In Memoriam: Darío Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos

Today we mark the fifth anniversary of the passing of His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos (1929-2018), who served the Church as Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1998-2006, and as Prefect of the Ecclesia Dei Commission from 2000-09. All those who love the Roman Rite owe a great debt of thanks to Cardinal Hoyos, both for his work at the Ecclesia Dei commission, and for leading by example in helping the return of the traditional Rite as a regular feature of the Church’s life. In May of 2003, he offered us a tremendous sign of encouragement by celebrating a Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, the first Cardinal to celebrate the Mass in a Patriarchal basilica after the reform. Since then, he celebrated the traditional Mass publicly on many occasions, and constantly asserted that the pre-Conciliar Missal had never been suppressed, a thesis ratified by Pope Benedict XVI’s declaration that “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”

Cardinal Hoyos performing a diaconal ordination at the FSSP seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany in 2010. (Courtesy of the FSSP.)

Deus, qui inter Apostolicos sacerdotes famulum tuum Darium, Presbyterum Cardinalem, pontificali fecisti dignitate vigere: praesta quaesumus: ut eorum quoque perpetuo aggregetur consortio. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

God, who didst raise Thy servant the Cardinal Priest Dario to the dignity of bishop in the apostolic priesthood, grant, we beseech Thee, that he may be joined in the everlasting fellowship of the Apostles. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In 2008, His Eminence delivered the following address to the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, which is very much worth considering for the great pastoral wisdom and magnanimity which it evinces, both on the part of the Cardinal himself, and of Pope Benedict XVI. (emphases mine) It is also useful as a reminder of Pope Benedict’s true intentions and motivations in issuing Summorum Pontificum, which have so often and so inexcusably been misrepresented.

Address to the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales

London – 14th June 2008

Mr Chairman, Reverend Monsignori and Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen;

I am grateful for your kind invitation and for your warm welcome. It is a pleasure to be present with you today in London and to address the annual general meeting of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.

I look forward to the joy of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the great, historic and beautiful Westminster Cathedral for you this afternoon.

Today I would like to speak about three related subjects.

1. The first thing that I wish to say is that I appreciate the work which the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales has undertaken in the past four decades. You have worked with and under your bishops, at times without all of the results which you desired. Yet in all that you have done you have remained faithful to the Holy See and to the successor of Saint Peter. And you have been loyal during a very difficult time for the Church – a time that has been especially trying for those who love and appreciate the riches of her ancient liturgy.

Quite evidently these years have not been without many sufferings, but Our Blessed Lord knows them and will, in his Divine Providence, bring about much good from your sacrifices and from the sacrifices of those members of the Latin Mass Society who have not lived to be here today. To all of you, on behalf of the Church, I say: “thank you for remaining faithful to the Church and to the Vicar of Christ; thank you for not allowing your love for the classical Roman liturgy to lead you outside of communion with the Vicar of Christ!”

I also say, “Take heart!” for it is obvious from the many young people in England and Wales who love the Church’s ancient liturgy that you have done very well in preserving and handing on a love for this liturgy to your children.

2. Secondly, I wish to speak about the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. I know what great joy the publication of Summorum Pontificum brought to your members and indeed to many faithful Catholics around the world. In response to the prayers and sufferings of so many people in these past four decades, Almighty God has raised up for us a Supreme Pontiff who is very sensitive to your concerns. Pope Benedict XVI knows and deeply appreciates the importance of the ancient liturgical rites for the Church – for both the Church of today and for the Church of tomorrow. That is why he issued a juridical document – a Motu Proprio – which establishes legal freedom for the older rites throughout the Church. It is important to understand that Summorum Pontificum establishes a new juridical reality in the Church.

It gives rights to the ordinary faithful and to priests which must be respected by those in authority. The Holy Father is aware that in different places around the world many requests from priests and lay faithful who desired to celebrate according to the ancient rites were often not acted upon. That is why he has now authoritatively established that to celebrate according to the more ancient form of the liturgy – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as well the sacraments and other liturgical rites – is a juridical right, and not just a privilege accorded to all.

Cardinal Hoyos preaching during a Mass celebrated in the Sacrament chapel of St Peter’s Basilica in November of 2011.    

Certainly this must be done in harmony with both ecclesiastical law and ecclesiastical superiors, but superiors also must recognise that these rights are now firmly established in the law of the Church by the Vicar of Christ himself. It is a treasure that belongs to the whole Catholic Church and which should be widely available to all of Christ’s faithful. This means that parish priests and bishops must accept the petitions and the requests of the faithful who ask for it and that priests and bishops must do all that they can to provide this great liturgical treasure of the Church’s tradition for the faithful.

In this period immediately following the publication of the Motu Proprio our most immediate task is to provide for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite where it is most desired by the faithful and where their “legitimate aspirations” have not yet been met. On the one hand no priest should be forced to celebrate according to the extraordinary form against his will. On the other hand those priests who do not wish to celebrate according to the 1962 Roman Missal should be generous in meeting the requests of the faithful who desire it.

As I see it, two factors are necessary. 1. It is first of all important to find a centrally located church, convenient to the greatest number of the faithful who have requested this Mass. Obviously, it must be a church where the parish priest is willing to welcome these faithful from his own and surrounding parishes. 2. It is crucial that there be priests willing to celebrate according to the 1962 Roman Missal and thus to provide this important pastoral service on a weekly Sunday basis. Often there may be one or more priests in a given deanery or section of a diocese who would be willing and even desirous of celebrating this Mass. Bishops need to be sensitive to such pastoral provisions and to facilitate them. This is a fundamental intention of Summorum Pontificum. It is particularly sad where priests are prohibited from celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass because of restrictive legislative measures which have been taken and which run counter to the Holy Father’s intentions and thus to the universal law of the Church.

In this regard I am also pleased to commend the Latin Mass Society for its provision of the training session for priests at Merton College, Oxford, last summer, allowing many priests unfamiliar with the usus antiquior to learn how to celebrate it. I am very pleased to give my blessing to this initiative which will take place again this summer.

Let me say this plainly: the Holy Father wants the ancient use of the Mass to become a normal occurrence in the liturgical life of the Church so that all of Christ’s faithful – young and old – can become familiar with the older rites and draw from their tangible beauty and transcendence. The Holy Father wants this for pastoral reasons as well as for theological ones. In his letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum Pope Benedict wrote that:

“In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.”

3. This brings me to my third point. You are rightly convinced that the usus antiquior is not a museum piece, but a living expression of Catholic worship. If it is living, we must also expect it to develop. Our Holy Father is also of this conviction. As you know, he chose motu proprio – that is on his own initiative – to alter the text of the prayer pro Iudæis in the Good Friday liturgy. The intention of the prayer was in no way weakened, but a formulation was provided which respected sensitivities.

Likewise, as you also know, Summorum Pontificum has also provided for the Liturgy of the Word to be proclaimed in the vernacular without being first read by the celebrant in Latin. Today’s Pontifical Mass, of course, will have the readings solemnly chanted in Latin, but for less solemn celebrations the Liturgy of the Word may be proclaimed directly in the language of the people. This is already a concrete instance of what our Holy Father wrote in his letter accompanying the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum:

“the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The Ecclesia Dei Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical possibilities in this regard.”

Naturally we will be happy for your input in this important matter. I simply ask you not to be opposed in principle to the necessary adaptation which our Holy Father has called for.

This brings me to another important point. I am aware that the response of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei with regard to the observance of Holy Days of obligation has caused a certain amount of disturbance in some circles. It should be noted that the dates of these Holy Days remain the same in both the Missal of 1962 and the Missal of 1970. When the Holy See has given the Episcopal Conference of a given country permission to move certain Holy Days to the following Sunday, this should be observed by all Catholics in that country. Nothing prevents the celebration of the feast of the Ascension, for example, on the prior Thursday, but it should be clear that this is not a Mass of obligation and that the Mass of the Ascension should also be celebrated on the following Sunday. This is a sacrifice which I ask you to make with joy as a sign of your unity with the Catholic Church in your country.

Finally I ask your prayers for those of us called to assist the Holy Father in Rome in this delicate work of facilitating the Church’s ancient liturgical tradition. Please be patient with us: we are very few and there is much work to be done. And there are many questions to be studied and sometimes we may make mistakes!

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, intercede for all in this land which is so beautifully called “the Dowry of Our Lady,” and through her prayers may all Christ’s faithful come to draw ever more deeply from the great riches of the Church’s sacred liturgy in all of its forms.

Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

President

Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei

Should a Priest Introduce the Usus Antiquior to a Congregation That Doesn’t Request It?

Let’s begin with the most obvious point, which nevertheless still needs to be said. As per Summorum Pontificum, if the faithful themselves request the traditional Latin Mass, the pastor must provide it for them, or at least make arrangements for another priest to provide it. He is not allowed simply to say no. He might say “yes, but first I have to learn it” (and then the laity, already prepared, will tell him that they will cover all his expenses); or “yes, but at this difficult juncture — with the new elementary school, the prison ministry, the nursing home, and the recent death of the vicar — I won’t be able to learn it, so I will ask around and try to get a Mass started for you next month.” And of course, the pastor will always make such responses with a smile and gratitude for the devotion of his faithful to the rich traditions of the Catholic Church.

But what about a situation where the people are basically content with what they’ve got? They are accustomed to the “Ordinary Form” and know nothing else; they are not asking for anything else. Let’s even say, for the sake of argument, that the parish is on the upper end of the Ratzingerian scale and is already putting into practice the ideals of the “ROTR,” such as ad orientem, use of Latin and Gregorian chant, fine sacred music, beautiful vestments, kneeling for holy communion, and the like. Is there anything “wanting” to such a community? Is there any reason for the pastor himself to introduce the usus antiquior?

Yes. There are two basic reasons to do so.

First, for the priest’s own benefit. In an article published in Catholic World Report, “Finding What Should Never Have Been Lost: Priests and the Extraordinary Form” (one of many such articles now online), we find testimonies from priests about the effect that celebrating the usus antiquior has had on them, and why they find it so moving. One priest says: “It has a mystical, contemplative, and mysterious quality, with its use of Latin, the gestures, the position of the altar, and the prayers, which are more ornate than we have today.” Another priest remarks: “I was a lifelong Catholic, and I’d never experienced the Mass in that way. I didn’t imagine such a Mass existed. I was enthralled by it. When I celebrate the Mass, it has less to do with me, the priest, and is more about God.” A third priest states: “The Tridentine Mass has changed me. I like its reverence, and it’s helped me see the Mass as a sacrifice, not just a memorial.”

Every priest I know who offers the traditional Latin Mass — and I have spoken with hundreds over the years — experiences in a powerful, almost visceral way the awesomeness of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and of the mystery of the priesthood on account of many elements in the liturgy that were unfortunately removed in the reforms of the 1960s: the humble approach to the altar at the beginning, which is saturated with the humility and piety that befits “being about the Father’s business”; the many times the priest must bow or genuflect, the many kissings of the altar and signs of blessing; the exquisite attention to meaningful detail in one’s posture, attitude, and disposition; the profound prayers of the Offertory; the immersion into silence at the Canon, so piercingly focused on the mystery by which the immolation of Christ is renewed in our midst; the care that surrounds every aspect of the handling of the Body and Blood of the Lord, from canonical digits to thoroughgoing ablutions; the Placeat tibi and Last Gospel, which bring home the magnitude of what has taken place: nothing less than the redemptive Incarnation continuing in our midst. How could this not hugely benefit a priest in his interior life, and lead him further along the path of his vocation and his sanctification?

The second reason for a priest to make the usus antiquior available even when his congregation has not requested it is for their spiritual benefit. One of the priests interviewed in the aforementioned article points out: “Ninety percent of Catholics today have had no experience of the Church before Vatican II. They don’t know about its traditional art, architecture, or liturgy.” As Joseph Ratzinger lamented more than once, there was a rupture if not in theory, then certainly in fact. Catholics were separated from the traditions of the Church; indeed, adhering to traditions came to be seen as a sort of infidelity to Vatican II and to the new spirit it ushered in, which was supposed to newly engage modernity and bear the harvest of a new evangelization. This does not seem to have happened, or not with the fullness that had been desired and promised. If anything, it tended to encourage skepticism towards anything preconciliar and a promethean temptation to refashion the Church according to the latest fads and theories.

Although the worst of the “silly season” may be over (at least in most places), the People of God still suffer from the effects of this widespread deracination. What better way to root them again in the two millennia of Catholicism than by enriching them with the form of worship that nurtured the great saints of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and the entire Tridentine period that stretched over four and a half centuries? In the memorable words of Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to bishops, Con grande fiducia: “It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.”

This can only be a “win” for the faithful in the parish, stretching them in good ways. It will develop new habits of meditative and contemplative prayer; it will strongly confirm the dogma that the Mass is a true and proper sacrifice; it will intensify their adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist and their veneration of the ministerial priesthood (which is not a species of clericalism); it will open their minds to a wider world of Catholic culture and theology; and last but not least, it will support the effort to celebrate the Novus Ordo in a more traditional manner by showing where the ROTR paradigm came from in the first place — in other words, why we do certain things this way rather than that way.

We may conclude this part of our exposition with the striking words of the late Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos during his tenure as the president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei:

Let me say this plainly: the Holy Father wants the ancient use of the Mass to become a normal occurrence in the liturgical life of the Church so that all of Christ’s faithful – young and old – can become familiar with the older rites and draw from their tangible beauty and transcendence. The Holy Father wants this for pastoral reasons as well as for theological ones. (London, 14 June 2008)

When asked at a press conference on the same day “Would the Pope like to see many ordinary parishes making provision for the Gregorian Rite?,” His Eminence replied:

All the parishes. Not many — all the parishes, because this is a gift of God. He offers these riches, and it is very important for new generations to know the past of the Church. This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful — the deepest theologians’ way to express our faith. The worship, the music, the architecture, the painting, makes a whole that is a treasure. The Holy Father is willing to offer to all people this possibility, not only for the few groups who demand it, but so that everybody knows this way of celebrating the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.

A great good for all of the faithful

Practical Considerations

One question I am often asked by laity and clergy is: “How should the Extraordinary Form be introduced where it has not yet existed?” I think what they mean is largely practical: when, how often, and with what preparation or accompaniments.

My advice has always been to do it gradually: to start quietly (I mean, without fanfare) by scheduling a monthly Mass; then, once this Mass is known to be celebrated and there is some congregation for it, to offer catechesis to the rest of the parish in homilies, and a kindly invitation. After this has gone over well and has become an accepted fact, the frequency can be increased to once a fortnight or once a week. At this point, the priest reaches a crossroads: if he judges that the community will respond favorably and his head will not be handed to him on a platter at the chancery, he could celebrate the usus antiquior several times a week. I have seen regular parish schedules where it is offered as the daily Mass on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, or where there is a Sunday Mass and a weekday Mass.

To get even more particular, it has often worked well to introduce a traditional Latin Mass on Saturday morning, because this is a “low traffic” time of the week, and least likely to ruffle feathers. In some parishes there isn’t even a normal Saturday morning Mass, so nothing has to be swapped out. Another possibility is First Fridays and/or First Saturdays, because these are well-loved but traditional devotions, and the Latin Mass can be viewed as their natural complement: it sounds like a special thing being done for a special devotion. Another pastor I know introduced a monthly evening Mass just for men and boys, as part of a program of adoration, rosary, Mass, and fellowship; he will soon introduce a monthly evening Mass just for women and girls.

Introducing the usus antiquior on Sundays or Holy Days is at once the most important step and the most difficult. It is important to do so eventually, because only in this way can the treasure of the old liturgy reach the largest number of faithful. It is obviously difficult because of the need (in some places) for many Masses offered by a single priest, as well as by the challenge of an already-existing schedule that parishioners are loath to see modified. Still, even here there can be a way forward. For example, if there is already a quiet early morning Mass, one might convert this into a quiet Low Mass, being careful to repeat the readings from the pulpit in the vernacular before the homily. If there is a “contemporary youth Mass,” why not try the wild and crazy New Evangelization experiment of substituting a Gregorian Missa cantata for it instead? A lot of young Catholics are bored or turned off by the pseudo-pop music and the implicit dumbing-down that liturgical planners assume to be necessary for the smartphone generation. As always, some youths might stop coming, but others would find in it a radically new experience that appeals to them in mysterious ways. New people would come — and bring more people. It could end up being quite successful.

In all of this, I am painfully aware of the reality on the ground. There are many priests who feel that their hands are tied on account of the hostility, on the part of the bishop, the chancery, the presbytery, or the parish, towards anything traditional. This is a deplorable aspect of our decadent situation, but it is not a dead end. In such cases, a priest still profits from learning the usus antiquior, as he can offer it privately once a week on his day off. This will be to his own spiritual benefit for all the reasons already given, and, by connecting him to a wealth of tradition, influence for the better his understanding of what liturgy is and how it should be celebrated in any rite or form.

Visit www.peterkwasniewski.com for information, articles, sacred music, and Os Justi Press.

Darío Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos, RIP

His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos, who served the Church as Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1998-2006, and as Prefect of the Ecclesia Dei Commission from 2000-2009, passed away during the night of May 17-18, at the age of 88. All those who love the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite owe a great debt of thanks to Cardinal Hoyos, both for his work at the Ecclesia Dei commission, and for leading by example in helping the return of the traditional Rite as a regular feature of the Church’s life. In May of 2003, he offered us a tremendous sign of encouragement by celebrating a Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, the first Cardinal to celebrate the Mass in a Patriarchal basilica after the reform. Since then, he celebrated the traditional Mass publicly on many occasions, and constantly asserted that the pre-Conciliar Missal had never been suppressed, a thesis ratified by Pope Benedict XVI’s declaration that “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”

Cardinal Hoyos performing a diaconal ordination at the FSSP seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany in 2010. (Courtesy of the FSSP.)

Deus, qui inter Apostolicos sacerdotes famulum tuum Darium, Presbyterum Cardinalem, pontificali fecisti dignitate vigere: praesta quaesumus: ut eorum quoque perpetuo aggregetur consortio. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

God, who didst raise Thy servant the Cardinal Priest Dario to the dignity of bishop in the apostolic priesthood, grant, we beseech Thee, that he may be joined in the everlasting fellowship of the Apostles. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pontifical Mass at Campocavallo

Yesterday for the Feast of the Epiphany, Cardinal Castrillón celebrated Pontifical Mass at the Marian shrine of Campocavallo (Osimo, Province of Ancona, Italy) with the Franciscans of the Immaculate who celebrate the Extraordinary Form there every Sunday. Rinasicmento Sacro has images and a report (in Italian). Some more images on Elsas Nacht(b)revier.

Rumor Watch: Ecclesia Dei to Become Part of CDW?

Via the French blog Le Salon Beige comes this extract from the French publication Monde & Vie (NLM translation):

The Pope intends to take advantage of the appointment of his liege man [Card. Cañizares Llovera] to head the Congregation for Divine Worship in order to profoundly reorganise the Commission Ecclesia Dei, of which it so happens that Cardinal Cañizares is already a member. According to the rumor, which does not seem to be just a hallway rumour, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos who has long reached the age limit, would cede his post to his current second, a personal friend of Pope Ratzinger, Monsignor Camille Perl, who would be consecrated bishop for this reason. And the Commission would then be attached to the Congregation for Divine Worship, assuming, within the framework of one dicastery, the responsibility of the traditional form of the Roman rite, under the charge of Cardinal Cañizares. [...] This means in any case that the Commission Ecclesia Dei establishes itself in the ecclesiastical landscape. In addition, its anticipated director, Msgr Perl is certainly the man in Rome who best knows the traditionalist world, its ways, its outlines or its detours. He has the ear of the Pope for a long time. On more than one occasion his diplomacy has worked wonders.

Such an integration of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei into the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments would indeed be excellent for several reasons. It would clearly and unmistakably demonstrate, as the article mentions, that the usus antiquior is now a normal and regular part of the life and liturgy of the Church, attended to by a regular discastery of the Curia, and one of the most important at that, and not by a Special Commission named after a now obsolete indult. It makes sense that the curial authority charged with the Sacred Liturgy should have competence over both forms of the Roman Rite, not only because, once again, the Extraordinary Form is a living and regular part of the Sacred Liturgy, and not some isolated special interest concern, but also because, as we have seen, there are many questions which concern both forms, and where a seperate treatment of the same question can cause frictions. And the intgeration would also bring a number of curial officials experienced in the questions of the usus antiquior into the CDW, where still many officials have very little knowledge of it and are sometimes completely unaware of its content and rubrics. This, it might be hoped and expected, would greatly help the reform of the reform, since the liturgical tradition represented by the usus antiquior would become a daily presence within the Congregation. Nevertheless, this is as yet only a rumour, and should be treated as such.

Cardinal Castrillón and the Constantinian Order

In April, the NLM mentioned a Pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form which Cardinal Castrillón celebrated in the Roman Church of Santa Croce off Via Flaminia for the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George on the occasion of its patronal feast (cf. posts here and here; videos of the Mass are available at the Order's site here). What did perhaps not become sufficiently clear at the time was that Cardinal Castrillón celebrated this Mass in a special capacity, namely as Grand Prior of the Order (he also is a Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice, a distinction he shares with the new Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, Cardinal Cañizares). In this capacity, Cardinal Castrillón celebrated another Pontifical Mass in the usus antiquior for the Order last 31 October in L'Aquila, the capital of the Italian Region of Abruzzo, in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary; the Archbishop of L'Aquila attended in choro. Here is a video of this Mass:

You can learn more about the ancient and distinguished institution of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George at their website.

Tornielli: Agreement between Holy See and Lefebvrians - the Countdown [UPDATE]

Andrea Tornielli, well respected Vaticanista of il Giornale has posted the following on his blog (NLM translation):

The countdown has begun for the agreement between the Fraternity St. Pius X founded by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Holy See, as I write on il Giornale today. The Lefebvrians, who asked for the lifting of the excommunication, will have to respond by June 28 to proposals submitted on behalf of Benedict XVI by Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. These are five points which have to be signed, and once they have been clarified, the Fraternity will be able to reenter into full communion with Rome. It is a unique opportunity: the Lefebvrians have for a long time demanded the liberalisation of the ancient missal - and Pope Ratzinger with the Motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum cura" has restored full citizenship to pre-conciliar rite - and the "catechesis" which in recent times comes from papal Masses, with the recovery of some traditional elements, is undeniable. The Fraternity must accept the II Vatican Council and the full validity of the post-conciliar liturgical rite (both points were already signed by Monsignor Lefebvre himself in 1988) and as for its [the Fraternity's future] canonical structure, it could be framed as a "prelature". It is known, however, that there is internal resistance: this Bishop Bernard Fellay, the superior of the Lefebvrians, will have to try to overcome in the coming days, during the [Fraternity's] general chapter. Now that the old Mass has been liberalized - albeit with many difficulties and cases of blatant disobedience - many traditionalist faithful do not understand why the Fraternity does not make an agreement with Rome returning fully into Catholic communion. Circumstances so favourable in all likelihood will not come again.

Of course, the issues of religious liberty and ecumenism are still on the table, and a recent letter of Bishop Fellay (cf. here on Rorate Cæli) gives, humanly speaking, little hope for a return to full communion, as Tornielli himself, in the comments to his blog entry, acknowledges. Nevertheless if this is accurate, we are entering into a momentous week in the life of the Church, and a prayer assault for a successful resolution according to the most holy will of God is surely in order.

UPDATE

As announced, here is a translation of the il Giornale article:

In the relations between the Holy See and the Lefebvrians the countdown has begun: by this 28 June, the Fraternity of St. Pius X, founded by the French Archbishop who would not suffer the post-conciliar liturgical reform, will in fact have to decide whether to accept the five conditions proposed by the Vatican in order to reenter into full communion with Rome. Some days ago, the superior of the Lefebvrians, Bishop Bernard Fellay, met with Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Commission Ecclesia Dei, which deals on behalf of Benedict XVI with negotiations with the traditionalist group. Fellay, who previously had written to the Pope asking for the revocation of the excommunication imposed by John Paul II in 1988 to Lefebvre and the four new bishops that he had wanted to consecrate without the consent of the Holy See (among them Fellay himself), has received a letter with the five points set by the cardinal [Castrillón] and will discuss them during the next chapter of the fraternity, to be held at the end of the month.

Never like at this moment the negotiations have come close to an agreementwhich would heal the mini-schism which had been created now two decades ago, allowing the full reentering of the Lefebvrians into the Catholic communion. Among the points that the Holy See asked to sign there would be, according to the indiscretions gathered, the acceptance of the II Vatican Council and the declaration of full validity of the Mass according to the reformed liturgy: two conditions that Lefebvre had already signed with the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1988. The Vatican, for its part, offers the traditionalist group a canonical framework similar to that of Opus Dei, namely a [personal] "prelature", which would allow the Fraternity to continue its activities and to train its seminarians.

The march of rapprochement was started in 2000, when the Lefebvrians made a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome. It was followed by a brief audience granted by Pope Wojtyla to Monsignor Fellay and the beginning of the long and laborious negotiations with Cardinal Castrillón. Many things have changed since then however. The Lefebvrians asked, before making any step towards an agreement, that the old preconciliar missal, which fell into disuse after the liturgical reform, be liberalised. The new pope, Benedict XVI, particularly sensitive to these issues, a year ago published the Motu proprio declaring the full citizenship of the old Mass allowing it in every parish, in fact stripping the bishop of the possibility of prohibiting it. The application of the new papal directives has not been easy, there are a lot of cases of resistance - some blatant, as is known - but it is beyond doubt that by declaring the existence of an extraordinary Roman rite (the old one) and an ordinary (the reformed one), the Pope has authorized throughout the Church and without restrictions the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. Moreover, Ratzinger has reintroduced the Cross at the centre of the altar, has begun to distribute communion to the faithful kneeling, has restored ancient vestments: all signals that go in the direction of emphasizing the continuity of tradition.

Conditions this favourable for a reentering into full communion will in all likelihood not repeat themselves. Many faithful, now that they have obtained the Mass according to the ancient rite, do not understand why the Fraternity does not definitively make peace with Rome. The Lefebvrians have come to realize what is happening, even if Fellay has some problems of internal resistance. The choice is whether to make an agreement and reenter into full communion with the Holy See, or rather to remain a small separate body with the risk of turning into a little sectarian and uninfluential group.

Pictures of Solemn Masses - and another Solemn Mass on EWTN

Last week we were talking about upcoming Solemn Masses in Washington and New York. It seems both occasions went uncommenly well. You can read a report with images from New York on the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny blog here and from Washington on the Dignare me blog here.

Some select pictures:

Mass in New York, church of the Guardian Angel - sermon by Msgr. Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest


Consecration


Washington, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception




From Washington, we also have a video of the incensation of the altar at the beginning of Holy Mass (strangely, it was done as if the altar were attached to the wall instead of freestanding):




As mentioned in the original post, the celebrant of the Mass at the National Shrine in Washington was Fr Jonathan Romanoski FSSP, who was recently ordained by Cardinal Castrillón. Pictures of his First Mass, which he celebrated at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Valparaiso, Nebraska, can be found at the Una Voce Carmel blog here. Some samples:





Lastly, Una Voce Carmel has the welcome news that Fr Jared McCambridge FSSP, who was ordianed on the same occasion by Cardinal Castrillón, will offer a Solemn High Mass at Mother Angelica's Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL on 1 July 2008 at 7:00 a.m. CDT, which will be broadcast live on EWTN “Daily Mass Live.”

Cardinal Castrillón: Tradition Without Contestation

The May issue of "Jesus", a somewhat "liberal" (so never mind the bias, the tone or the factual inaccuracies of the introduction or the questions) Italian Catholic magazine "for religious culture and news" edited by the Society of St. Paul, carries a very interesting interview with Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. Here it is in my translation, with some few emphases and [remarks]:

Darío Castrillón Hoyos: Tradition Without Contestation
by Vittoria Prisciandaro

His Eminence is contented. The telephone of the ground floor office in the palace of the former Holy Office lives a new life. And on the desks correspondence from the entire world is piling up. After the promulgation of the Motu proprio, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei has in fact become an important part in the Vatican organization chart. "Now I have twice the work I had at the Congregation for the Clergy", confides Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, a Colombian of 79 years, a fervent supporter of the return home of the Lefebvrians, and since 2000 President of the Commission. Born to maintain the relations with the Fraternity of St. Pius X and the groups gravitating in the traditionalist galaxy, "Ecclesia Dei" is today become an inevitable interlocutor of dioceses and parishes for the controversies concerning the application of the extraordinary rite.

Eminence, a few months after the promulgation of the Motu proprio, how do you take stock?

"With the Motu proprio the Pope wanted to give everyone a renewed opportunity to benefit from the enormous spiritual, religious and cultural richness present in the liturgy of the Gregorian rite [it appears the Cardinal is coining a term; he has used this repeatedly]. The Motu proprio emerges as a treasure offered to all, not in the first place to accommodate grievances and requests of anyone. Not a few of those who first were not involved in this extraordinary form of the Roman rite now manifest a great esteem for it. Among the faithful I would distinguish three groups: those who are linked in quasi organic form to the Fraternity of St. Pius X; those of the Fraternity of Saint Peter; and lastly the most important and numerous group, consisting of persons attached to the religious culture of all times, who today discover the spiritual intensity of the ancient rite, and among whom many young people. In these months have come into being new associations of persons belonging to this last group."

Speaking of richness, some liturgists stress the fact that the extraordinary rite does not offer the biblical richness introduced by the novus ordo

"Those have not read the Motu proprio, because the Pope affirms that the two forms shall enrich each other. And it is evident that such a liturgical treasure is not being squandered. In the novus ordo with the years practically the entire Bible is read, and this is a richness which is not opposed to, but complementing the extraordinary rite. [non si oppone, ma va integrata nel rito straordinario - this could also mean 'is being integrated into the extraordinary rite']"

Another objection is about the danger that seperate and different celebrations can create seperate communities...

"It is a multiplicity which enriches, it is a wider cultural liberty which the Pope introduces in a bold form. Incidentally, in the parishes there are many differences in the celebrations, and I do not want to talk about the abuses, because the abuses are not the main reason of the Motu proprio."

Your secretary, Monsignor Camille Perl, announced that shortly there will be a document clarifying the Motu proprio. When will it be released?

"It was Cardinal Bertone who announced it, and he has the right to do so. But I, who am a servant of the Pope, will only announce it when the Pope will say so. Our Commission has reported to the Pontiff that from all over the world so many questions come, very many justified, others due to lack of knowledge. The Holy Father, and he alone, will say whether it is convenient to issue such a document and when."

What are the questions that have arrived and would deserve an answer?

"The first regards Latin, because - they say - to celebrate in a language which you do not know is not convenient. Unfortunately, the seminarians, but also some priests, have not studied it and therefore it is difficult for them to celebrate in the extraordinary form. To do so one should at least know the canon of the Mass, the part of the consecration. We in "Ecclesia Dei" are equipping ourselves and we are preparing meetings, courses and means of electronic communication for a deep knowledge of the earlier liturgy. Some courses are already being held in France, Germany, Brazil, Central America and the United States. At Toledo, Spain, for example, it is being evaluated whether it is convenient to erect a seminary specifically for the preparation for the extraordinary rite or to give special courses in the seminary of the diocese. In general we see an interest for the return of Latin in the academia. It was sad in these years to see the abandonment not only of the language, but also of certain theological content connected to the semantic precision of the Latin language.

Another problem is the shortage of priests ...

"If in a diocese priests are lacking and only three or four faithful request the extraordinary rite, it is a thing of common sense to think that it is difficult to meet this demand. However, since it is the intention, the "mens", of the Pope to grant this treasure for the good of the Church, where there are no priests the best thing would be to offer a celebration according to the extraordinary rite in one of the parish Sunday Masses. It would be a Mass for everyone, and everyone, including the younger generations would benefit from the richness of the extraordinary rite, for example, from those moments of contemplation that in the novus ordo have disappeared.

So you maintain that, even if there is no consistent and stable group, in the future it is intended to offer one of the Sunday Masses in the extraordinary rite?

"I think so. On the other hand, this possibility had already been approved unanimously in 1986 by a commission of cardinals in which was also present Cardinal Ratzinger, but then it did not become operative. Now I would be sure that it could be done."

Another point to clarify is the definition of a "stable and consistent group". What does it mean exactly?

"It is a matter of common sense: why make an issue if the people who ask for the rite come from different parishes? If they come together and request a Mass, they become a stable group, although they did not know each other before. Also the number is a question of goodwill. In some parishes, especially in the country, on weekdays the persons who come to the ordinary Mass are three or four, and the same happens in not a few religious houses. Why, if those same three people request the old Mass would it be pastorally necessary to reject it?".

So the future document should be more welcoming of requests from few?

"Yes, but it has to be understood not as something that should be at the expense of others, of the majority, but for their enrichment and always avoiding any even minimal form of antagonism."

Then there is the problem of the sacraments: I think of the rite of Ordination or the one of Confirmation, which refers to a different code of canon law and uses different formulas...

"Certainly at first sight there are some problems with regard to the sacred Orders, to Confirmation and also concerning the difference of the calendar. With regard to sacred Orders, in the ancient form there were the tonsure, the minor orders and the subdiaconate. This form is still in use and will continue to be so in the Institutes permanently attached to the ancient rite, as the Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Fraternity of Saint Pius X and other institutes. On Confirmation, even before the Motu proprio, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had already made it clear that there is no conflict between the two formulas, given that both the new formula and the old enjoy validity and the same is to be said for the other sacraments where the formula is different. With regard to the calendars that do not always coincide, there are actually problems as in the case of feasts of the patrons of a parish, of shrines, religious congregations and institutes, etc. With prudence and common sense the necessary arrangements will be made and with this also the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" will deal."

What time do you foresee for the reconciliation with the Fraternity of Saint Pius X?

"There are positive signs, there is an uninterrupted dialogue. A few days ago I wrote a new letter to Msgr Fellay, superior of the Fraternity, as a response to an earlier one of his. In addition to meetings and correspondence, we also hear each other on the telephone. I regard as viable the reconciliation with the fraternity Fraternity of Saint Pius X because, as we have often said at "Ecclesia Dei", this is not a real schism but an anomalous situation which arose after the "schismatic action" of Msgr Lefebvre in conferring the episcopate without papal mandate, even against the express will of the Pope. In my heart I have great confidence that the Holy Father will be able to mend the fabric of the Church with the arrival of these brothers to full communion. Some differences will still remain, as we always had in the history of the Church".

But with the Lefevbrians there is also a problem of acceptance of ecumenical dialogue...

"Yes, indeed there are difficulties with the interpretation of texts of the Council on this issue and with some concrete ecumenical practices, but no bishop of the Fraternity of St. Pius X will say that there is no need to seek the unity of the Christians."

After the Motu proprio have some of the Fraternity St. Pius X come back to communion with the Church of Rome?

"Yes, and others have the will to do so. But I have the hope that the whole group comes, I would not want them to divide themselves. However, if an individual comes and says he wants to enter now into unity with the Pope, one must accept him. The Motu proprio did also draw other people near. For example, on March 28, I received a letter from a non-Catholic bishop, who has decided to enter the Catholic Church with other bishops and priests who celebrate the Tridentine Mass".

Do the new powers of "Ecclesia Dei" not conflict with the ministry of the bishops?

"The Pope, who has the authority over the whole Church, over each of the faithful and the bishops, has set new norms in the Motu proprio, and the Pontifical Commission is only an instrument at the service of the Vicar of Christ, so that his decisions are being implemented. "Ecclesia Dei" takes care to apply the Motu proprio in fraternal harmony, understanding and collaboration with the bishops. Attitudes of antagonism with the shepherds must be avoided by persons, groups or institutions because of the Motu proprio. Certainly the shepherds, in obedience to the Pope, will have understanding for those faithful who have a special love for the liturgical tradition. With bishops who have contacted us, I always found understanding."

In the introduction to the reprinting of the "Compendium of practical Liturgy" by Trimeloni [the Italian Fortescue], you write that the Pope avails himself of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" because in the diversity of the forms of cult there can shine the richness of the treasures of faith and spirituality of the Bride of Christ. In what consists the difference between the liturgy of John XXIII and the one reformed by Paul VI?

"Pope John has incorporated also the liturgy in his desire for dialogue of the Church with contemporary culture. Paul VI gave organicity to the reforms born of this desire. The Holy Spirit, which always accompanies the Church, inspires the necessary changes in every moment of history, without violent rupture of the process of perfection which He Himself has inspired in the course of history. Benedict XVI, with this motu proprio, makes common the riches of the two phases of the process, healing even so, the anxiety of those who believed that in matters liturgical there had been an unacceptable rupture."

After the reformulation of the Good Friday prayer it was said that it was a returning 40 years back in Christian-Jewish dialogue. Had these criticisms been expected?

"Is it not a good thing to pray for our brothers the sons of Abraham? Abraham is the father of faith, but in a chain of salvation in which the Messiah is expected. And the Messiah has arrived. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that, in one day, five thousand Jews have converted. I am not contesting the prayer of the novus ordo, but I consider perfect the present one of the extraordinary rite. And I pray gladly for the conversion of my many Jewish friends, because I believe truly that Jesus is the Son of God and the Saviour of all".