In Le Figaro of February 21, Jean-Marie Guénois wrote: “Pope Francis is tightening the noose around the traditionalists. During a hearing granted on Monday [20 février] to the English cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments, the pope formally validated a rescript, a sort of legal decree, withdrawing almost all power of management of the traditionalist file from the local bishops, for the benefit of the Vatican alone . The text was published on Tuesday.
“Rome thus becomes the ultimate decision-maker on two specific points. The first is the authorization possibly granted to young priests, ordained after July 16, 2021, to celebrate the mass according to the old missal of 1962, in force before the Second Vatican Council, nicknamed “mass in Latin”. The second is the possibility of using a parish church or erecting a personal parish for the Eucharistic celebration according to the old rite. On these two points, the local bishop will no longer be able to decide anything without the Roman green light. »
The French Vaticanist recalls that after the publication of Guardians of tradition (July 16, 2021) withdrawing from the traditional Mass the right of citizenship recognized by Benedict XVI in The supreme pontiff (July 7, 2007), “several bishops of the United States, favorable to the traditionalists, in the dioceses of Knoxville (Tennessee), Lake Charles (Louisiana), Portland (Oregon), Springfield (Illinois) and Denver (Colorado) in particular, have used canon law – the law of the Church and its article 87 – to challenge the decision of Pope Francis.
“This article stipulates: “Whenever he deems it beneficial to their spiritual good, the diocesan bishop has the power to dispense the faithful from the disciplinary laws, both universal and particular, carried by the supreme authority of the Church for his territory. or his subjects.” Except, however, for laws whose “dispensation is specially reserved for the Apostolic See or other authority”.
“This is the point targeted by the publication of the rescript of February 20. Signed by Cardinal Roche and authorized by Francis, it prevents recourse to this article 87, because it reserves any “dispensation” in liturgical matters to the Apostolic See alone. »
Various reactions: “bluff of synodality”, “Scottish shower”, “brutal intolerance”…
This Roman decision aroused strong reactions. So in The New Daily Compass of February 22, Stefano Chiappalone opposes this centralizing authoritarianism to the stated claim of a broader synodality: “From the Holy See comes a new subtle blow to the traditional rite, removing even more responsibility from the bishops, who are free to refuse but not to grant .
“In the Church of the permanent synod, it is only in the face of the liturgical tradition that the walls are erected that one says one wants to break down elsewhere. While there is talk everywhere of synodality, letting everyone choose the way they prefer, whether it is “French”, “German” or “Amazonian sauce”, the Holy See does not compromise on one point: this mass should not be said. »
And the Italian journalist insisted: “At least now it’s written in black and white: the bishops are free, yes, but only to refuse, with all the respect due to synodality. […]
“Compared to the rumor of an apostolic constitution (which could still happen) or any other more impactful document, this brief rescript comes softly, almost muted, but strikes a deeper chord, leaving in the hands of Cardinal Roche the possible remaining gaps for the faithful and priests linked to the traditional liturgy: Do you need priests? – I don’t allow them. The nearest non-parochial church is 50 km away? – I refuse the waiver. »
Stefano Chiappalone is rightly ironic about the inconsistency between Roman discourse and the reality of the facts: “The rich multiplicity of the polyhedron is overcome by the uniformity of the sphere (to use one of the most recurrent mantras of papal language) in defiance of a synodality more proclaimed than practiced, and even of a “reality superior to the idea” (another mantra going back to the gospel of joyn° 233).
“Since 2021, we have been reiterating the idea – fixed and even anti-historical – that the only form of lex to pray is the post-conciliar Mass (the one and only, not even the prevailing one, the main one or the “ordinary form”, but the ONLY one).
“And there is a reality which, in the name of this idea, is deliberately trampled on and ignored, namely the real and concrete faithful, with their personal stories of search and conversion, whom this same rite has often helped to bring closer from the church. They are often young people, for whom the traditional liturgy is not a nostalgia, but rather a joyful discovery. »
On February 21, the Argentinian author of the site The Wanderer expressed his skepticism about the actual application of the Roman decision: “What does the rewritten, is to withdraw even more power from the bishops. The question is how such a document will be received by bishops, regardless of their orientation, since the Roman curia is blatantly interfering in the government of their own dioceses.
“What police power will the Dicastery for Worship have to enforce this new prescription? What will be done to a bishop who, for example, appoints a parish church to celebrate the traditional Mass without the permission of Rome? Will we pull his ears? Bishops don’t want trouble with their followers, so they won’t easily obey the whims of a less than mediocre cardinal.
“It will be the same as when a bishop made difficulties for priests to celebrate Mass in Latin: the complaints went to the Commission Church of God, the Commission called the bishop, and the bishop continued to do what he wanted, and no one did or could do anything against him. »
More worried, the site’s Vaticanist katholisches.info, Giuseppe Nardi, wrote the same day: “The rescript does not add much new on the merits, but it increases the pressure on the diocesan bishops, who can be accused of disobedience in case of need, and of non- strict enforcement. From the point of view of the Jesuit that is Pope Francis, it is an element of weight that can be sanctioned by superiors, without pity. »
The Swiss agency cath.ch of February 22 reports the perplexity of the diocesan bishops short-circuited by Rome: “Some bishops remain disconcerted today by the way in which the Holy See intervenes on this sensitive file. “Since July 2021, it has been the permanent Scottish shower”, says a French bishop who feels “dispossessed of his authority” by Rome.
« “Guardians of tradition first put a screeching halt. Then when we met the visiting pope the threshold forhe insisted on saying that it was indeed the bishops who were best able to accompany situations on a case-by-case basis”, he recalls.
““A few weeks later we had the answers to the doubts [par le cardinal Roche, 4 décembre 2021. NDLR] which hardened the application of the Motu proprio and reinforced the control of Rome in complete contrast. Then came the special decree granted to the Fraternité Saint-Pierre which was entitled to a derogation”, he is surprised, annoyed by what he perceives as contradictory signals.
« “Last November, in his letter of introduction to the plenary assembly of the bishops of France, the Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See Pietro Parolin insisted on the fact of taking good care of the faithful disoriented by the Motu proprio … And then there, we have another rescript… It’s disconcerting”, confides the bishop. »
In an interview with the Spanish-speaking site Vatican info of February 24, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, describes the Roman decision as “brutal intolerance” against those who prefer the traditional Mass. He says it is a “pastorally counterproductive” decision.
He does not hesitate to point out that this new provision “degrades bishops or local ordinaries of secondary rank to petitioners to the highest authority (ie the bureaucracy of the Dicastery for Worship)”.
The German cardinal stresses that this decision “undermines the pastoral responsibility of the episcopate” and “confuses the true meaning of the papacy, which is to represent and realize the unity of the Church in the truth of the faith and sacramental communion.
Finally, he regrets that “recognition of papal authority is not strengthened, but weakened in the long term”, because it can give the impression of a kind of autocratic leadership. »
Who’s Afraid of the Traditional Mass?
In The New Daily Compass of February 27, Luisella Scrosati invites ideologues to return to the concrete situation of the Church: “Any person, even if he is not very gifted intellectually, is capable of understanding that the crusade led against the ancient rite, since Guardians of tradition until the recent rescript, is nothing but a desire for revenge, a blind and morbid fury.
“The observation is simple: the Catholic Church finds itself almost bloodless, with bishops who salute homosexuality, “pampered” priests who abuse nuns and are protected by the highest authorities, convents closed by force, churches and increasingly empty seminaries, Catholics fleeing the Church.
“If we exclude Poland, in Western countries, attendance at Mass, at least weekly, is well below 50%: Italy is shamefully at 34%, but even seems to be doing well compared to Spain (27%), Austria (17%), Germany (14%) and the last two, France and the Netherlands, where less than one Catholic in ten goes to Sunday mass. »
In such an alarming context, the Italian journalist rightly observes that “for these gentlemen from Sant’Anselmo [Athénée pontifical Saint-Anselme de Rome où les inspirateurs de Traditionis custodes enseignent. NDLR] the liturgy must be something very theoretical, since they cannot face the reality that afflicts our churches; and also very ideological, given their blind rage against young people, children, families who, in their minds, all find themselves under the label of “opponents of the Council”, only because they love the old rite. »
This detestation of the traditional Mass is not only theological, it can also be political. This is shown by John Rao in The New Daily Compass of February 18: “On February 8, the Richmond FBI released a ‘classified’ document (dated January 23), which it later retracted, in which Catholics are targeted.
“In the crosshairs in particular the faithful linked to the traditional mass and the prayer of the rosary, associated with “dangerous extremists”. The FBI later said that the document was not what it appeared to be, but the shadow of an instrumental use of US intelligence remains, in an anti-Catholic tone and with the aim of suppressing any dissent towards the Biden administration. »
And John Rao to congratulate himself that traditional Catholics are “identified for what they are, with their precious mission as front-line soldiers in the fight against terrorism, and that the incredible effectiveness of the weapons with which they have been publicly disclosed. »
With accents of Ignatian meditation on the Two Standards, he adds: “We now know that the irrational and obstinate terrorists who continue to pose as the only legitimate voice of a nation gone mad have understood that their path to abyss is effectively crossed by the traditional Latin mass, the rosary and those who attend it, totally devoted to the cause of Christ the King. […]
“Core Catholic beliefs, practices and devotions are once again in the public sphere, not only because of their impact in the crucial battle of the forces of life against those of bodily mutilation, abortion and euthanasia , but also in relation to the whole conflict between the City of God and the City of Man. »