According to in-the-know vaticanisti, somewhere on Pope Leo’s long to-do list is a line that reads “Traditional Latin Mass” – that is, the old rite, extraordinary form, usus antiquior, or (in the Holy See’s current zingy phrase) “the Missal antecedent to the reform of 1970”.
Too funny - earlier today I was thinking that it would be really interesting to read insights from an LDS perspective on the SSPX situation/TLM communities. Just because of the history of the FLDS, the uniqueness of Utah and how BYU can be a culture shock for members who grew up in different states, etc. I look forward to the book!
"Those bishops who find either the TLM itself, or particular groups in their own dioceses, problematic would retain their Traditionis powers to regulate matters very closely, up to and including a blanket ban."
This is precisely where it all falls apart, as I write from the Diocese of Charlotte. If we're trying to avoid the ideological pendulum wildly swinging back and forth by not going back to Summorum, letting bishops decide for themselves just creates 1000 pendulums. Maybe there are some TLM-sympathetic bishops who felt obliged to shut down Masses they didn't want to--okay, this solution helps them. But otherwise, the pro-TLM bishops get all the indults they need, and the anti-TLM bishops shut everything down and leave their TLM-loving faithful with no recourse. Which changes precisely nothing about the current situation.
Until the bishops are willing to set aside their ideology to try to discern the genuine pastoral needs of their people, the pendulum persists--whether it's in the Vatican or the chancery. As far as I can tell, no pro-TLM bishop is going to decide a TLM community is toxic, insular, and unhealthy and needs to be shut down, and no anti-TLM bishop is going to decide that their TLM community would be best served by expanded TLM access.
It's just liturgical ideology, all the way down. THAT'S the problem. And from where I'm sitting in Charlotte, it feels less like an ideological pendulum swinging than a scythe.
TC has had a fatal flaw from the beginning. It is unjust. As more info has come out this has only been reenforced. Leo has to address this aspect, or it won't do anything to move things closer to reconciliation
I think a solemn papal mass, though interesting, would be a wildly pro-TLM gesture, and probably beyond the capacities of an ordinary trad parish to sustain. Not even Benedict XVI, who, as cardinal, did actually celebrate the rite a few times, ever did that. The pope can obviously dispense himself of any requirements, but as defined in the books it is an extremely demanding ceremony which requires the participation of several prelates. Hence it was always only done on the most solemn occasions, like canonizations or major feasts. This gesture would easily be taken as a Vatican repudiation of the conciliar Mass.
As a ByzCath this isn't my fight, and I think the whole Western perception of Liturgy as something merely disciplinary in large part is the root of this entire problem. However, given the SSPX's desire to use the Liturgy as a vehicle to perpetuate their schismatic ideology, nothing short of a wholesale striking down of TC will do to avoid driving well meaning sons and daughters of Rome into the arms of schismatics.
Our own history as Byzantine Catholics bears this out. When Bp Ireland convinced the Holy See to push out married priests in the US, all he succeeded in was creating the Orthodox Church in America. Kill TC, heal the wounds, and get to work reforming the Roman Liturgy in such a way the preserves it's true heritage while allowing for true organic development. A tall order, but it can be done. Indeed, the work is ongoing in our own Byzantine churches, to remove Latinizations and return the Liturgy that is our inheritance, one that preserves the Liturgy of the holy and God-loving Fathers while also retaining all the signs of organic development over the centuries.
See this is it. It’s not just about the permitting. It’s about giving the whole Latin church the actual beautiful liturgy we have and deserve in the ordinary form that is NOT the average parish mass in these United States and pry elsewhere. We wouldn’t have pillar ads from a Cardinal starting an org to help priests make liturgies more reverent (God bless him!) and we wouldn’t have cardinals with quotes from the consistory about how maybe we should just, you know, do mass right bc liturgy IS catechesis if this wasn’t a real solution here.
Ive been waiting 20+ years to hear a bishop say those quotes from Edgar’s article!
Too funny - earlier today I was thinking that it would be really interesting to read insights from an LDS perspective on the SSPX situation/TLM communities. Just because of the history of the FLDS, the uniqueness of Utah and how BYU can be a culture shock for members who grew up in different states, etc. I look forward to the book!
Quick note: TC's anniversary is July 16th.
"Those bishops who find either the TLM itself, or particular groups in their own dioceses, problematic would retain their Traditionis powers to regulate matters very closely, up to and including a blanket ban."
This is precisely where it all falls apart, as I write from the Diocese of Charlotte. If we're trying to avoid the ideological pendulum wildly swinging back and forth by not going back to Summorum, letting bishops decide for themselves just creates 1000 pendulums. Maybe there are some TLM-sympathetic bishops who felt obliged to shut down Masses they didn't want to--okay, this solution helps them. But otherwise, the pro-TLM bishops get all the indults they need, and the anti-TLM bishops shut everything down and leave their TLM-loving faithful with no recourse. Which changes precisely nothing about the current situation.
Until the bishops are willing to set aside their ideology to try to discern the genuine pastoral needs of their people, the pendulum persists--whether it's in the Vatican or the chancery. As far as I can tell, no pro-TLM bishop is going to decide a TLM community is toxic, insular, and unhealthy and needs to be shut down, and no anti-TLM bishop is going to decide that their TLM community would be best served by expanded TLM access.
It's just liturgical ideology, all the way down. THAT'S the problem. And from where I'm sitting in Charlotte, it feels less like an ideological pendulum swinging than a scythe.
TC has had a fatal flaw from the beginning. It is unjust. As more info has come out this has only been reenforced. Leo has to address this aspect, or it won't do anything to move things closer to reconciliation
I think a solemn papal mass, though interesting, would be a wildly pro-TLM gesture, and probably beyond the capacities of an ordinary trad parish to sustain. Not even Benedict XVI, who, as cardinal, did actually celebrate the rite a few times, ever did that. The pope can obviously dispense himself of any requirements, but as defined in the books it is an extremely demanding ceremony which requires the participation of several prelates. Hence it was always only done on the most solemn occasions, like canonizations or major feasts. This gesture would easily be taken as a Vatican repudiation of the conciliar Mass.
As a ByzCath this isn't my fight, and I think the whole Western perception of Liturgy as something merely disciplinary in large part is the root of this entire problem. However, given the SSPX's desire to use the Liturgy as a vehicle to perpetuate their schismatic ideology, nothing short of a wholesale striking down of TC will do to avoid driving well meaning sons and daughters of Rome into the arms of schismatics.
Our own history as Byzantine Catholics bears this out. When Bp Ireland convinced the Holy See to push out married priests in the US, all he succeeded in was creating the Orthodox Church in America. Kill TC, heal the wounds, and get to work reforming the Roman Liturgy in such a way the preserves it's true heritage while allowing for true organic development. A tall order, but it can be done. Indeed, the work is ongoing in our own Byzantine churches, to remove Latinizations and return the Liturgy that is our inheritance, one that preserves the Liturgy of the holy and God-loving Fathers while also retaining all the signs of organic development over the centuries.
See this is it. It’s not just about the permitting. It’s about giving the whole Latin church the actual beautiful liturgy we have and deserve in the ordinary form that is NOT the average parish mass in these United States and pry elsewhere. We wouldn’t have pillar ads from a Cardinal starting an org to help priests make liturgies more reverent (God bless him!) and we wouldn’t have cardinals with quotes from the consistory about how maybe we should just, you know, do mass right bc liturgy IS catechesis if this wasn’t a real solution here.
Ive been waiting 20+ years to hear a bishop say those quotes from Edgar’s article!