Fr. Neuhaus: "The Pope’s Liturgical Liberalism"
From the First Things blog On the Square:
One of the more deft moves in Benedict’s apostolic letter motu proprio, titled “Summorum Pontificum,” is in referring to the 1962 form of the Roman Rite as the Mass of Blessed John XXIII. It is not the Tridentine Mass or the Mass of Pius V but the Mass of John XXIII. It is the form of the Mass that was celebrated daily at the Second Vatican Council.My Comments:
Benedict notes that, over the many centuries of the Roman Rite, popes have from time to time made modest changes. Pius V did so in 1570, John XXIII did so in 1962, and Paul VI did so in 1970, the last producing what is called the Novus Ordo. Benedict notes that John Paul II also made small but important emendations regarding references to the Jews in the Good Friday Liturgy. (More on that below.)
By associating the Latin Mass that is now universally approved with John XXIII, Benedict steals a card from the deck of liberals and progressives, for whom John XXIII is always “good Pope John,” in contrast to his successors. But this is much more than a deft rhetorical move. “Summorum Pontificum” is a thoroughly liberal document in substance and spirit, remembering that liberal means, as once was more commonly understood, generosity of spirit.
In his letter to the bishops, Benedict is directing them to be generous in embracing the fullness of the Catholic tradition and responding to the desires of the Catholic faithful. This is proposed in contrast to the rigidity, bordering sometimes on tyranny, of a liturgical guild that mistakenly thought that the Second Vatican Council gave them a mandate to impose their ideas of liturgical reform on the entire Church.
[More]
One of the more deft moves in Benedict’s apostolic letter motu proprio, titled “Summorum Pontificum,” is in referring to the 1962 form of the Roman Rite as the Mass of Blessed John XXIII. It is not the Tridentine Mass or the Mass of Pius V but the Mass of John XXIII. It is the form of the Mass that was celebrated daily at the Second Vatican Council.
G. Thomas Fitzpatrick notes the same thing over at Recta Ratio.
posted by Pro Ecclesia 9:11 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Of course, one could be concerned that his liberalism would allow for the misapplication of his Motu Propio. While I hope that such fears will be unfounded, I was made nervous by what I heard from my Pastor this morning, in which he stated that his parish will not have to offer a mass using the 1962 Missal, whether parishoners request it or not. Rather than re-hashing the whole story, I discussed his reasoning (which he implied was diocese sanctioned) here. But what I am most interested in hearing is if this Parish/Diocese is an isolated event, or other people are hearing similar noise in their parishes.
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