One big clue to the pope’s thinking came in his 1997 book, titled “Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977” and written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in which he sharply criticized the drastic manner in which Pope Paul VI reformed the Mass in 1969.
…
But the picture is not so clear-cut. As Cardinal Ratzinger, he said he considered the new missal a “real improvement” in many respects, and that the introduction of local languages made sense.
In one revealing speech to Catholic traditionalists in 1998, he said bluntly that the old “low Mass,” with its whispered prayers at the altar and its silent congregation, “was not what liturgy should be, which is why it was not painful for many people” when it disappeared.
The most important thing, he said at that time, was to make sure that the liturgy does not divide the Catholic community.
With that in mind, knowledgeable Vatican sources say the pope’s new document will no doubt aim to lessen pastoral tension between the Tridentine rite and the new Mass, rather than hand out a victory to traditionalists.
Link:
Tridentine Mass: Pope looks for bridge to tradition
A statement from the Vatican press office confirms the meeting B16 had with various bishops on the Tridentine rite Mass:
"The publication of the document — which will be accompanied by an extensive personal letter from the Holy Father to individual bishops — is expected within a few days, when the document itself will be sent to all the bishops with an indication for its implementation," the statement said.
It starts a year from now. (Sorry for the boo-boo. Misread the date.)
Word on the street is that B16 will release the moto proprio on the Tridentine rite of Mass on 7/7/07–so just nine days from now.
I’d very much like to have the motu proprio released then–or sooner–but even though I’m not from Missouri, I’ll believe it when I see it.
POPE BENEDICT XVI HAS JUST RELEASED HIS NEW MOTU PROPRIO!!! WOO-HOO!!!
AND HE’S TURNED BACK THE CLOCK!!!
In it, he orders the Church to revert to a traditional practice that had been changed in the years following Vatican II! And it’s not just an "if the bishop doesn’t object" reversal! It’s a complete and total reversal!
The only thing is . . .
It doesn’t concern the Mass.
It’s not that motu proprio. It’s a different one.
What it does deal with is how the next pope will be elected. In times past, the election of a new pope required a supermajority of the cardinals to agree on the new pontiff, but John Paul II changed that so that–if they were unable to agree after an extended period of time–only a simple majority would do.
That innovation was introduced, no doubt, because of concerns John Paul II had about the amount of polarization in the Church and the difficulties this might conceivably create in getting to the required supermajority.
But B16 apparently feels that getting the buy-in of more than half of the cardinals is more important.
In fact, it may motivate deeper scrutiny on the part of the cardinals of what the Church really needs. It will prevent a bare majority of the cardinals from knowing that they can just run out the clock and get who they would like. By forcing the supermajority the cardinals will be forced to think through who really can best govern the Church given the differing viewpoints of the cardinals.
And it prevents any future pope from being confronted with a George Bush-like situation where he wins in a squeaker election and is then permanently hobbled by resentment and debates and perhaps even doubts (due to the secrecy of the conclave) over the legitimacy of the election.
What do I think of the change?
I don’t know. I haven’t yet read an English version of the document, and I’ve only skimmed in it Latin, so at this point I don’t have a strong opinion. It’s also a decision I’m glad I don’t have to make.
The English edition of the pope’s new book came out while I was gone, and I came home to find a copy waiting for me.
I’m reading it now.
You can guess how good it is!
It’s also available on CD for those who prefer audiobooks.
THAT VERSION IS HERE.
Well, while I’m in Italy right now, Pope Benedict has gone to Brazil. (There is no causal connection between those two as far as I know.)
What’s he doing down there?
JOHN ALLEN HAS THE SCOOP.
The English edition of the Pope’s new book on Jesus will be out in a few days (unfortunately, while I’ll be in Italy, so I won’t be able to get it–or have time to read it–till I get back), but
JOHN ALLEN HAS AN INTERESTING PREVIEW.
He also has some interesting thoughts on how the press tends to miss the point of books like this.
John Allen maintains that the motu proprio liberalizing the use of the Tridentine rite of Mass is real and should be out soon.
EXCERPT:
An April 3 letter from Cardinal Walter Kasper, who among other things heads the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, responds to concerns from the International Council of Christians and Jews about the pre-Vatican II Mass, in light of controversial passages it contains regarding Judaism. The last sentence of Kasper’s letter, the text of which I have, is the key line: "While I do not know what the pope intends to state in his final text, it is clear that the decision that has been made cannot now be changed."
Kasper’s language clearly indicates that something definitive has happened. It adds to the confirmation given by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on March 31 that a motu proprio from Benedict XVI, meaning a document under the pope’s personal authority, on the pre-Vatican II Mass is coming.
But when will it appear?
The hot tip now is April 30, the feast of St. Pius V on the Roman calendar, or May 5, the feast of Pius V on the older calendar.
Allen’s story points out that certain prayers in the Tridentine rite may offend interreligious sensibilities, and it will be interestng to see what, if anything, is done regarding them. While one of the most troublesome passages was removed by John XXIII, if the Holy See were to take swift action to alter more passages, it would undercut the effect of liberalizing the rite before it could have its impact.
One big clue to the pope’s thinking came in his 1997 book, titled “Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977” and written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in which he sharply criticized the drastic manner in which Pope Paul VI reformed the Mass in 1969.
…
But the picture is not so clear-cut. As Cardinal Ratzinger, he said he considered the new missal a “real improvement” in many respects, and that the introduction of local languages made sense.
In one revealing speech to Catholic traditionalists in 1998, he said bluntly that the old “low Mass,” with its whispered prayers at the altar and its silent congregation, “was not what liturgy should be, which is why it was not painful for many people” when it disappeared.
The most important thing, he said at that time, was to make sure that the liturgy does not divide the Catholic community.
With that in mind, knowledgeable Vatican sources say the pope’s new document will no doubt aim to lessen pastoral tension between the Tridentine rite and the new Mass, rather than hand out a victory to traditionalists.
Link:
CNS on the Motu Proprio: a link and commentary
What came to my mind here was there is also a need for those who have rejected our tradition and traditional forms to likewise demonstrate their own good will and a hermeneutic of continuity. Let’s be clear and fair, there has been a hermeneutic of rupture which has banished most anything deemed “pre-conciliar” and this is as problematic as the sort of traditionalist who has rejected anything and everything “post-conciliar.”
Further, not all “traditionalists” take on this approach of rupture. If they are simply attached to the treasures of the classical liturgy, desirous of true liturgical reform in the light of both the Council and our tradition of organic development, all the while never questioning the validity of the modern Roman rite, but calling for a reform of the reform with regard to it, then it seems to me that they have nothing to justify and join the ranks of our Holy Father as a Cardinal in this set of ideas. In that regard, I would propose they form a part of the true liturgical centre and mainstream —- just as do those who focus upon the reform of the reform, but who are supportive of the availability of the classical liturgy, provided we do not take an immobiliistic and triumphalistic approach to it, or one which rejects the Council — not as popular opinion may go of course, but as the mind of the Church may go, as seen in the light of the Conciliar documents and our tradition.
As for the extremes, the road to a change of heart and mind is not a one way street as this article might make one think; it is rather and precisely a two-way street.
A while back I conjectured that now that the apostolic exhortation is out, we might begin to hear more about the motu proprio liberalzing the use of the Tridentine rite of Mass, buliding up to its release.
It appears that there are now signs of that.
Roman Catholic Blog has a post on two related stories that deal with this.
The first comes from Rorate Caeli, where an excerpt is given from a French publication (Le Figaro) in which Cardinal Bertone discusses the matter. Here’s the money quote:
Is a Decree widening the possibility of celebrating the Latin Mass according to the rite from before Vatican II (the so-called Mass of Saint Pius V) still expected?
[Secretary of State] Cardinal Bertone: The merit of the conciliar liturgical reform is intact. But both [for reasons of] not losing the great liturgical heritage left by Saint Pius V and for granting the wish of those faithful who desire to attend Masses according to this rite, within the framework of the Missal published in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, with its own calendar, there is no valid reason not to grant to every priest in the world* the right to celebrate according to this form. The authorization of the Supreme Pontiff would evidently preserve the validity of the rite of Paul VI. The publication of the motu proprio which specifies this authorisation will take place, but it will be the pope himself who will explain his motivations and the framework of his decision. The Sovereign Pontiff will personally explain his vision for the use of the ancient Missal to the Christian people, and particularly to the Bishops.
*au prêtre du monde entier: literally, to the priest of the whole world
Now, I have a little note of caution here, because the interview in question hasn’t yet appeared on Le Figaro’s web site, raising a tiny question in my mind about the provenance of the story. However, I think it’s most likely accurate.
Here’s the French group that originally put it online.
There’s also this story from Catholic News Service, which is well worth reading. It cites a bunch of unnamed Vatican sources, but it nevertheless conveys the expectation that the motu proprio will soon be released. What’s interesting, though, is that it provides a plausible understanding of Benedict’s rationale in issuing it: that it’s not just a gesture to the SSPX but is instead an effort on his part to harmonize elements in the Church’s recent liturgical history.
EXCERPT:
More than making peace with Archbishop Lefebvre’s followers, they said, the pope is trying to make peace with the church’s own tradition.
One big clue to the pope’s thinking came in his 1997 book, titled "Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977" and written when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in which he sharply criticized the drastic manner in which Pope Paul VI reformed the Mass in 1969.
The almost total prohibition of the old missal, which had been used for 400 years, was unprecedented in the history of the liturgy, he said in the book.
In effect, he said, "the old building was demolished" and a new one put in its place. Thus the liturgy ceased to be a living development and was treated as something manufactured by experts, which has caused the church "enormous harm," he said.
This is something that Cardinal Ratzinger said on more than one occasion, and in more than one way. In one of Peter Seewald’s interviews with him, he expressed the thought that for 400 years the Tridentine rite of Mass had been the Church’s most sacred possession, and it was problematic to then suddenly turn around and treat it as forbidden.
In any event, after a long dormancy of hearing anything about the motu proprio, it now sounds as if things are in motion again.