pontificum brought to your members and indeed to many faithful Catholics around the world. In response to the prayers and sufferings of so many people in these past four decades, Almighty God has raised up for us a Supreme Pontiff who is very sensitive to your concerns. Pope Benedict XVI knows and deeply appreciates the importance of the ancient liturgical rites for the Church – for both the Church of today and for the Church of tomorrow. That is why he issued a juridical document – a Motu Proprio – which establishes legal freedom for the older rites throughout the Church. It is important to understand that Summorum Pontificum establishes a new juridical reality in the Church.

It gives rights to the ordinary faithful and to priests which must be respected by those in authority. The Holy Father is aware that in different places around the world many requests from priests and lay faithful who desired to celebrate according to the ancient rites were often not acted upon. That is why he has now authoritatively established that to celebrate according to the more ancient form of the liturgy – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as well the sacraments and other liturgical rites – is a juridical right, and not just a privilege accorded to all.

Unfortunately, things have not turned out exactly as the Pope or the Cardinal might have wanted. Many bishops have issued their own "guidelines" for implementing the Traditional Mass, attempting to make it as difficult as possible for people to have access to the Traditional Mass. In the Diocese of Novara, in Italy, three parish priests who decided to offer the Traditional Mass and abandon the New Mass altogether were only last week relieved of their duties by their bishop. Rome, so far, has done nothing to intervene. Even here in the diocese of St. Petersburg, a brave young parish priest who began offering the Traditional Mass late last year has been "transferred" to a much smaller parish because of the "priest shortage". In giving his closing remarks about his transfer, Father mentioned that the only significant change in the parish would probably be the cancellation of the Tridentine Mass that he had begun to offer when the new priest arrives on July 1st.

Certainly this must be done in harmony with both ecclesiastical law and ecclesiastical superiors, but superiors also must recognise that these rights are now firmly established in the law of the Church by the Vicar of Christ himself. It is a treasure that belongs to the whole Catholic Church and which should be widely available to all of Christ’s faithful. This means that parish priests and bishops must accept the petitions and the requests of the faithful who ask for it and that priests and bishops must do all that they can to provide this great liturgical treasure of the Church’s tradition for the faithful.

This also should interest us, since on face value it appears that Rome is insisting on the recognition of the Traditional Mass by all bishops and priests without question. The Traditional Mass is called a "treasure" and we are told it "belongs to the whole Catholic Church". Whilst this is true, it must be admitted that with the passage of 40 years since the New Mass was introduced, the interest in the Traditional liturgy is not widespread. Why the insistence on the Traditional Mass ? Does the Pope want an exclusive return to the Traditional Missal ? We shall soon see that the answer is a definite "no".

In this period immediately following the publication of the Motu Proprio our most immediate task is to provide for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite where it is most desired by the faithful and where their "legitimate aspirations" have not yet been met. On the one hand no priest should be forced to celebrate according to the extraordinary form against his will. On the other hand those priests who do not wish to celebrate according to the 1962 Roman Missal should be generous in meeting the requests of the faithful who desire it.

Notice the Cardinal says much more here by what is unsaid than by what he actually says: priests cannot be "forced" to offer the Traditional Mass, but what about Traditional priests being "forced" to offer the New Mass ?

As I see it, two factors are necessary. 1. It is first of all important to find a centrally located church, convenient to the greatest number of the faithful who have requested this Mass. Obviously, it must be a church where the parish priest is willing to welcome these faithful from his own and surrounding parishes. 2. It is crucial that there be priests willing to celebrate according to the 1962 Roman Missal and thus to provide this important pastoral service on a weekly Sunday basis. Often there may be one or more priests in a given deanery or section of a diocese who would be willing and even desirous of celebrating this Mass. Bishops need to be sensitive to such pastoral provisions and to facilitate them. This is a fundamental intention of Summorum Pontificum. It is particularly sad where priests are prohibited from celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass because of restrictive legislative measures which have been taken and which run counter to the Holy Father’s intentions and thus to the universal law of the Church.

Logistics are everything: first the bishops have to be on board – many are opposed. Second, priests must be prepared – (i.e. know their Latin and the ceremonies of the Traditional Mass) – most priests don’t know Latin anymore. Third, there must be people interested in their liturgical heritage – a generation has grown up in the context of the New Mass and therefore not knowing Tradition.

The Cardinal says: "It is particularly sad where priests are prohibited from celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass…" Well, now, what is Rome going to do about this state of affairs ? Remember the "Novara Three" ? Rome has done nothing to help them. Clearly the Cardinal is contenting himself with wringing his hands in anguish and not doing much more than that. Indeed, from well-placed sources in Rome, the Ecclesia Dei Commission (whose boss the Cardinal is) has privately stated that they were (a) amazed at the scale of the Bishops’ opposition to the Pope over the Traditional Mass, and (b) that if the Bishops continue to oppose the Pope, Rome would do absolutely nothing. The Cardinal’s address at this point clearly indicates that Rome will not intervene.

In this regard I am also pleased to commend the Latin Mass Society for its provision of the training session for priests at Merton College, Oxford, last summer, allowing many priests unfamiliar with the usus antiquior to learn how to celebrate it. I am very pleased to give my blessing to this initiative which will take place again this summer.

Let me say this plainly: the Holy Father wants the ancient use of the Mass to become a normal occurrence in the liturgical life of the Church so that all of Christ’s faithful – young and old – can become familiar with the older rites and draw from their tangible beauty and transcendence. The Holy Father wants this for pastoral reasons as well as for theological ones. In his letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum Pope Benedict wrote that:

In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.

The Cardinal speaks next about the various workshops that have been sponsored in England, but also in the United States to help priests from the New Mass environment learn the principles of celebrating the Traditional Mass. There is not much that can be learned in 5 days or a weekend but it is a start in the right direction.

The Cardinal moves on to discuss the Pope’s motivation for releasing the block on the Traditional Missal – a matter of justice, in fact ! - We were told in the 1970s that the Traditional Mass was outlawed, this Pope clearly states that such was not the case !

3. This brings me to my third point. You are rightly convinced that the usus antiquior is not a museum piece, but a living expression of Catholic worship. If it is living, we must also expect it to develop. Our Holy Father is also of this conviction. As you know, he chose motu proprio – that is on his own initiative – to alter the text of the prayer pro Iudæis in the Good Friday liturgy. The intention of the prayer was in no way weakened, but a formulation was provided which respected sensitivities.

At this point the speech begins to get very disturbing because now we shall see precisely the game-plan that Rome has for the future of the Traditional Mass. In two sentences, the Cardinal says it all: "You are rightly convinced that the usus antiquior is not a museum piece, but a living expression of Catholic worship. If it is living, we must also expect it to develop." Put it another way: "We’re changing and we’re going to keep on changing !" What is changing ? The Mass of course ! In re-introducing the Traditional Mass they have no intention of leaving it alone. They will make changes to the liturgy. A little later we shall see that they will add elements of the New Mass to the Traditional Mass. Most worrisome of all is that the Cardinal tells us that this is the Pope’s mind on this matter: "Our Holy Father is also of this conviction." The Cardinal illustrates the path they have chosen by the example of the change in the prayer for the Jews on Good Friday. The implication is that this change was introduced not so much as to placate the Jewish constituency (who were upset when they saw the older prayer resurrected when the Traditional Mass was released), as it was a ploy to get Traditional Catholics used to changing the liturgy all over again so we can all arrive at the New Mass again.

Likewise, as you also know, Summorum Pontificum has also provided for the Liturgy of the Word to be proclaimed in the vernacular without being first read by the celebrant in Latin. Today’s Pontifical Mass, of course, will have the readings solemnly chanted in Latin, but for less solemn celebrations the Liturgy of the Word may be proclaimed directly in the language of the people. This is already a concrete instance of what our Holy Father wrote in his letter accompanying the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum:

the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The "Ecclesia Dei" Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard.

Naturally we will be happy for your input in this important matter. I simply ask you not to be opposed in principle to the necessary adaptation which our Holy Father has called for.

If we needed further proof that a simple return of the Traditional Mass was all that Rome intended we need look no further than these texts immediately above. Granted the liturgy is not a "museum piece" and yes the Missal has been modified over the centuries. Where, though, are they going with all of this ? George Weigel, a Catholic columnist and author of a major biography on the late Pope John Paul II – a man who has Vatican "inside information" as it were, wrote the following after the Cardinal’s comments in London a week ago (warning if you detect a sneering attitude to Traditionalists in this piece you detect it rightly !):

Will this Benedictine reform-of-the-reform mean that every Catholic parish will soon have at least one Sunday celebration of mass in Latin, using the Missal of John XXIII? It seems unlikely, not least because very few priests today are competent Latinists. But in those places where the Latin mass of 1962 is celebrated reverently and without nostalgic accretions (lace-bedecked older vestments, for example), it will be a source of spiritual nourishment for the minority that prefers this way of worship, even as it introduces a new generation to what will be, for them, a new form of liturgy. (…) Among scholars and parish clergy alike, the more widespread celebration of mass according to the Missal of John XXIII may prove to be the reformist magnet that Benedict XVI wants it to be, encouraging those who are already at work re-sacralizing the liturgy.

And the net result, over time? Almost certainly not "Latin days are here again" in every Catholic parish but rather a more reverent, more prayerful celebration of mass according to a reformed missal of 1970--and according to what the Second Vatican Council actually prescribed.

If further confirmation that Cardinal Castrillón is barking up the wrong tree if he expects the Traditional Mass to be available in every parish – just three days ago in Quebec, Cardinal Marc Ouellet (a close friend of the current Pope) said this at a press conference:

"I think the intention of the Holy Father is to allow the practice of the extraordinary rite where there is a need and a request. In our diocese we have one parish. At the moment there is no need for other places. I think this is responding to the need of the population."

Not quite the Latin Mass revolution it looked like a year ago !

This brings me to another important point. I am aware that the response of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" with regard to the observance of Holy Days of obligation has caused a certain amount of disturbance in some circles. It should be noted that the dates of these Holy Days remain the same in both the Missal of 1962 and the Missal of 1970. When the Holy See has given the Episcopal Conference of a given country permission to move certain Holy Days to the following Sunday, this should be observed by all Catholics in that country. Nothing prevents the celebration of the Feast of the Ascension, for example, on the prior Thursday, but it should be clear that this is not a Mass of obligation and that the Mass of the Ascension should also be celebrated on the following Sunday. This is a sacrifice which I ask you to make with joy as a sign of your unity with the Catholic Church in your country.

Finally I ask your prayers for those of us called to assist the Holy Father in Rome in this delicate work of facilitating the Church’s ancient liturgical tradition. Please be patient with us: we are very few and there is much work to be done. And there are many questions to be studied and sometimes we may make mistakes!

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, intercede for all in this land which is so beautifully called "the Dowry of Our Lady," and through her prayers may all Christ’s faithful come to draw ever more deeply from the great riches of the Church’s sacred liturgy in all of its forms.

Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
President
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei

Homily for Mass at Westminster Cathedral on June 14th 2008

In medio ecclesiae aperuit os ejus: et implevit eum Dominus spiritu sapientiae et intellectus: stolam gloriae induit eum.

In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding. He clothed him with a robe of glory.

Reverend Monsignori and Fathers, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am very pleased to be able to celebrate the feast of St. Basil the Great with you in this magnificent Cathedral dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Christ. My gratitude goes to His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor for his kindness in welcoming me to celebrate this Pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and to the Latin Mass Society for having made this possible.

Saint Basil, the known Father of the Church, is a figure from one of the most crucial periods in the Church’s bi-millennial history, a bishop and father of eastern monasticism, a man equally venerated in both the Christian East and West. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in his general audience address of 4 July 2007 said of him: "He was an important Bishop in the fourth century to whom the entire Church of the East, and likewise the Church of the West, looks with admiration because of the holiness of his life, the excellence of his teaching and the harmonious synthesis of his speculative and practical gifts."

The Holy Father, quoting from Sacrosanctum Concilium and from Saint Gregory Nazianzus, said:

Aware that ‘the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed’, and ‘also the fount from which all her power flows’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 10), and in spite of his constant concern to do charitable acts which is the hallmark of faith, Basil was also a wise ‘liturgical reformer’ (cf. Gregory Nazianzus, Oratio 43, 34 in laudem Basilii: PG 36, 541c).

Thus it seems particularly appropriate for us to celebrate his memory today in this cathedral, so evocative of Byzantium, with the Pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite for Saint Basil is a saint who transcends any narrow "provincialism" and belongs to the entire Church. The Holy Father tells us that Saint Basil the Great was also "a wise ‘liturgical reformer’", a bishop who was ready to adapt so that his flock could better integrate the liturgy into their lives.

Now why does the Cardinal find it necessary to bring up "liturgical reform" at the celebration of the Traditional Mass ? Quite obviously because Rome has some changes in mind !

My dear brothers and sisters, I know that you are here because you want to integrate the Church’s liturgy into your lives especially through the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass. I am aware that over the years the Latin Mass Society has been promoting the celebration of the usus antiquior in all of the dioceses of England and Wales in obedient cooperation with your Bishops and in loyalty to the Vicar of Christ.

The Holy See is mindful of your love of the extraordinary form. The recent Motu Proprio is one of the principal ways that our Holy Father Pope Benedict wishes to encourage you and to extend and facilitate opportunities for the celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of 1962, promulgated by his predecessor, Blessed Pope John XXIII. My visit today and my celebration of this Pontifical Mass is in the classical Roman Rite is an indication of my personal support for your worthy aims and of the desire also of the Holy See to identify with them. It is also intended to encourage a greater understanding of the new situation that has come about in the pastoral provision for the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. As Pope Benedict has written in his letter to the Bishops, which accompanied the Motu Proprio: "the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching" and I sincerely hope that your love for the classical form of the Roman Rite will never be translated into polemics against the ordinary form of the same rite and will be open to any subsequent directions of the Holy See for its celebration.

The Cardinal quotes the current Pope who wrote last year "the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching". I wondered back then what precisely this phrase might mean. Given all that we have seen so far, I think it a fairly safe bet to say that for the most part this is more a one-way street for Traditionalists to intrude elements of the New Missal and the vernacular for the readings (with which I in principle have no problem) into the Traditional Missal. My issue is only with the general trend – where would they have us go with all of this ? The answer is staring us in the face: the New Missal !

The Cardinal continues: "Subsequent directions (…) for its celebration" ? The fellow we quoted earlier who was present for this Mass made this observation:

"Did we observe the beginning of a sea change yesterday? That remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: nobody who saw yesterday's ceremony - and who thought deeply enough about it - could doubt that far from being a backward slide into nostalgia and dandyism, the classical Roman Rite is in serious danger of opening up the doors of narrow provincial liturgy, flinging wide the windows of self-referential Inwoodianism, and letting the fresh air of the transcendent Catholic tradition come flooding back into the dingy, prefabricated sanctuary of the 1960s."

I cannot but conclude that the author needs to take a deeper look into the frequent references to "change" as the Cardinal applies the term to the Traditional Mass. The word "change" almost seems to take on a life of its own with many unsuspected consequences I’ll be bound !

Indeed the object of the sacred liturgy of the Mass is to re-live in every celebration of the Mass, however solemn or humble, the sacrifice which Jesus offers to the Father. As he renews the offering of himself, we are invited to join the offering of ourselves with him. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts this very succinctly:

The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering (CCC #1368).

This needs to be the fundamental orientation of all Catholics at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. All of us, priests and faithful, are called to unite ourselves and our sufferings to the offering of Christ. This is the most fundamental dimension of "active participation" in the Mass in any recognized rite of the Catholic Church.

Is this not precisely the message of today’s Gospel? "Whoever does not take up his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:27). The Mass in its simplest or most solemn form is always an invitation for us to unite ourselves with the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary and sacrifice, by definition, always costs. Without the discomforts, pains and the sufferings of this earthly life – physical mental, moral, emotional, spiritual – willingly offered to the Father in union with Christ, we are not fully and actively participating in the Mass. And, indeed, the way that we live the Mass is to unite ourselves with the holy sacrifice in all that we do throughout the day.

As we honour his memory in the Mass of today, may we also ask him to aid us. May his prayers support us and teach us that liturgical renewal is primarily about the constant work of interior conversion and learning how to unite ourselves with the sacrifice of Jesus ad utilitatem quoque nostram totiusque Ecclesiae suae sanctae – for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X said last year that we have won a battle but not the war. I’m not sure, now, that I would even go so far. We must continue to fight ! What will be our weapons? Sister Lucy of Fatima said:

"The two means to save the world are prayer and sacrifice. Regarding the Holy Rosary, the Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls."

Don’t forget what Blessed Jacinta of Fatima used to also say: "Pray for the Holy Father !"

+TF