The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

A Spring Offensive and Trojan Horses

March 14, 2008

Operation "Barbarossa"

When Bishop Luigi de Magistris officiated at ordinations for the Institute of the Good Shepherd in February in Rome the latest Roman offensive to restore the Traditional Mass went into effect - that is for those with the perspicacity to be able to read the "signs of the times". Over the last few weeks there have been further signs that a "Benedictine" offensive is under way.

Last week it was announced that Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos would perform the priestly ordinations for the Fraternity of St. Peter, at their seminary in Denton, Nebraska on May 30th (which presupposes a Tridentine Mass). Two days ago we learnt that the same Cardinal will officiate at another Tridentine Mass on April 19 in Rome (it was previously set for April 23 - the date was changed today). Yesterday it was stated that Castrillón will also celebrate a Tridentine Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London. Now that's taking the fight to the enemy ! The current Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor has been quite an opponent of Pope Benedict's initiative in favor of the trad Mass. Having the trad czar celebrate the trad Mass in your cathedral if you oppose that Mass can't be all fun !

In Hong Kong on March 29th, Cardinal Zen will celebrate a pontifical Mass...Archbishop Malcom Ranjith will do the diaconal ordinations for the Fraternity of St. Peter in May (for the German seminary) and Cardinal Franc Rodé will follow in June...(more trad Masses)

Then there is the issue of the Emperor's new clothes. Pope Benedict has ordered a set of red vestments that were originally intended for Palm Sunday but the latest news suggests they will be used on Pentecost Sunday. The vestments ordered were so many (more than 30 pieces) that we begin to wonder which rite the Pope will be celebrating. The Novus Ordo papal liturgies would never call for such extravagance...

However, all is not joy unalloyed... Ignatius Press has just published a missalette for the celebration of the "extraordinary form" of Mass (i.e. trad Mass). It is billed as the Mass of Blessed John XXIII. A perusal of a copy (in my possession) would seem to indicate that this would be somewhat far from the truth since it contains a selection of prefaces from the missal of Paul VI (1970). In addition the missalette provides some "decisions" from Ecclesia Dei which allow for modifications to the norms of the 1962 missal. Basically what was mooted here before by Cardinal Medina has come to pass. The missal of 1962 has been Novus Ordo-ized ! (The document included at the last link is in the missalete and curiously it is only in Latin - at least you have the benefit of my translation !)

Yesterday also, Cardinal Medina, who has been silent for quite some time (especially since he left Rome last Spring for retirement to his native Chile), gave an interview to the Petrus website in which he reiterated many points from his interview in 2005. He also touted his preference for the new lectionary ! Expect to see an Ecclesia Dei capitulation on this point when the instruction on last year's MP finally sees the light of day ! Thus a spring offensive for the Tridentine Mass but 2 Trojan horses (the missalette and Medina's interview) by which elements of the Novus Ordo intrude into the trad liturgy and nothing trad into the Novus Ordo ! Is it only a one way street after all ?

+TF