SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM cura ad
hoc tempus usque semper fuit, ut Christi Ecclesia Divinæ Maiestati cultum
dignum offerret «ad laudem et gloriam nominis Sui» et «ad
utilitatem totius Ecclesiæ Suæ sanctæ.»
The concern of the Supreme Pontiffs, up to the present and always, was that the
Church of Christ offer the Divine Majesty a worthy worship ‘for the praise
and glory of His name’ and ‘for the utility of all His holy
Church’.
Ab immemorabili tempore
sicut etiam in futurum, principium servandum est «iuxta quod
unaquæque Ecclesia particularis concordare debet cum universali Ecclesia
non solum quoad fidei doctrinam et signa sacramentalia, sed etiam quoad usus
universaliter acceptos ab apostolica et continua traditione, qui servandi sunt
non solum ut errores vitentur, verum etiam ad fidei integritatem tradendam,
quia Ecclesiæ lex orandi eius legi credendi respondet.»
Since time immemorial as also in the future, the principle is to be
observed ‘according to which each particular Church must be in accordance
with the universal Church not only with respect to the doctrine of the faith
and sacramental signs, but also regarding usages universally accepted from
apostolic and continuous tradition, which are to be observed not only so that
errors may be avoided, but also to hand down the integrity of the faith,
because the Church’s law of prayer corresponds to her law of
belief...’
It goes into effect on the 14th September, the feast of the Holy Cross.
Traditionalists were right: the old books were ‘never abrogated’.
Also "lawful," according to
the normative text – which, like its cover letter, comes in at four pages
– are the erection of "personal parishes" for the celebration of the 1962
rites or the appointment of a "rector or chaplain" designated for the
task.
A priest ‘does
not require any permission’ to celebrate the traditional Mass for
himself, says the Pope, and lay people can attend such semi-private
Masses.
The Novus Ordo is
still the norm. I expected that
(whatever really happens they’d say that to save face) and am fine with
calling the NO and the Tridentine ‘uses’ of the one Roman Rite (as is
the RC Anglican
Use, NO spliced with the
US 1979 Book of Common
Prayer). They are! The new officialese is the Tridentine is the
extraordinary use and the NO the
ordinary. (Let’s hope this
extraordinary practice becomes as ordinary as westward celebration and
extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist did 35 years ago. I can hear Cardinal
Mahony screaming all the way from LA. Goody.)
The readings may be done
in the vernacular.
Unconfirmed:
The new three-year lectionary may be used, and in the vernacular, with the 1962
Missal. Like the Revd Chris Tessone I
didn’t see that coming! The rules until now banned mixing up the two
Masses. But will all those readings match the propers? And as
Fr Peter Robinson
says the traditional one-year kind (which the
Orthodox and the BCP
have) is better because with the three-year ones
the people hear three times as much scripture
but know it only a third as well, which also undermines what
Derek Olsen might call the
authentically ‘folk’ aspect
of the liturgy, like a ‘folk office’ such as the little hours or the
Little Office people can memorise. (I know you’re on board with the
three-year lectionary, Derek.) The people over time really get to know those
readings. Update: An explanatory note from the Vatican seems to uphold
the current rules forbidding mixing the two versions of the Roman Rite: the
1962 Missal is ‘integral’ with its own readings.
The
motu also seems to allow the possibility of new saints’ days and
prefaces written specially for this missal.
Apparently there’s no
permission to do the rest of this Mass in the vernacular.
Already true
of religious orders that use the 1962 books exclusively,
the Roman Breviary is again
an official prayer of the church, like
the Missal available for use without having to ask permission. Lovely and very
doable following the 1960 rubrics. Though I understand in the good old days
many priests didn’t like the breviary I still hope there’s enough
interest in this to do what the legitimate liturgical movement wanted, getting
the whole ‘people of God’ praying the other
official, liturgical prayer of the
church (instead of having Mass for everything)... including at services! How
about Sunday Vespers and Benediction again? I wonder if the old rule that it
had to be in Latin to count for one’s obligation (if one is canonically
bound to read it) still holds. If not, the Anglican Breviary is yours to
use!
There is to be just one
traditional Mass per Sunday where there is interest in having it. Much
like my long-standing suggestion of the Anglican way of making the early (eight
o’clock) service the traditional one. I’d like to think the Holy
Father or one of his people reads this blog but shan’t flatter
myself.
On the
matter of Jews possibly being offended, the approved books are from 1962:
‘the Missal of Blessed John XXIII’ etc. In 1959 that Pope took out
the word ‘perfidious’ from the Good Friday services.
The Pope
seems to renege on those orders like the Fraternity of St Peter (the rump of
the Society of St Pius X that accepted the 1988 agreement with the Pope that
Archbishop Lefebvre backed out on) that are ‘1962-exclusive’ saying those
priests can’t absolutely rule out using
the new Mass.
Welcome Back to Long-Lost Sister: We welcome
back our Sister Liturgy, the Rite of Rome often referred to as the Tridentine,
or Rite of St Pius V...
...taking its rightful place
alongside the Orthodox and other Eastern rites.
In fact the few
Orthodox who use Western rites use
either a modified (catholicised)
BCP/American Missal (BCP fitted with propers and ceremonial like the Tridentine
Mass)... many/most Western Rite Orthodox are former Anglicans...
...or
a modified (slightly byzantinised: no filioque,
epiclesis added to the Canon) version
of... the Tridentine Mass!
[digression] Interestingly and ironically there are about four times as many
WRO as there are Anglican Use RCs even though the Pope is the Anglicans’
patriarch — until the unpleasantness under the Tudors they
were Roman Catholics. Unlike Rome,
which simply takes in and re-ordains ex-Anglican priests (but it does train new
priests to do the Tridentine Mass), the Antiochian Orthodox train ordinands to
do these services as needed. WRO has a future. [/digression]
‘Oi’ll give it a foive.’ Not bad really.
If
the Pope actually makes the new Mass more traditional as well, all the
better. (I still think the
1965 Missal would be a good default for the Roman Rite. But nobody asked
me.) Better than what went before with the indults. Like I said
I’ll believe it when I see it implemented
everywhere.
I may be wrong, but I think that even just a partial setting
free of the traditional Mass would be a great step forward for the universal
Church.
There will be much rejoicing in traditionalist circles over
this. Expect the Lefebvrists to be welcomed back into the fold soon. B16 —
a man who knows how to do unity. We Anglicans could learn a thing or two I
fear.
All civilized people can rejoice at this, in the spirit of
Agatha Christie and the other non- [Roman] Catholics who petitioned the
Holy See for the old liturgy's retention in 1971.
P.S. It’s not about
Latin but orthodoxy, objectivity and Godwardness.
P.P.S.
I
was born in 1966 but Anglican so I got the last of the old religion there.
So when I discovered the Tridentine as a teen-ager I immediately took to it. By
then I had learnt Spanish so I even understood the Latin!
English
translation
The Novus Ordo is
still the norm. I expected that
(whatever really happens they’d say that to save face) and am fine with
calling the NO and the Tridentine ‘uses’ of the one Roman Rite (as is
the RC Anglican
Use, NO spliced with the
US 1979 Book of Common
Prayer). They are! The new officialese is the Tridentine is the
extraordinary use and the NO the
ordinary. (Let’s hope this
extraordinary practice becomes as ordinary as westward celebration and
extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist did 35 years ago. I can hear Cardinal
Mahony screaming all the way from LA. Goody.)