& The Winner Is. . . . Pt. 2

In a post about 3 weeks ago I wrote that it looked like the race between the date of the release of the Motu Proprio allowing greater use of the "Tridentine" liturgy & the date that Fred Thompson would officially announce his candidacy for the Republican Presidential nominee. At the time the tentative date was 5 July. Well, with the news of a definite date for the Motu Proprio it looks like the race is on again. According to news reports it will be officially published on 7 July. Technically, the Motu Proprio has won as it has already been shown to about 15 bishops this past week. This meeting was presided over by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. Papa Benedetto also showed up to greet those in attendance & took about an hour to discuss its contents & the letter that will accompany it.

According to a Zenit report the official communiqué says: "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, once the document itself has been sent to all the bishops with an indication of when it will come into effect "

The 1962 edition of the Missal will be the approved text. What I am assuming is that this means that in those areas of Eastern Europe where it was allowed before Vatican II the the "Tridentine" liturgy will again be allowed to be said in Slavonic. Yes, you read that right, Slavonic. Most of us in the West don't realize that the "Tridentine" Rite wasn't said exclusively in Latin before Vatican II. An edition of the Glagolitic-Slavonic language missal of the Roman Rite was published in 1631 by Pope Urbain VIII. Pope Leo XIII published 2 more editions. So much for the myth that Latin was exclusively used in the Roman Rite before Vatican II.

The other myth is that the "Tridentine" liturgy is the Latin Mass. The fact is that the Novus Ordo liturgy can be said by any priest at any time in Latin without special permission from his bishop. It is just as much "The Latin Mass" as the older form.

The only question I have is "Will the post-Vatican II vernacular translations of the "Tridentine" liturgy be allowed? I suspect not. But it might be allowed, as well as being allowed to say the liturgy pro populo. Time will tell what all is & isn't allowed.

As long as I am mythbusting, lets deal with the myth that St. Padre Pio disapproved of the Novus Ordo liturgy. That is impossible as he died in 1968 & the Novus Ordo came out in 1970. So, he never saw it. He did say the 1962 version of the "Tridentine" liturgy. & he said it pro populo. Yes, he said it facing the congregation. If you have any doubts here is a video of the 1st few minutes of the last Mass he said in 1968:

(I love the fact that whoever posted this on YouTube ignored the facts presented by this to his own eyes. As well as the fact that under the rules then in effect older priests like Padre Pio were allowed to continue using the Latin instead of the vernacular which was only coming into use at the time of his death. But, some people won't let the facts/truth get in the way of their agenda.)

Anyhow, between the upcoming greater use of the "Tridentine" liturgy & the improved English translation the real "Spirit of Vatican II" as found in the "Letter of Vatican II" is finally being allowed to operate as God intended over 40 yrs ago. I am old enough to remember that the older liturgy could be mangled just as badly as the new. & that will continue to occur to some extent in both liturgies. The greater use of the older liturgy isn't a magic wand that will cure all the Catholic Church's problems. It wasn't the only liturgy (Western or Eastern) in use before Vatican II. Besides, there have always been dissidents & heritics & there always will be. There have been times when things have been as bad, if not worse, than they are now (re: the Arian heresy supported by over 1/2 of the Bishops). But God's promise the "the Gates of Hell will not prevail" is still in effect. There will always be a "faithful remnant" consisting of members of all the sui iuris Churches that make up the Catholic Church.

(Photo of the gathering with Papa Benedetto of the Bishops discussing the Moto Proprio.)