The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Don't wave a Red Rag to a Raging Bull Philippe !

November 7, 2006

After a couple of light-hearted and really in-house parochial columns to matters much more serious: the meeting of the French Bishops' Conference in Lourdes. One correspondent asked me to say something about the matter.

Personally I am very happy about the way in which the meeting is being cleverly stage-managed by three Cardinals - two French and one Canadian. Of course there is a lot more to my ebullience than this. The plot so far...

On Saturday last (November 4) Cardinal Ricard, the head of the French Bishops gave a lengthy introductory speech which raised the issue of the motu proprio. Rorate Caeli jumped on the bandwagon and published this translation of the relevant section:

I wish to make three remarks:

1. The decision to liberalize, for the priests, the possibility of celebrating the mass according to the missal of 1962 has not yet been made. The announced Motu proprio has not been signed. Its project will be the object of various consultations. We will be able to convey, from this moment, our fears and desires [regarding it].

2. This project is not part of a wish to criticize the Missal said of 'Paul VI', nor to proceed to a reform of the liturgical reform. The liturgical books written and promulgated following the Council are the ordinary, and thus habitual, form of the Roman Rite. This project originates, above all, from the desire of Benedict XVI to do all which is within his power to put an end to the Lefebvrist schism. He knows that, the longer the years pass by, the more the relations weaken and [the more] the positions harden.

Watching the history of the great schisms, it is always possible to ask if there could not have been lost occasions of rapprochement. The Pope desires to do his utmost so that the hand be stretched and that the welcome be made clear, at least to those who are of good will and who display a deep desire for communion. It is within this spirit that this project of Motu proprio must be understood.

3. The welcoming of a few to ecclesial communion would not put in question the pastoral work of the whole. No, the Church does not change course. Contrary to the intentions which some ascribe to him, pope Benedict XVI does not wish to turn back from the course which the Second Vatican Council gave to the Church. He has solemnly pledged to it.

From [the day of] his election, he affirmed: "Pope John Paul II rightly pointed out the Council as a 'compass' by which to take our bearings in the vast ocean of the third millennium (cf. Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, nn. 57-58). Also, in his spiritual Testament he noted, 'I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this 20th-century Council has lavished upon us' (17 March 2000). Thus, as I prepare myself for the service that is proper to the Successor of Peter, I also wish to confirm my determination to continue to put the Second Vatican Council into practice, following in the footsteps of my Predecessors and in faithful continuity with the 2,000-year tradition of the Church." (Message at the end of the Mass in the Sistine Chapel, April 20, 2006)

These words were generally interpreted to mean the French bishops had torpedoed the motu proprio. I doubt it ! Cardinal Ricard goes on to say that whilst Pope Benedict has affirmed his attachment to the Council he does see problems with the way it was implemented:

In his speech to the Roman Curia where he criticizes a false "spirit of the Council", the Pope declares: "Forty years after the Council, we can show that the positive is far greater and livelier than it appeared to be in the turbulent years around 1968. Today, we see that although the good seed developed slowly, it is nonetheless growing; and our deep gratitude for the work done by the Council is likewise growing." These words must be heard.

Then the Cardinal concluded with a telling paragraph:

I believe it is not necessary to be governed today by apprehension and by fear. Let us also live in confidence. Why should not recent events be an occasion, for us in France, to make a calm reappraisal of our reception of the Council, to read again its great foundational documents, to grasp anew its great intuitions, and to seek its aspects which are still worthy of consideration? We are not called to an ideological reading of Vatican II, but rather to a spiritual reading, in thanksgiving for what the Lord has given us to live on and in a renewed responsibility for the mission.

Clearly a re-think on Vatican II is necessary in Ricard's view (one so eloquently advanced by Pope Benedict on December 22 last year). Why should I be so pleased with these snippets ? They need to be taken in conjunction with several other pieces of information which taken as a whole give me real hope for a successful outcome of the Pope's plan. They are:

1/ Earlier in his introductory remarks Cardinal Ricard spoke of the joy of the Resurrection. (If any part of the Church needs a "resurrection" the French church certainly does !) The Cardinal said that one of the authentic marks of a Christian is "fraternity". One of the biggest thoughts on the minds of all of France is the "Fraternity" of St. Pius X. Every news outlet is buzzing with tales of motu proprios, the reconciliation of the SSPX, the Institute of the Good Shepherd (Fr. Laguérie etc.) Thus, the Cardinal's subliminal message was fraternity means reaching out to the Fraternity.... Right before coming to the extensive passage cited above, Cardinal Ricard referenced the presence of the French Canadian Cardinal Ouellet, of whom Ricard said:

It will be interesting to hear from someone who is at a greater distance from the French situation on this question cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Québec

Obviously this was a statement of capital importance especially since this cryptic remark immediately preceded the extensive quotation cited above. We did not have long to wait....

2/ Last Sunday the Bishops concelebrated Mass in the Rosary Baslica at Lourdes. The Canadian Cardinal preached the homily. It began with the quotation about loving one's neighbor as oneself - it continued by saying true ecumenism means respecting the cultural and religious differences of others, he went on to speak about the Faith heritage that Quebec owed to France - the subliminal message the Tridentine Mass - and ended with the words

May the spirit of peace and reconciliation penetrate consciences and nourish the life and hope of the nations.

Since his homily had no mention of terrorism or war, and since he was addressing the bishops of France - the subliminal message here had to be for the bishops and the Trads.

3/ Yesterday an interview with Cardinal Barbarin was printed in Le Figaro in which he was at great pains to suggest that the Pope in wishing to issue a Motu Proprio for the Trads had no intention of dividing the Church. Words evidently meant for the consumption of his brother bishops who...

4/ Today considered the Trad question. Cardinal Ricard later gave a press conference which essentially repeated word-for-word the text at the top. The French bishops are not being snubbed by the Pope, and he only wants to reconcile those Catholics attached to the old Mass. Seems like they managed to pour oil on troubled waters after all.

One footnote... incredibly it seems that two of the Institute of the Good Shepherd Priests showed up Monday to hand out leaflets to the assembled bishops supporting a general indult. Mercifully Cardinal Ricard headed them off at the pass he said:

"I told them that their place was not here and they obeyed me."

The good Fathers of the Institute no doubt meant well, but waving a red rag to a raging bull is never a wise thing to do. Ricard, ever the skilfull toreador saved us all from lights out on the Motu Proprio ! Thank God for that !!!!

+TF