Brian Mershon
Ecclesia Dei Commission finalizes Latin Mass document and canonical structure for Society of St. Pius X
By Brian Mershon
From the Jan. 4 issue of The Wanderer, the oldest Catholic weekly in the United States
After months of rumors of a pending motu proprio that will reportedly lift restrictions on the Traditional Roman rite of Holy Mass, Cardinal Medina offered some brief insights on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe that emerged from a 4-hour plenary meeting from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, charged with reconciling traditionalist Catholics.
The ANSA news agency first reported on December 12 that two main issues were discussed at the meeting: one, the text of the motu proprio freeing the Traditional Mass; two, the text of a juridical structure for the Society of St. Pius X upon their full canonical regularization with the Holy See.
"We have studied the document with tranquility," Cardinal Medina said. He added that the commission made some final edits to the motu proprio and that Cardinal Castrillon, President of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, will soon present the final draft to Pope Benedict XVI. The French Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale reported the document was edited to reduce the number of requestors for the Traditional rite from 50 to 30. According to a French media report, Medina also said that another meeting of the Commission regarding the motu proprio would not be necessary.
Cardinal Jean Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, a member of the Commission and President of the French Episcopal Conference, declined comment under pontifical secret. In related news, in December, mainstream French and Italian media reported that two separate "manifestos" signed by French and Italian intellectuals and politicians supporting the lifting of restrictions against the Traditional Roman rite. Hundreds of signatures on both public manifestos have been gathered to date.
Catholic News Agency's Spanish affiliate ACI Prensa published a December 14 story citing unnamed Vatican insiders as saying the motu proprio freeing the Traditional rite of Mass for every Latin-rite priest may be published "after Christmas" with the post-synodal document on October 2005's Eucharistic Synod to be published in mid-January. There has been increasing speculation that the contents of this document may encourage the study of Gregorian chant and Latin for seminary training as well as some other possible modifications for the Novus Ordo Missae.
Positive Signs on SSPX Regularization
Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro, with Human Life International and Una Voce consultant in Rome, told The Wanderer, "There have been rumors that both the indult and a canonical solution for the SSPX are moving in parallel courses. Obviously, it is believed that the promulgation of the indult will greatly assist in the reaching of an agreement with the Society of St. Pius X."
The Society of St. Pius X has consistently asked for three distinct requests of the Holy See on its potential path to full canonical regularization: one, to give complete and total freedom of the Traditional Roman rite liturgy to every Latin rite priest; two, to lift the decrees of excommunication against its four bishops; three, prior to agreeing to a formal canonical solution, the Society of St. Pius X would like to enter into theological discussions with the Holy See on the Second Vatican Council. Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay outlined in detail these three items in a December 11 interview with the French Nice-Matin newspaper.
Bishop Fellay explained that the request of the Holy See to accept the Second Vatican Council "in light of Tradition" has proven to be too vague of formula and "insufficient." Bishop Fellay added, "Certain texts of the Council are irreconcilable with Tradition," he said. "We have asked to discuss it since the year 2000." Bishop Fellay then explained the Society's hesitation with some of the texts and their interpretations they have seen as problematic with regard to ecumenism, religious liberty and collegiality. Specifically, he cited how the Church has always taught the tolerance of other religions, but "What we dispute is its attribution with human nature a right that does not exist," Fellay said.
Theological Nuances
These specific disagreements on the theological nuances of some points of the Second Vatican Council are exactly what the new Institute of the Good Shepherd, made up of eight traditionalist priests, is charged with developing by the Holy See as part of its charter and mission. Therefore, there is no reason to think that these points of theological development, called for explicitly by Pope John Paul II in the Ecclesia Dei Adflicta document, should serve as a stumbling block on the path to full reconciliation for the Society.
Bishop Fellay also told the Nice-Matin reporter that the Society, fulfilling a request by Cardinal Castrillon, has repeatedly requested the lifting of the decrees of excommunication, both publicly and in writing to the Holy See.
Bishop Fellay emphasized that the Society wants to take a cautious and measured approach on this path toward reconciliation. He said the Pope wants to take a more expeditious trek. "We say to him — gently — it is an atomic bomb and we don't want it to explode!"
Fellay concluded the interview on a note of hope. He said the efforts of the Holy See to relieve the Church of its current paralysis are an encouraging sign. "I am certain of a happy ending," he said, without predicting a specific timetable.
© Brian Mershon
From the Jan. 4 issue of The Wanderer, the oldest Catholic weekly in the United States
After months of rumors of a pending motu proprio that will reportedly lift restrictions on the Traditional Roman rite of Holy Mass, Cardinal Medina offered some brief insights on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe that emerged from a 4-hour plenary meeting from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, charged with reconciling traditionalist Catholics.
The ANSA news agency first reported on December 12 that two main issues were discussed at the meeting: one, the text of the motu proprio freeing the Traditional Mass; two, the text of a juridical structure for the Society of St. Pius X upon their full canonical regularization with the Holy See.
"We have studied the document with tranquility," Cardinal Medina said. He added that the commission made some final edits to the motu proprio and that Cardinal Castrillon, President of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, will soon present the final draft to Pope Benedict XVI. The French Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale reported the document was edited to reduce the number of requestors for the Traditional rite from 50 to 30. According to a French media report, Medina also said that another meeting of the Commission regarding the motu proprio would not be necessary.
Cardinal Jean Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, a member of the Commission and President of the French Episcopal Conference, declined comment under pontifical secret. In related news, in December, mainstream French and Italian media reported that two separate "manifestos" signed by French and Italian intellectuals and politicians supporting the lifting of restrictions against the Traditional Roman rite. Hundreds of signatures on both public manifestos have been gathered to date.
Catholic News Agency's Spanish affiliate ACI Prensa published a December 14 story citing unnamed Vatican insiders as saying the motu proprio freeing the Traditional rite of Mass for every Latin-rite priest may be published "after Christmas" with the post-synodal document on October 2005's Eucharistic Synod to be published in mid-January. There has been increasing speculation that the contents of this document may encourage the study of Gregorian chant and Latin for seminary training as well as some other possible modifications for the Novus Ordo Missae.
Positive Signs on SSPX Regularization
Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro, with Human Life International and Una Voce consultant in Rome, told The Wanderer, "There have been rumors that both the indult and a canonical solution for the SSPX are moving in parallel courses. Obviously, it is believed that the promulgation of the indult will greatly assist in the reaching of an agreement with the Society of St. Pius X."
The Society of St. Pius X has consistently asked for three distinct requests of the Holy See on its potential path to full canonical regularization: one, to give complete and total freedom of the Traditional Roman rite liturgy to every Latin rite priest; two, to lift the decrees of excommunication against its four bishops; three, prior to agreeing to a formal canonical solution, the Society of St. Pius X would like to enter into theological discussions with the Holy See on the Second Vatican Council. Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay outlined in detail these three items in a December 11 interview with the French Nice-Matin newspaper.
Bishop Fellay explained that the request of the Holy See to accept the Second Vatican Council "in light of Tradition" has proven to be too vague of formula and "insufficient." Bishop Fellay added, "Certain texts of the Council are irreconcilable with Tradition," he said. "We have asked to discuss it since the year 2000." Bishop Fellay then explained the Society's hesitation with some of the texts and their interpretations they have seen as problematic with regard to ecumenism, religious liberty and collegiality. Specifically, he cited how the Church has always taught the tolerance of other religions, but "What we dispute is its attribution with human nature a right that does not exist," Fellay said.
Theological Nuances
These specific disagreements on the theological nuances of some points of the Second Vatican Council are exactly what the new Institute of the Good Shepherd, made up of eight traditionalist priests, is charged with developing by the Holy See as part of its charter and mission. Therefore, there is no reason to think that these points of theological development, called for explicitly by Pope John Paul II in the Ecclesia Dei Adflicta document, should serve as a stumbling block on the path to full reconciliation for the Society.
Bishop Fellay also told the Nice-Matin reporter that the Society, fulfilling a request by Cardinal Castrillon, has repeatedly requested the lifting of the decrees of excommunication, both publicly and in writing to the Holy See.
Bishop Fellay emphasized that the Society wants to take a cautious and measured approach on this path toward reconciliation. He said the Pope wants to take a more expeditious trek. "We say to him — gently — it is an atomic bomb and we don't want it to explode!"
Fellay concluded the interview on a note of hope. He said the efforts of the Holy See to relieve the Church of its current paralysis are an encouraging sign. "I am certain of a happy ending," he said, without predicting a specific timetable.
© Brian Mershon
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