The
Tridentine Mass in the Church Today
In 1984 Pope John Paul II asked for a report on the
acceptance of the New Mass (Novus Ordo) or its rejection.Based on the
feedback world wide, the Holy Father sent out the
Indult, Quattuor Annos, granting to all dioceses the right to offer
the Tridentine Mass with certain conditions based on a fear of possible
disrespect for the authority of the Church to introduce the Novus Ordo and that
these groups, although preferring the Tridentine, do not deny the True Presence
of Christ in the Novus Ordo.The text of Quattuor Annos is below.
This is no more than the conditions the Church asked
of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and his Priestly
Fraternity of St. Pius X.His refusal to accept the True Presence of Christ in
the Novus Ordo, is the only reason the Archbishop and his followers have
incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law.
As a result of Quattuor Annos
many of Marcel Lefebvre's followers came back into the Church forming new
fraternities of priests who celebrate only the Tridentine Mass but do not deny
the Novus Ordo as a legitimate Mass.
But this did not end such disobedience not only by the Fraternity of St.
Pius X but new groups popped up everywhere, mostly individual priests who were
not allowed to continue the Tridentine and went out on their own, separating
themselves and their followers from the unity of the Church, which implies in
practice the rejection of the Roman primacy and constitutes a schismatic
act. Much of this can be explained but not justified. Explained because of the massive abuse in the liturgies of the
Novus Ordo throughout the world and a total disrespect and irreverence for
Christ in the Eucharist. Not justified
because the greatest tradition in the Church is obedience to the Holy
Father. Part of what drove these
priests out of the Church was that, for the most part, the bishops of the world
did not follow the request of the Holy Father in Quattuor Annos, allowing some
Tridentine Masses. In the few cases
when did supply the Latin Mass, they created unexpected difficulties for
the worshipers, typically small or out-of-the-way chapels, fine but elderly
priests (and hence unable to build up a parish life). Other problems were
practical, such as inadequate parking, celebrations after 12:00 PM - in a word
- almost anything to show that few people really wanted the old Mass. Yet, despite this, many flocked to the
Tridentine Mass, and continue to flock.
Most important of all is that many were saying that no bishop had the
right to deny the Tridentine. By introducing the Novus Ordo, Pope Paul VI had
no intention of eliminating or even marginalizing, the Latin Mass..
The Tridentine Has always
been legal
So in 1986 Pope John Paul II asked
the question. He wanted to know if in fact - 1) Pope Paul VI actually
forbid the celebration of the traditional Mass, and - 2) does the priest have
the right to celebrate the traditional Mass in public or private without
restriction, even against the will of his bishop. He called together a small Commission of Cardinals to answer this
question. The result was unambiguous - no one, priest or laity, can be denied
the Tridentine Mass.(History of this report below.)
However, there was some practical problems to making
this known. First of all, as is true of
all schismatics, many of these (what has become to be known as) traditionalists
have fallen into many other heresies, Feenitism, sedivicantists, etc. For me -
and I call myself a traditionalist - I have sadly realized that some even good
people have adopted better-than-you attitudes, an attitude which I find
un-Christian. In fact, although some of
these do not say it openly, many I feel are contemptuous of the Novus Ordo, not
just the palpable abuses of the Novus Ordo.. However, on the other side, the
Holy Father anticipated with sadness that freely allowing all priests to
say the Tridentine anywhere in the world, at any time might bring a result of confusion or even disunity in
parishes. Thus, the Holy Father constrained himself in his apostolic letter,
using careful language, hoping to
prevent this potential.
The Tridentine should be given to all who
want it
So, in 1988 he issued "Ecclesia Dei" and designated it motu
proprio. In this letter (shown below), the Holy Father expresses his firm
wish that anyone who is attached to the Latin liturgical tradition of the Roman
Missal of 1962 should be allowed to have this Tridentine Mass available for
them.
Correcting Novus Ordo abuses
This year on March 25, 2004 again Rome put out a
document trying to correct the abuses of the Novus Ordo. This document is called Redemptionis Sacramentum - "On certain
matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist."
(The complete document can be found on my web site
at http://www.unitypublishing.com/liturgy/VaticanMass2004.htm
)
Abuses on the right and the left
If you have eyes to see, but do not see, let me try
to shed some light on how we reached a place where we had a neglected, almost
suppressed the 'Old' Mass - and a "New' Mass in forms undreamed of by both
the Council and Paul VI . The last four popes have tried with everything they
could do to bring schismatic Protestant and Orthodox sects back
into the Church by granting concessions to them on many things. There was, of
course, no concession on doctrine nor the need to be united to the Holy Father
for unity. I refer to a document by
Pope John Paul II called Ut Unum Sint for
which this web site is named. Not
withstanding good intentions, these concessions caused two unexpected things to
happen. 1) heretics within the Church abused this 'loosening up' to promote
their own agenda, chiefly diluting the faith and pluralizing everything we hold
sacred. And 2) the
ultra-traditionalists, seeing the abuses and impatient with the lack of remedy,
split from the Church, using the same ill-logic which the Orthodox used in 1054
AD, that the Church was no longer orthodox.
But as you can see by the four
documents above, Rome has bent over backwards to keep the Unity of Faith, both
between the liberals and the traditionalists.
At the same time Rome has continued to try and correct the abuses of the
faith, without seeming dictatorial (which would not help the ecumenical
movement) and to encourage the traditionalists to remain loyal, since they have
no ecumenical spirit at all.
The problems
Since the Liturgy (the Mass) is
the heart of the Church, the source of all sanctification, the presentation of
the Crucifixion, it is in the Liturgy that the future of the Church will be
rediscovered. Hence, correction of all
abuses on the right and the left of true faith must be achieved. The
problem as I see it is that the far left is trying to take down the faith by
making it into a social democratic faith or more likely into whatsoever anyone
wants to believe. This has, of course, been promoted openly. On the far right, we have those who advance
their own interpretation of truth based on egghead readings of tradition. I am
aware that the communists and Masons have tried to destroy the Liturgy, but
people like the Norbatines have managed to do great Liturgies with the Novus
Ordo. Frankly, I freely admit my own
preference for the Tridentine mass, and I just as freely insist that it takes a
very holy priest to do a Novus Ordo with reverence and honor to God. On the
other hand, even a 'bad' priest does a good job with the Tridentine. However, it takes much more holy people in
the pews to participate well in the Tridentine than it does with the Novus Ordo
when said by a holy priest.
I have often thought what I would
do if I had some authority in the Church regarding the Liturgy. For one thing, I cannot say that the Holy
Spirit is wrong, when in fact the Holy Spirit was with Vatican II, even if
there was an attempt at Vatican II to change the Church. Even if the Masons and Communists tried to destroy
the Liturgy, they could not have been successful with the heart of the Church,
the Mass, or the Church would already have failed, which is impossible.
The solution
I think the perfect solution to
these problems derives from St. Thomas' magnificent assertion: "In
matters of faith, unity, in devotion, diversity, and in everything else,
love." All priests all over the world would say both the Novus Ordo
Mass and the Tridentine Mass each and every day for everyone. Therefore
everyone could have his or her choice in Liturgies in each and every Church
throughout the Latin Rite. Every priest should be able to say any Mass in Latin
and by doing this priests could travel all over the world without a local
limitations due to custom or language typical of the Novus Ordo.
This is my dream, but then it is
quite impossible isn't it? I thought
so, but now I find that this is exactly what one group of people decided to
do. And now we have an order of priests
who have done just that but much more. I personally believe that this order is
going to restore the Liturgy by example and teaching. They are the:
Society of Saint John Cantius
The Society of St. John
Cantius was founded in 1998 by Fr. C. Frank Phillips, C.R. as a Roman Catholic
religious community of men dedicated to a restoration of the sacred in
the context of parish ministry. Its mission is to help Catholics rediscover a
profound sense of the sacred through solemn liturgies, devotions, sacred art,
sacred music, as well as instruction in Church heritage, catechetics, and
Catholic culture. This mission is reflected in the Society's motto: Instaurare Sacrum (Restoration of
the Sacred).
The purpose of the Society
of St. John Cantius is the formation of a Roman Catholic men's diocesan
institute, which shall form and train men to be priests and brothers. On
December 23, 1999, the memorial of St. John of Kenty (Cantius), Francis
Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, issued a "Decree approving
the statutes and erecting the Society of St. John Cantius as a public diocesan
association of the Christian faithful with juridic personality." On
January 31, 2002, he gave his approval to the recently completed Spiritual
Directory and Book of Customs as the local provisionary rule for the Society of
St. John Cantius—the next step toward approval of constitutions for the Society
as a diocesan institute. At that time, clerical members of the Society of St.
John Cantius will become the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius and will have full faculties to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
according to the Missal of Paul VI (Novus Ordo) in both Latin and
English, as well as the Missal of 1962 (Tridentine).
Members of the Society of
St. John Cantius live in common according to the Rule of St. Augustine and their
local Rule of Life. Members dedicate themselves to the recovery of the sacred
in living the common life, striving for personal sanctity and by seeking the
salvation and sanctification of all. In order to achieve these ends, special
emphasis will be placed upon the study and implementation of the sacred rites
of the Latin Church in their various approved manifestations.
The laity can also affiliate
themselves with the Society of St. John Cantius as Associate Members. These may
be men who are considering a religious vocation to the Society or individuals,
male or female, married or single, who wish to help the advancement of the
Society of St. John Cantius in their capacity as a member of the laity.
Along with its founder, the
community presently includes three priests, two deacons, three seminarians, one
priest in canonical novitiate and six members in formation.
For more information about
the Society of St. John Cantius, contact us by e-mail or by letter at: Society of
St. John Cantius, 825 North Carpenter Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622.
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Documents:
Indult "Quattuor Abhinc
Annos"
on October 3, 1984,
by the Congregation for
Divine Worship,
to the Presidents of the
world's various Episcopal Conferences.
Most Rev. Excellency:
Four years ago, by order of
the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, the bishops of the whole Church were invited
to present a report:
- concerning the way in
which the priests and faithful of their dioceses had received the Missal
promulgated in 1970 by authority of Pope Paul VI in accordance with the
decisions of the Second Vatican Council;
- concerning the
difficulties arising in the implementation of the liturgical reform;
- concerning possible
resistance that may have arisen.
The result of the
consultation was sent to all bishops (cf. _Notitiae_, n. 185, December 1981).
On the basis of their replies it appeared that the problem of priests and
faithful holding to the so-called "Tridentine" rite was almost
completely solved.
Since, however, the same
problem continues, the Supreme Pontiff, in a desire to meet the wishes of
these groups, grants to diocesan bishops the possibility of using an
indult whereby priests and faithful, who shall be expressly indicated in the
letter of request to be presented to their own bishop, may be able to celebrate
Mass by using the Roman Missal according to the 1962 edition, but under the
following conditions:
a) That it be made
publically clear beyond all ambiguity that such priests and their respective
faithful in no way share the positions of those who call in question the
legitimacy and doctrinal exactitude of the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope
Paul VI in 1970.
b) Such celebration must be
made only for the benefit of those groups that request it; in churches and
oratories indicated by the bishop (not, however, in parish churches, unless the
bishop permits it in extraordinary cases); and on the days and under the
conditions fixed by the bishop either habitually or in individual cases.
c) These celebrations must
be according to the 1962 Missal and in Latin.
d) There must be no
interchanging of texts and rites of the two Missals.
e) Each bishop must inform
this Congregation of the concessions granted by him, and at the end of a year
from the granting of this indult, he must report on the result of its
application.
This concession, indicative
of the common Father's solicitude for all his children, must be used in such a
way as not to prejudice the faithful observance of the liturgical reform in the
life of the respective ecclesial communities.
I am pleased to avail myself
of this occasion to express to Your Excellency my sentiments of deep esteem.
Yours devotedly in the Lord.
+Augustin Mayer, Pro-Prefect
+Virgilio Noe, Secretary.
In 1986, the Holy Father appointed a commission of
nine Cardinals to examine the legal status of the traditional rite of Mass,
commonly known as the "Tridentine Mass". The commission of Cardinals included
Cardinals Ratzinger, Mayer, Oddi, Stickler, Casaroli, Gantin, Innocenti,
Palaz-zini, and Tomko was instructed to examine two questions:
1) Did Pope Paul VI authorize the bishops to forbid
the celebration of the traditional Mass?
2) Does the priest have the right to celebrate the
traditional Mass in public and in private without restriction, even against the
will of his bishop?
The Commission, the account stated, unanimously
determined that Pope Paul VI never gave the bishops the authority to forbid
priests from celebrating the traditional rite of
Regarding the second question: The Commission stated
that priests cannot be obligated to celebrate the new rite of Mass; the bishops
cannot forbid or place restrictions on the celebration of the traditional rite
of Mass whether in public or in private.
The Commission also recommended that the Pope issue a
Papal decree based on the Commission's findings and it was the Pope's intention
to issue this decree in November of 1988, but the decree was never issued, due
to pressure placed on the Pope from opposing Cardinals.
On May 20, 1995 Alfons Cardinal Stickler gave an
address entitled "The Theological Attractiveness of the Tridentine
Mass".[2] During the question and answer session after his speech, His Eminence
was asked about the Nine Cardinal Commission of 1986 regarding the Tridentine
Mass.
It is worth noting that the questions and answers were
written down. The Cardinal was free to choose the questions he wanted to answer
and he chose to reply to this one.
His Eminence began his remarks by recounting an
incident where Eric de Saventhem (former head of Una Voce in
"I was one of the Cardinals"
Cardinal Stickler then addressed the issue of the
Commission. He related, "Pope John Paul II asked a commission of nine
Cardinals in 1986 two questions:
First, "Did Pope Paul VI or any other competent
authority legally forbid the widespread celebration of the Tridentine Mass in
the present day?"
The Cardinal explained, "I can answer
because I was one of the Cardinals."
He continued, "the answers given by the
nine Cardinals in 1986 was 'No, the Mass of Saint Pius V (Tridentine Mass) has
never been suppressed'."
The Cardinal also confirmed the incident regarding the
Papal decree.
He related that of this commission of nine Cardinals,
eight Cardinals were in favor, and one was against, a general permission to be
drawn up making it clear that everyone could choose the old Mass as well as the
new.
The Cardinal explained that the Pope seemed willing to
promulgate this sort of announcement, but a few National Episcopal conferences
who found out about the "danger" of this permission, came to the Pope
and said "this should not be absolutely allowed because it would be the
occasion or the cause of controversy in the people of God -- in the faithful
themselves ... one against the other, and so on." Cardinal Stickler
explained that in the face of this argument, the Pope abstained from signing
this decree.
In answer to the second question, "Can any bishop
forbid any priest in good standing from celebrating the Tridentine Mass?",
Cardinal Stickler replied, "the nine Cardinals unanimously agreed
that no bishop may forbid a Catholic priest from saying the Tridentine
APOSTOLIC LETTER
"ECCLESIA DEI"
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
GIVEN MOTU PROPRIO
1. With
great affliction the Church has learned of the unlawful episcopal ordination
conferred on 30 June last by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, which has frustrated
all the efforts made during the previous years to ensure the full communion
with the Church of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X founded by the same
Mons. Lefebvre. These efforts, especially intense during recent months, in
which the Apostolic See has shown comprehension to the limits of the possible,
were all to no avail.(1)
2. This
affliction was particularly felt by the Successor Peter to whom in the first
place pertains the guardianship of the unity of the Church,(2) even though the
number of persons directly involved in these events might be few. For every
person is loved by God on his own account and has been redeemed by the blood of
Christ shed on the Cross for the salvation of all.
The
particular circumstances, both objective and subjective in which Archbishop
Lefebvre acted, provide everyone with an occasion for profound reflection and
for a renewed pledge of fidelity to Christ and to his Church.
3. In
itself, this act was one of disobedience to the Roman Pontiff in
a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the church, such
as is the ordination of bishops whereby the apostolic succession is
sacramentally perpetuated. Hence such disobedience - which implies in
practice the rejection of the Roman primacy - constitutes a schismatic
act.(3) In performing such an act, notwithstanding the formal canonical
warning sent to them by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops on 17 June last, Mons. Lefebvre and the priests Bernard Fellay, Bernard
Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta, have
incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical
law.(4)
4. The root
of this schismatic act can be discerned in an incomplete and contradictory
notion of Tradition. Incomplete, because it does not take sufficiently into
account the living character of Tradition, which, as the Second Vatican
Council clearly taught, "comes from the apostles and progresses in the
Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the
realities and words that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways.
It comes through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these
things in their hearts. It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities
which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have
received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure
charism of truth".(5)
But
especially contradictory is a notion of Tradition which opposes the universal
Magisterium of the Church possessed by the Bishop of Rome and the Body of
Bishops. It is impossible to remain faithful to the Tradition while breaking
the ecclesial bond with him to whom, in the person of the Apostle Peter, Christ
himself entrusted the ministry of unity in his Church.(6)
5. Faced
with the situation that has arisen I deem it my duty to inform all the Catholic
faithful of some aspects which this sad event has highlighted.
a) The
outcome of the movement promoted by Mons. Lefebvre can and must be, for all the
Catholic faithful, a motive for sincere reflection concerning their own
fidelity to the Church's Tradition, authentically interpreted by the
ecclesiastical Magisterium, ordinary and extraordinary, especially in the
Ecumenical Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II. From this reflection all should
draw a renewed and efficacious conviction of the necessity of strengthening
still more their fidelity by rejecting erroneous interpretations and arbitrary
and unauthorized applications in matters of doctrine, liturgy and discipline.
To the
bishops especially it pertains, by reason of their pastoral mission, to
exercise the important duty of a clear-sighted vigilance full of charity and
firmness, so that this fidelity may be everywhere safeguarded.(7)
However,
it is necessary that all the Pastors and the other faithful have a new
awareness, not only of the lawfulness but also of the richness for the Church
of a diversity of charisms, traditions of spirituality and apostolate, which
also constitutes the beauty of unity in variety: of that blended
"harmony" which the earthly Church raises up to Heaven under the
impulse of the Holy Spirit.
b) Moreover,
I should like to remind theologians and other experts in the ecclesiastical
sciences that they should feel themselves called upon to answer in the present
circumstances. Indeed, the extent and depth of the teaching of the Second
Vatican Council call for a renewed commitment to deeper study in order to
reveal clearly the Council's continuity with Tradition, especially in points of
doctrine which, perhaps because they are new, have not yet been well understood
by some sections of the Church.
c) In the
present circumstances I wish especially to make an appeal both solemn and
heartfelt, paternal and fraternal, to all those who until now have been linked
in various ways to the movement of Archbishop Lefebvre, that they may fulfill the
grave duty of remaining united to the Vicar of Christ in the unity of the
Catholic Church, and of ceasing their support in any way for that movement.
Everyone should be aware that formal adherence to the schism is a grave offence
against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the Church's
law.(8)
To all
those Catholic faithful who feel attached to some previous liturgical and
disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition I wish to manifest my will to
facilitate their ecclesial communion by means of the necessary measures to
guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations. In this matter I ask for the
support of the bishops and of all those engaged in the pastoral ministry in the
Church.
6. Taking
account of the importance and complexity of the problems referred to in this
document, by virtue of my Apostolic Authority I decree the following:
a) a Commission
is instituted whose task it will be to collaborate with the bishops, with the
Departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose
of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious
communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity
founded by Mons. Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter
in the Catholic Church, while preserving their spiritual and liturgical
traditions, in the light of the Protocol signed on 5 May last by Cardinal
Ratzinger and Mons. Lefebvre;
b) this
Commission is composed of a Cardinal President and other members of the Roman
Curia, in a number that will be deemed opportune according to circumstances;
c)
moreover, respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those
who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous
application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See
for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962.(9)
7. As this
year specially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin is now drawing to a close, I
wish to exhort all to join in unceasing prayer that the Vicar of Christ,
through the intercession of the Mother of the church, addresses to the Father
in the very words of the Son: "That they all may be one!".
Given at
Rome, at St. Peter's. 2 July 1988, the tenth year of the pontificate.
Joannes
Paulus PP. II
Richard P. Salbato