Initial Reactions to Traditionis Custodes
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who succeeded |
GREGORY DIPIPPO | NLM
Pray for Pope Francis
Commentary will be issued later today, after prayer, a good long walk, and a lot of coffee. We must redouble our prayers for Pope Francis, whose whole papacy, every smile, every hug of a disabled person, every exhortation to mercy, will be stained for the rest of history, along with the throne of St Peter itself, by this unprecedented and absolutely gratuitous act of pastoral cruelty, the attempted revocation of Summorum Pontificum.
https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/07/pray-for-pope-francis.html#.YPJ5QuhKiUk
RORATE COELI
We were also asked if this is "huge". Yes, it is huge.
It is the most stinging rebuke by a Pope against his predecessor in living memory -- there has never been anything like it. Remember that the document itself is just 14 years old, and that Benedict XVI is still alive.
Legally, it's a complete mess. Benedict had made clear in Summorum that it is basically impossible for an ancient rite to be simply abolished. Paul VI had never truly abolished it, it was implied, because he could not do it. And the commission of cardinals that advised John Paul II had basically said the same.
Now, in the article 1 of his document, Francis basically abolishes it.
You will forgive if Traditional Catholics who withstood much more difficult times under Paul VI are skeptical. Basically, what we believe is that Francis IS NOT ENTITLED TO DO what he has just done. And our inexorable growth will eventually force a future pope to do to Francis what Francis THINKS he has done to Benedict: the impossible abolition of something that has refused to die even under the direst of circumstances.
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2021/07/urgent-anti-summorum-motu-proprio.html
RAYMOND J. DE SOUZA
Pope Francis has been generous with the SSPX, granting their priests faculties to hear confessions and witness marriages. Their Masses are valid.
Might the restrictions on the Extraordinary Form, combined with the Holy Father’s more generous treatment of the SSPX, mean that Catholics who prefer the older form tend to frequent SSPX chapels as the Extraordinary Form become less available through their dioceses? It may be a possible unintended consequence.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/pope-francis-traditionis-custodes
ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE CORDILEONI
Archbishop Salvatore Cordiloeone of San Francisco told CNA July 16 that “The Mass is a miracle in any form: Christ comes to us in the flesh under the appearance of Bread and Wine. Unity under Christ is what matters. Therefore the Traditional Latin Mass will continue to be available here in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and provided in response to the legitimate needs and desires of the faithful.”
ANY WELBORN | Catholic World Report
In short: a papacy that, in words, emphasizes synodality, accompaniment, listening, dialogue, outreach to the margins, and consistently condemns “clericalism” – has issued a document that embodies a rigid approach to the issue, and then restricts, limits and directs more power, ultimately, to Rome.
And shows no evidence of actually “listening” to anyone except bishops who are annoyed by the TLM and TLM adherents who conveniently fit the “divisive” narrative.
Shows no interest in generously accompanying those who find nourishment in the TLM and may find themselves at the margins because of it.
Shows no interest in exploring any fruits of this aspect of Catholic life or even posing the question of how the “Spirit might be moving” in it.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/07/16/opinion-a-narrow-fellow-in-the-grass/
THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY OF ENGLAND AND WALES
Submitted by Stephen Moseling
Some Comments on the Apostolic Letter 'Traditionis Custodes'
This document will be a grave disappointment to those many priests and lay Catholics who responded to the words of Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who encouraged the use of the earlier liturgical tradition, calling it a ‘rightful aspiration’ and ‘riches’ for the Church, respectively. These Catholics have worked hard over many years, particularly since 2007, to build up the unity of the Church, which as the Second Vatican Council declared does not depend on liturgical uniformity but on unity of faith under the Pope (Sacrosanctum Concilium 37; Orientalium Ecclesiarum 2).
The provision that the EF not be celebrated in parish churches appears entirely unworkable, in the context of the careful provision which has been made over many years by bishops all over the world.
The overall negative judgement of the EF and the communities which attend it seems wholly unwarranted, and we would challenge any apologist for this document to produce real evidence that the EF has undermined the unity of the Church, compared, say, to the celebration of Eastern Rites in the West, the special liturgical celebrations of the Neocatechumenate, or the great variety of liturgical styles found in the context of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
[...]
If implemented rigorously, this document will seriously disrupt long-established celebrations of the older Missal, and will drive a great many faithful Catholics, who desire nothing more than to attend the ancient Mass in communion with their bishops and the Holy Father, to attend celebrations which fall outside the structures of the Church, above all those of the Society of St Pius X.
Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society
RAYMOND CARDINAL BURKE | National Catholic Register
Cardinal Burke’s Assessment
In comments to the Register, Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura, noted what he sees as a number of flaws in Traditionis Custodes, saying he could not understand how the new Roman Missal is the “unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite,” as the new motu proprio states. The Extraordinary Form of the Mass “is a living form of the Roman Rite and has never ceased to be so,” Cardinal Burke noted.
He also could not understand why the motu proprio takes effect immediately, as the decree “contains many elements that require study regarding its application.”
The American cardinal further noted that in his long experience he has not witnessed the “gravely negative situation” Francis describes in his letter.
While some faithful may have “erroneous ideas,” he said, he has found the faithful in question generally “have a profound love for the Church and for their pastors in the Church” and “in no way ascribe to a schismatic or sedevacantist ideology. In fact, they have often suffered greatly in order to remain in the communion of the Church under the Roman Pontiff,” he said.
Cardinal Burke added that if there are situations “of an attitude or practice contrary to the sound doctrine and discipline of the Church, they should be addressed individually by the pastors of the Church, the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops in communion with him.”
Cardinal Burke also questioned the motu proprio’s tone, observing that it is “marked by a harshness” towards faithful who worship in the Extraordinary Form.
“I pray that the faithful will not give way to the discouragement which such harshness necessarily engenders but will, with the help of divine grace, persevere in their love of the Church and of her pastors,” he said.
FSSP
July 16, 2021
Statement Regarding Traditionis Custodes
With the publication of Pope Francis’ latest motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, which has placed new restrictions on the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, many of us are disheartened and anxious. At this point, it is too early to tell what all the implications will be for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, but we assure you that we remain committed to serving the faithful attending our apostolates in accordance with our Constitutions and charism as we have done since our founding.
We must strive to see this Cross as a means of our sanctification, and to remember that God will never abandon His Church. Our Lord Himself promises us the necessary graces to bear our Crosses with strength and courage. We must not, however, neglect to do our part as faithful Catholics; let us pray and offer sacrifices in our daily lives, and trust in the intercession of Our Lady, St. Joseph, and our patron, St. Peter.
https://fssp.com/statement-regarding-traditionis-custodes/
U.S. Bishops Conference President Responds to Holy Father’s Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio “On the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970”
USCCB
WASHINGTON – Earlier today, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter, Traditionis custodes modifying the norms regulating the use of the 1962 Roman Missal issued before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement in response:
“Today Pope Francis published Traditionis custodes, an Apostolic Letter issued motu proprio on the use of Latin liturgical texts approved prior to the reform of 1970. I welcome the Holy Father’s desire to foster unity among Catholics who celebrate the Roman Rite.
“As these new norms are implemented, I encourage my brother bishops to work with care, patience, justice, and charity as together we foster a Eucharistic renewal in our nation.”
DIOCESE OF LITTLEROCK | Bishop Taylor
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