De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

 Things have moved quickly this week. There are quite a few things worth drawing attention to and all relating to the Pope's Motu Proprio : Traditiones Custodes . As a Catholic who attends the Novus ordo — the "Ordinary Form" as Pope Benedict XVI termed it, I feel wounded by this document. I feel it is extremely harsh, lacks justice and integrity and seeks to promote a worrying political element within the Church which works against, not promotes, the unity the document purports to foster. My initial reading left me scratching my head about several issues. How are bishops supposed to obtain oaths of fidelity from Latin Mass goers? Verbally? In writing? If the Latin Mass is banned from Churches ( see §2: "not however in the parochial churches and without the erection of new personal parishes" ) where are those who gather for the Vetus ordo supposed to gather? Are they banned from Churches? Thankfully, The Latin Mass Society has published a document which prov...

As I mentioned yesterday , the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Gerhard Cardinal Müller authored an analysis July 19 of Traditionis custodes , Pope Francis’ July 16 motu proprio on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. I think it's well worth a deeper look at what he said if only because his erudition and scholarship provide a perfect antidote to the dim-witted person who wrote the flawed motu proprio text. Presumably not even bothering to have it checked by a Canonist...but why would you when you are omniscient!? As I pointed out in my last post , Pope Francis explained his decision in an accompanying letter to bishops, in which he wrote: “In defense of the unity of the Body of Christ, I am constrained to revoke the faculty granted by my Predecessors.” The pope said he was saddened that the celebration of the extraordinary form was now characterized by a rejection of the Second Vatican Council and its liturgical reforms. This des...

The motu proprio “ Traditionis Custodes ” was issued by Pope Francis on 16th July 2021, along with an accompanying letter. This move has been rumoured for months now and was reported to be in its third draft at the beginning of June, but everyone seems to have been taken by surprise at the ferocity of the language in the motu proprio (Latin for "on his own impulse"). It is another embarrassing Pope Francis blunder which damages the office of pope and reveals his petty factionalism and politicalisation of the Papacy. As was posted at NLM : 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 . And what about that title! Is it supposed to be some kind of deeply ironic joke? With Catholicis...

From Patrick Coffin : As the Irish used to put it, “it’s the Mass that matters.” The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the “source and summit of the Christian life” according to Vatican II. In the short years following the Council, the reformation of the Mass, replacing the pre-1962 Missal with the Mass of Paul VI (aka the Novus Ordo Missae ), has unfortunately led to what amounts to a two-track Church. The 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum by Pope Benedict XVI lifted the need for episcopal permission to celebrate the Extraordinary Form (the Traditional Latin Mass) so any priest could celebrate it. This in turn led to a resurgent interest in the Mass that nurtured saints and sinners alike for over 500 years. Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, OR, taught himself how to say the Latin Mass, and has nuggets of wisdom as to why the Church benefits from its celebration and the sense of balance needed to avoid extremist attitudes. He’s also an expert in sacred music, which is a...

+Guglielmo Borghetti I was really shocked to read reports of the newly appointed bishop of the Italian Diocese of Albenga-Imperia, Guglielmo Borghetti, who has been appointed to replace Bishop Mario Oliveri. Given the well known sympathy in the diocese for the Traditions of the Church, Bishop Borghetti has said he intends to wipe-out East facing liturgy. He is reported as having condemned ‘false altars’ facing away from people as ‘nostalgia for the past’.  Interesting given Cardinal Sarah's call to say Mass orientated to the Lord and Pope Emeritus' Benedict XVI's recent affirmation of that call to re-orientation in L‘Osservatore Romano   (comments which were, perhaps, blown a little out of proportion by Lifesite News here , but are, nonetheless, accurately his thoughts on the matter). Of course, some other prelates disagree with this ...More on that further down. Bishop Borghetti has been Bishop Oliveri's Coadjutor Bishop since March 2015 . Borghetti...

Since first experiencing the Extraordinary Form of the Mass a few years ago, I have developed a sort of a craving for it. It's a bit of an itch that's hard to scratch, because provision is not great. We have the EF once a month in my own Parish and our 11:30 Novus Ordo is beautiful liturgy, so it's not a huge issue. However, I do feel really drawn to the beauty and transcendence of the EF and will go whenever I can. This love affair drew me to St. James', Spanish Place a few weeks ago as I reported here  for a first Mass of a newly ordained FSSP priest, Fr. Ian Verrier. It was heavenly liturgy; stupefyingly beautiful music, a Mass in which I felt I could really raise my heart and mind to God. But the homily by Fr. Armand de Malleray was the really electrifying and extraordinarily different experience for me. It really sparked my interest in the FSSP. I spotted this interesting interview in the Catholic World Report  from last month. There is a lot of current ...

St. Mary's, Warrington, The grandest Roman Catholic church in Warrington and a major work by E.W. and P.P. Pugin Great news from the Archdiocese of Liverpool where the recently appointed Archbishop, the Rt Reverend Malcolm McMahon has announced a new apostolate entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (the FSSP): From St Mary's website, Warrington : ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE ARCHBISHOP REGARDING THE FUTURE OF ST MARY’S “I have invited the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter to come to the archdiocese and to have responsibility for St Mary’s Church, Warrington. In due course this will become a centre for the celebration of the extraordinary form of Mass and the sacraments. The priests of this fraternity will not, however, assume pastoral responsibility for St Mary’s parish, which will be the responsibility of Fr David Heywood from September.” The FSSP have responded: We are grateful to Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, O.P. for his invitation in the Liverpool Archdioces...

CC Father has recommended Catholics by Brian Moore for me to read. Most of the action of the novel takes place on an island monastery in Kerry off the southwest coast of Ireland. It is set in the future, near the end of the twentieth century after the Fourth Vatican Council. The story tells of a young priest sent by the authorities in Rome to fully implement Church reforms in an Irish monastery that still celebrates the Catholic liturgy according to older rites.   I've just got to a bit where an old Irish Monk, Fr. Manus, explains to Fr. Kinsella, the young priest, why he has been saying the Mass in the Extraordinary Form. It's really rather stirring and instructive, so I thought I would share it here: The Mass! The Mass in Latin, the priest with his back turned to the congregation because both he and the congregation faced the altar where God was. Offering up the daily sacrifice of the Mass to God. Changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ the wa...

Alternatively, and somewhat bewilderdly entitled Why is the EF so Hated? Look at this flagrant display of Catholic worship- how awful! Tear it down!! (Picture by Mulier Fortis). Looking at CC Father's restrained and thoughtful breakdown of the recent sad events at Blackfen, it really is hard to see what exactly is behind what has happened. Is Fr. Steven acting unilaterally or is this a strategy from above? If so, what on earth are the powers that be thinking? One things is for sure, Fr. Steven's actions are very, very odd. Just a few years ago Fr Steven Fisher was the hero of the Latin Mass Society. And he denounced the cowardice of his Diocese in changing the terms of reference of the Catholic Children's Society to accommodate gay/lesbian adoptions. It was also reported on Forest Murmers that he argued against the censorship of priest-bloggers on his own blog. But now his blog has closed. He was in his previous parish for just two years and has not been r...

This has really had me thinking over the weekend. On Saturday, I read on Rorate Caeli that Pope Francis had commented to Czech Bishops on their ad limina visit that the growing call for the old Mass throughout the world was nothing more than a fad: Yesterday (Friday, Feb. 14), Pope Francis held an audience with the Bishops of the Czech Republic who came to Rome for their ad limina visit. In the visit, as it usually happens in such cases, other than the formal address, the Pope heard the questions and comments of the bishops. Archbishop Jan Graubner, of Olomouc, told the Czech section of Vatican Radio what the Pope told him: [Abp. Jan Graubner speaks:] When we were discussing those who are fond of the ancient liturgy and wish to return to it, it was evident that the Pope speaks with great affection, attention, and sensitivity for all in order not to hurt anyone. However, he made a quite strong statement when he said that he understands when the old generation returns to what i...

Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos I was very pleased to read in Catholic World News , a report that Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, former prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, has recently received assurances from Pope Francis that he has no problem with Traditionalist Catholics or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Meeting with The General Assembly of the International Una Voce Federation ( FIUV ), he said: “I met Pope Francis very recently and he told me that he has no problem with the old rite, and neither does he have any problem with lay groups and associations like yours that promote it,” This has been confirmed by His Excellency Bishop Rifan, of the Apostolic Administration of St. John Vianney, Campos, who recently wrote to The President of the FIUV, and the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society thus: Dear friends of LMS and UNAVOCE, I send you the photos of my last visit to the Pope Francis, may 22th 2013. I introduced myself saying who I am, explaining...

The fourth annual pilgrimage by the Latin Mass Society to the ancient English shrine of Walsingham took place over three days in August 2013. Around ninety people took part in the 55-mile walk, with Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form each day, and traditional Catholic devotions along the way. This video is well worth watching as it presents a valuable insight into the friendship, beautiful liturgy, and the Catholic fellowship that abounds at such events. A Journey to England's Nazareth: The LMS Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham from LMS on Vimeo .

FFI Ordination from NLM . Disappointed that Rorate Caeli are again, spinning against Pope Francis. In what has become a typical reaction from a blog I have long trusted and admired, Rorate Caeli are trying to suggest that Pope Francis is moving against Summorum Pontificum by suggesting that Pope Francis has severely restricted the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate from celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass, and has "imposed the Novus Ordo on all their priests". However, the Order themselves tell us: This is an unfortunate instance of an overeager journalist sensationalizing something he can only speculate about. The restrictions on our community are specific to us and have been put in place for reasons specific to us. Pope Francis has not contradicted Pope Benedict. The visitation of our community began under Pope Benedict and the Commission was recommended by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz who was appointed to the Congregation by Pope Benedict. What is b...