Catholic Ordinariates of the Anglican Patrimony to the Rescue?

If ever there was a more unsettling moment exposing the divide between Catholics of one liturgical preference versus another, its impact would have to be measured against the fallout created by the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes that has seen many people - left and right - pointing dirty fingers in the direction of their enemies, their fellow Catholics.

What can we in the Personal Ordinariates established by the Apostolic Constitution provide to shape discussions to preserve charity and unity in the truth? It seems to this blogger that our very identity can offer something of a healing balm to be applied to the wounds opened or reopened in the wake of the release of the Holy Father's document.

To those who claim to be "traditionalists" who are cautioning that a restriction upon the Ordinariate is just as likely as what is happening to the 1962 Missal communities, one might respond that ours is a liturgical, spiritual and cultural heritage that transcends the polemics of 'old' versus 'new', left versus right, traditional versus progressive. The via media of Divine Worship: the Missal serves to bridge people to the Apostolic See founded by Christ and to share the profound gifts found in the Anglican Patrimony that are returned to the Church for everyone to enjoy. Given the unique identity of the Catholic Ordinariates of the Anglican Patrimony as instruments of unity, it is difficult to imagine that anyone, the current Holy Father included - who himself, with considerable generosity, revised the Complementary Norms to provide additional access to the spiritual gifts of the Personal Ordinariates established by Anglicanorum Coetibus - would restrict the mission of the Catholic Ordinariates of the Anglican Patrimony.

Anyone with a heart can empathize with our brothers and sisters who worship God according to the 1962 Missal and who are in a quandary in the wake of the release of Traditionis Custodes. None but the extremist advocates of rupture would suggest the suppression of the 1962 Missal is a done deal. Traditionis Custodes does no such thing. Before the neo-Lutherans nail the coffin lid closed, they might listen closely to Pope Francis' brief but damning criticism contained in the motu proprio concerning the tragic abuse of the Missal of Pope Saint Paul VI.

At the same time, I (Francis) am saddened by abuses in the celebration of the liturgy on all sides. In common with Benedict XVI, I deplore the fact that “in many places the prescriptions of the new Missal are not observed in celebration, but indeed come to be interpreted as an authorization for or even a requirement of creativity, which leads to almost unbearable distortions”.

An excerpt from An Unofficial Ordinariate Primer found here at this blog may help provide further clarity for those auditioning the Ordinariate as an oasis of liturgical peace.

Christopher Mahon at the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society blog, posted the following reflection on Bishop Lopes' presentation at the 2019 Conference on the Anglican Tradition in the Catholic Church (Toronto).

Our tradition goes back well before the Reformation, and saints like Augustine, Gregory, and Osmund brought about a patrimony that expresses the faith differently from Rome, that is older in some respects than the Tridentine books, and that is rich and only beginning to be explored. Our liturgical patrimony isn’t the entirety of it, but it is the most tangible part and opens up the space for exploring the less tangible elements.

Same Faith differently expressed.

Mr. Mahon notes that the Ordinariate Patrimony "expresses the faith differently from Rome". There is no suggestion that any aspect of the Patrimony exists in opposition to Rome, i.e., the See of Peter. As Fr. Hunwicke wisely reminds, our Patrimony is "the Rome of all Ages; the unchanging Rome of the Authentic Rule." There is no dichotomy between a restored Canterbury (i.e., the Anglicanorum Coetibus Ordinariate) and Rome. The schism between Canterbury and Rome is healed in the Ordinariates established by Anglicanorum Coetibus.

Mr. Mahon draws our attention to a video of Bishop Lopes' keynote presentation at the 2019 Conference that addresses identity and mission.

Bishop Paprocki reminds us that

Pope Francis said that Traditionis Custodes was designed to promote unity in the Church. How does the celebration of both the ordinary and extraordinary forms affect our unity as one Church?

Unity is the hope that Our Lord himself expressed: that all may be one. That is what we hope and pray for, that we will all be of one faith and united in communion with God in his Kingdom.

Over 2,000 years of Christianity, we have struggled with that teaching in many different ways. I don’t think that unity necessarily means uniformity, that we do everything the same way, particularly in an age that celebrates diversity.

The challenge is how to provide for some diversity in our worship styles that will not divide us, in terms of what we ultimately believe, or in terms of our ability to love each other and to love God.

For a moment, think of the Eastern Churches that are in full communion with Rome, communities with beautiful liturgies and spiritualities that are available to complement and enliven the faith of everyone in the Catholic Communion. Are those liturgies a threat to the unity of the Church? Hardly. There have been times, sadly too many times, when the Western Church has tried to Latinize ancient eastern liturgies. Thankfully, western prelates are better educated these days and no longer meddle in the liturgical rites of our eastern brethren.

Unfortunately, some, it seems, have again forgotten that the Western lung of the Church has with great generosity preserved liturgical diversity down through the centuries. That praxis cannot be undone by anyone - pope, bishop, priest or layman - because our identity as Catholics is (or should be) an exact embodiment of the universality of the Catholic Faith, of Christ Who is all things to all people. Of course, not all things - ahem, Pachamama, red flag - are capable of bearing the weight of the orthodox and catholic Christian Faith.