What happens to Traditionis custodes now in Malta and Gozo?

The regulations set out in Traditionis custodes and as applied in Malta and Gozo provide that (comments in bold by this Blog):

1. The bishop of the diocese is the sole authority to decide whether the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal may take place in his diocese. - only one Sunday Mass is allowed in Malta, none in Gozo.

2. The bishop must decide the locations and times when Mass according to the 1962 rubrics may take place. This cannot occur within parochial churches, nor can the bishop erect new personal parishes dedicated to the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal. - in fact the Mass is only held in the Jesuits Church in Valletta. Other, few Tridentine Masses that are held from time to time are celebrated by so-called 'independent priests'.

3. The bishop must ensure that the existing communities that celebrate Mass according to the 1962 rubrics are effective for the spiritual growth of his people, and he has the option to revoke the permissions given to these communities. He may not authorize the establishment of new groups that gather for celebration according to the 1962 Roman Missal. - this has affected Pro Tridentina (Malta) directly, also because some persons had decided to spread lies about this organisation, for their personal ambitions.

4. The bishop should appoint a priest to act as a delegate for the pastoral care of the groups of the faithful attached to the 1962 liturgical rites. The priest must understand the Missal of 1962 well, must be well-versed in ecclesial Latin, and must exhibit pastoral charity and a desire for ecclesial communion. -  this has been done with the appointment of Canon Doublet.

5. Priests ordained before the publication of Traditionis custodes (16 July 2021) who celebrated Mass according to the 1962 Missal before the publication of Traditionis custodes should request permission from the bishop of the diocese to continue to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 rubrics. - it's unclear whether these priests, some of whom appear in the section Hall of Honour did this or not.

6. Priests ordained after the publication of Traditionis custodes must submit a formal request to the bishop of the diocese in order to gain permission to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal. The bishop must then consult the Holy See before the bishop grants permission to the priest. - as far as is known, no priest did this.

In December 2021, additional restrictions and guidelines (some of which are reproduced below) were issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the form of a Responsa ad dubia:

1. if a non-parish church, oratory or chapel cannot be found for a group to gather to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, the diocesan bishop can ask the Holy See for permission to use a parish church; however, the Mass should not be listed in the parish schedule and when a non-parish church, oratory or chapel becomes available, the permission to celebrate the Mass in the parish church will be withdrawn. - none was asked. If such a group grows in the number of attendees, permission to use the 1962 Missal may be withdrawn because it can be considered that the group is promoting the previous rite. 

2. The diocesan bishop is not authorized to grant permission for the use of the Pontificale Romanum (the Pontifical Missal) issued in 1962. This also means that the sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation may only be celebrated in the post-Vatican II form. The only exception is for personal parishes to use the Roman Ritual. But these very few exceptions must be monitored in order to ensure that the priests are accepting the liturgical reforms coming from the Council. - this eliminates all previous permissions to celebrate the Mass and the Sacraments according to the Roman Pontifical and the Roman Ritual which are the two main directories that regulated ceremonies in the Catholic Church for more than 1,000 years. 

3. In order for a priest to be granted permission to celebrate the Mass according to the Missal of 1962, he must recognize the validity and legitimacy of concelebration and is not to refuse to concelebrate at the diocesan Chrism Mass. - this is being applied in Malta.

4. The faculty to celebrate according to the 1962 missal, granted by a diocesan bishop to a priest, is restricted to the territory of that diocese. - therefore priests who celebrate in Malta cannot celebrate the Tridentine Mass in Gozo. The same would apply to any Maltese priest who was incardinated in another diocese. From testimonies gathered by some faithful who attend the different Tridentine Masses in Malta (whether authorised or not), this has been the case with at least 1 priest who attended a seminary abroad.

5. A priest who has been granted faculties to celebrate the 1962 missal is not permitted to celebrate both the Mass according to the 1962 missal and the post-Vatican II missal on the same day. - it is unclear whether an exemption was made in Malta, based on testimonies made by faithful who attend Mass in Valletta.

6. Not only the priest but the deacons and acolytes must also be authorized to serve at the Mass.- if one considers High Masses, the solemnities of the Holy Week, Easter and Christmas in which deacons and acolytes play a very precise role, we see that this demand for authorisation is intended to discourage their participation in such ceremonies. This necessarily leads to a diminishing of such ceremonies.

7. A priest who is authorised to say the Mass according to the1962 Missal cannot say two such Masses even if the group of faithful is approved by the Bishop. - this harms the faithful and puts pressure on them to attend the Novus Ordo Missae. Again, it is clear why groups such as the ASPM are not allowed to expand their attendance at Tridentine Mass while other groups, like Pro Tridentina (Malta), when possible, have to resort to independent priests. 

As if this was not enough, a Rescriptum ex audientia was issued in early 2023. The latest document clearly demands that permission for the groups who received parishes to say the 1962 Mass has to be confirmed by the Vatican. This is directly aimed at the Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King, the Institute of the Good Shepherd, the Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney and other such priestly organizations. - but, what about those priests who do not belong to these organizations and say the Latin Mass in churches where both the Novus Ordo Mass and the Tridentine Mass are said once in a while?

The goal of these documents is to entirely abrogate the permissions given by both John Paul II and Benedict XVI to celebrate the Tridentine Mass according to the 1962 Missal. The documents pretend also to abolish the celebration of Mass according to the Missals prior to 1955. They affirm that from now on the only approved expression of the Latin Rite is the Novus Ordo Missae, in which the faithful must have an active participation. Using his "magisterial authority" Francis declared that "the Liturgical Reform is irreversible."

Now that the sede vacante period has begun, one can expect the current situation in Malta to remain the same, for the time being. After a new pope  is elected, one needs probably to wait for some time to see whether the current legislation continues, more restrictions are made or, perhaps, the Church reverts back to the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Quotes to reflect upon (26)

 

"Unlike the Orthodox Church and various Protestant Churches, the Latin Church practically abandoned the ministry of exorcism as far back as three centuries ago. We're looking at entire bodies of bishops who are contrary to exorcisms, and entire nations without an exorcist, like Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal. A truly frightening shortage! When a priest becomes a bishop, he will have before him an article from the Code of Canon Law which gives him absolute authority to nominate exorcists. Given that he has to make such an important decision, the least any bishop should do is assist at an exorcism, but unfortunately, this rarely happens."

Gabriele Amorth S.S.P.  (1925-2016) was an Italian Catholic priest of the Paulines and an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome. 

Leave behind Tridentine model of priesthood, embrace synodality

 

As has been the trend during Pope Francis' pontificate, any occasion is good to attack the Catholic Church's pre-Vatican II's teachings. The latest occasion was the following. Original article here. 

CWN Editor's Note: On the last day of Parish Priests for the Synod—an international meeting of parish priests at the Vatican — Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, encouraged participants “to become ambassadors of synodality, to be full participants in a synodal Church, to become with all the people of God, missionary disciples of Jesus.”

“Many times their training and their reality have been oriented towards a Tridentine model of the priesthood,” Cardinal Hollerich, the relator-general of the synod on synodality, said of parish priests, in an address to Pope Francis in the presence of participants. “And now they see that the identity they had for centuries is crumbling, and sometimes this identity is lost ... and there is the danger of wanting to build a new identity based on the experience of the past.”

“The identity of priests and parish priests (even bishops) is given to us by the Holy Spirit when we walk with the people,” he continued. “Then the sacraments are no longer the expression of a ritualism in search of identity, but become a true rite where God communicates himself to his people.”

Cardinal Hollerich’s reference to the “Tridentine model of the priesthood” appears to be a reference to the Council of Trent’s teaching on the priesthood, and not simply a reference to the traditional Latin Mass.

The archbishop of Luxembourg, now 65, gained notoriety in 2022 when he said that Catholic teaching on homosexuality is “false.” In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Hollerich to his nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals.

FIUV's Reactions to Fiducia supplicans

Dr. Joseph Shaw, FIUV President

From the President: Pope Francis risks his authority over the blessing of irregular unions In this second President’s Bulletin I wish to consider international reactions to Pope Francis’ recent document, issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, on the blessing of irregular unions (same sex unions, illicit second marriages, and so on). I considered the meaning and intentions of the document in a message to supporters of the Latin Mass Society, here. Links to documents quoted below can be found here. Positive reactions The President of the German Bishops’ conference has welcomed the document, though his lay counterparts on the Catholic Central Committee see it only as a positive step. It is difficult to imagine what next step could be taken which is not explicitly ruled out by the document itself, but they tell us that 'to be Catholic in these times means to expect change.' The celebrity American homosexual priest James Martin SJ reacted by posting a photo of him blessing a same-sex couple. Neutral reactions Some conservative bishops in Europe and America have issued statements that welcome the document but emphasise its limitations rather than any new possibilities. Negative reactions from liberals A homosexual lapsed Catholic writer in the left wing secular British newspaper The Guardian was in no way mollified by the document. 'That’s not a blessing, it’s an insult.' Former Irish President Mary MacAleese said it was 'nowhere near enough', but nevertheless 'a massive climbdown by Pope Francis and the DDF.' Negative Reactions from Bishops’ Conferences What is most striking is the reaction of Bishops’ Conferences. A refusal to countenance the blessing of irregular unions has now been expressed by the bishops of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon and Nigeria. I will try to keep my collection of their comments here up to date, as more statements are being published by the hour. Similar is the statement of the English Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a conservative grouping with sister organisations in Australia and the USA.

Comment With Fidudia supplicans Pope Francis generated many positive headlines from the liberal Catholic and secular Western press, and reassured German liberals that he was still willing to advance their agenda, balancing recent statements which seemed to go against them. As the dust has settled, however, things have become more complicated. Conservative Western bishops instinctively avoid making statements on homosexuality and divorce, because of the attitude of the secular press and so many among of their own flocks. It is no surprise, therefore, that they have reacted to this latest document as they have. African bishops, by contrast, are very aware of the danger of public scandal on this issue. The bishops of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, again, are mindful of the attitude of Russian Orthodox believers, and of Vladimir Putin’s periodic attempts to present himself as the champion of authentic Christian values. Pope Francis and his advisers may have thought that a concession to sexual libertinism that is more symbolic than real would be an easy victory, but this ignores the non-Western perspective. The net result is that is that Pope Francis' authority being questioned as never before, with opposition coming from a new quarter: not Americans or liturgical traditionalists, but the 'peripheries', above all Africa. We must ask the Christ Child, whose coming into the world we are soon to celebrate, to maintain in all our bishops His purity of heart, and to hold them steady to the injunction of St Paul: nolite conformari huic sæculo: ‘Be not conformed to this world’ (Romans 12:2).

FIUV Declaration published in Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica

 

The FIUV has taken out an advert in the mass-circulation Italian newspaper La Repubblica, that appeared on Sunday 4th July 2021. This newspaper is Pope Francis' favourite.

The English text is below:

Living the faith, living the future:

The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

Declaration of the International Federation Una Voce

The International Federation Una Voce (FIUV), founded in 1965, brings together associations of the lay faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite (the Traditional Latin Mass).

In 2007, the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum recognised the vitality of the traditional liturgy, the freedom of priests to celebrate it, and of the faithful to request it. This has led to an ongoing increase in the number of celebrations of the ancient Latin Mass, and of its spiritual fruits.

During 2020 the FIUV conducted a worldwide survey of the faithful on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum. From this survey, which included results from 364 dioceses in 52 countries, we found:

•    The ancient Latin Mass is deeply appreciated by groups of faithful of all ages, especially families with children, young people and converts, found in all social and cultural environments, on all continents and in an ever increasing number of countries.

• In many areas the increased availability of this Mass has favoured the normalisation of relations between the faithful attached to it and their bishops, relations increasingly characterised by mutual understanding and respect.

Nevertheless, we have noticed that, contrary to the previous policy of the Holy See, there are still people within the Church, including some bishops, who would like to see the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite explicitly suppressed, or subject to further restrictions. For this reason, the FIUV, in view of the faithful who adhere to the Latin Mass, feels the duty to express its opinion, encouraged by Pope Francis' exhortations to the members of the Church to use parrhesia with the necessary humility.

The growth of interest in the traditional liturgy is not due to nostalgia for a time we do not remember, or a desire for rigidity: it is rather a matter of opening ourselves to the value of something that for most of us is new, and inspires hope. Pope Francis has characterised the ancient liturgy in terms of a "sense of adoration" (Press conference of 28 July 2013), we can also apply his words to it: a "living history that welcomes us and pushes us forward" (Evangelii Gaudium 13).

Today we only wish to be part of that "great orchestra" of "unity in variety" which, as Pope Francis said (General Audience of 9 October 2013), reflects the true catholicity of the Church. The Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum continues to transform the conflicts of the past into harmony: long may it to continue to do so.

Felipe Alanis Suarez, President                                                                                      

www.fiuv.org

Ends

The worldwide survey referred to above was presented to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to complement reports sent by bishops around the world on the same subject, which had been requested by the CDF at the request of Pope Francis. Gregorius Magnus 10 has an account of the motivation, methodology, results, and conclusions of the reports. Pro Tridentina (Malta)'s contribution is found on pp. 11 - 12.

Recent important developments concerning the traditional Latin Mass (1)

We will start the first part of these articles with the latest developments concerning the Tridentine Mass.

Pope Francis has now taken a major new step concerning the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Mass and the motu proprio Summorum pontificum issued by Benedict XVI. Pope Francis has sent two letters to all the Bishops of the world pertaining to Summorum Pontificum to ask a number of questions. The bishops are directed to respond to the questionnaire of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith by 31 July 2020. 

The worrying issue is related to the fact that many bishops are hostile to the traditional Latin Mass. Therefore their responses are expected to be almost universally hostile to the Tridentine Mass. If one looks at the Maltese dioceses, the situation is that the Tridentine Mass is only allowed in one small church in Malta every Sunday. This has meant that other priests in Malta are de facto prohibited from celebrating the Tridentine Mass in public. Even though in some occasions more than 100 persons attended Tridentine Masses organised by Pro Tridentina (Malta) when a fully functioning committee was in place. In Gozo, the situation is even worse, because the Tridentine Mass is not allowed at all!

This could provide a pretext for the Pope to come to the conclusion that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Mass has not been widely or well received and that, therefore, Summorum Pontificum and its permissions will be abolished.

Such a development may come into effect this Advent or the Advent of 2021. Presumably the Tridentine Mass will revert to the status given to it in 1984 and 1988 by  Saint Pope John Paul II. 

Having said that, it's the opinion of this Blog that the provisions of Summorum Pontificum will be retained as the second and third parts will show.

Quotes to reflect upon (21)

“A final consideration concerns those faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X. This Jubilee Year of Mercy excludes no one. From various quarters, several Brother Bishops have told me of their good faith and sacramental practice, combined however with an uneasy situation from the pastoral standpoint. I trust that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In the meantime, motivated by the need to respond to the good of these faithful, through my own disposition, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins."

Pope Francis' letter on the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Vatican City, 1 September 2015

Important Exorcisms - Part 2

Today we will continue this interesting series about exorcisms that took place on a woman in Switzerland between 1975‑1978. Speaking through the possessed woman, the demons were forced to tell the truth by Our Lady under the Solemn Church Exorcism. The first part can be found here.

The text is of the exorcisms that took place on 17 August and 31 October 1975. (E stands for exorcist, J stands for Judas Iscariot, a human demon). They deal about Ecône (i.e. the Fraternity of Saint Pius X - SSPX), Pope Paul VI, the Tridentine Mass and the Novus Ordo Mass.

J: Ecône will triumph.

E: What is that you said? Repeat that, Judas Iscariot! Who were you speaking about? In the name of Jesus, repeat, it, tell the truth and nothing but the truth!

J: After a long struggle, Ecône will triumph.

E: Speak in the name of Jesus!

J: Ecône is on the unique good road.

E: Is that the truth? Is it Heaven who said that? Speak, in the name of Jesus!

J: When I say: the good road I do not wish to say that there is nobody else on the good road; but the road which Ecône follows is singularly good. That is what we mean. There are not many roads which are good, but there are many people who are on the good road. Ecône is on the good road and many people do not recognize Ecône are searching for the truth, and so they also are on the good road.

E: Continue, in the name..., say what you must say!

J: Archbishop Mgr. Lefebvre will still have a great deal to suffer, but he is good.

E: Continue, in the name... say what you must say.

E: Is the liturgy he follows good? Tell the truth, in the name of Jesus!

J: The liturgy he follows is the only good one.

E: Is this the truth, in the name of Jesus?

J: It is the complete truth.

E: In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, have you lied?

J: No! It is the complete truth.

E: Where does it come from? Who ordered you to say that? Speak, in the name...!

J: It is She (he points upward) who says it; it is Those up there Who say it. The truth comes from on High. They, up there, do not like the new liturgy. In any case, the old Missal did not need to be modified... I am saying all of this against my will (he cries and sighs). In today's times, one should not obey all the bishops any longer.

E: There are still some good bishops. Speak, in the name of..., nothing but the truth!

J: There are still some who should be obeyed, but not all! Akabor has spoken about that previously (he sighs and has difficulty breathing)

...

J: You must pray for the Pope. He is in a worse plight than a martyr. He would rather be stoned like Stephen. He is a great Pope although he is forced to remain silent. He carries a cross. Few achieve his eminence, although he appears to be small and powerless. In the beginning, he made some mistakes, which he realised a long time ago, and now his hands and feet are tied, even his tongue. He cries out to Heaven that he would like to restore the old liturgy, the Tridentine Mass: he would like...but his hands and feet are tied. He can do nothing.

E: Speak only the truth, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin! Tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, about the Church and about Pope Paul VI!

J: You can be sure that Pope, Paul VI would like to re-introduce the Tridentine Mass. Whenever you see on television, or have to see or read any part of these novelties, you can be certain that this does not come from him.

E: Tell the truth, in the name...!

...

J: On 14 August, Akabor was forced to speak about the Mass and the Asperges Me which should be re-introduced at the beginning of Mass. That is true, that is true; then, we are obliged to flee from the church.

E: Tell the truth, Judas Iscariot, tell the truth, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin!

J: Without it, we are in the church. It would be better if the priest were to start again sprinkling the people with holy water from the top to the bottom of the church, as used to be the custom. It would also make us flee from within the people.

E: Tell the truth, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! J: Another of our tasks is to distract the congregation. When the priest goes through the church with the holy water, the people are able to pray better. Moreover, this also removes the ideas and powers of black magic.

E: On behalf of the Blessed Virgin, tell the truth!

J: The Asperges Me, the thirty-three signs of the cross, the recitation of “Oh Lord I am not worthy” three times, and finally, at the end of the Mass, the prayer “St. Michael the Archangel”, the three “Hail Mary's” and the “Hail Holy Queen” should all definitely be brought back. Their suppression is our work, and, one way or another, that of the cardinals who are in our power.

E: Continue to tell the truth, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin!

...

J: Furthermore, Those up there (he points upward) prefer the Tridentine Mass to the Mass in  the vernacular and to the New Mass, because it cannot be translated exactly.

E: Do you mean the Tridentine Mass in Latin? Tell the truth, tell the truth. Judas Iscariot, nothing but the truth, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin!

J: The texts are difficult to translate into the vernacular. That is how those inexact words have come in - words which carry fewer blessings at Mass. Everything which is not said exactly as Christ wishes it, carries fewer blessings. This applies especially at the Consecration; the words of consecration must be pronounced in a perfectly correct way. Not one syllable should be changed. Everything must be done strictly correctly. Do you know how, in our place (Hell), everything is perfectly well-ordered? Even in the Catholic Church, things are no longer conducted in such an orderly fashion as they are where we come from.

E: Tell the truth, on behalf of the blessed Virgin, nothing but the truth!

...

J: If they had again the thirty-three signs of the cross, which, moreover, is in keeping with the Life of Christ and which was all worked out in advance - it was Jesus who organized that through the Holy Spirit; if they reestablished it (the Mass), from the Asperges Me right to the prayer “Saint Michael, Archangel”, and celebrated the Mass as Christ has wished, then...I don't want to say it.

E: Tell the truth, Judas Iscariot, by order of the Blessed Virgin. Lucifer, you have no right to disturb him! You must go away!

J: ...then, thousands of souls would be saved, who are not saved and who are going to their eternal destruction. The evil comes from the Mass, principally from the Mass. An endless flood of blessings used to flow from the Mass, when it was still celebrated properly. The Mass is the principal factor.

The Mass and Holy Communion are the two greatest things for you Catholics. All the mystics, all the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin must yield place to them. Holy Mass has an infinite value, an unimaginable value. Christ Himself goes up to the altar with all his plenitude of graces, which we hate so much. We must flee from a Mass that is still celebrated well. We have to flee at the very beginning, at the Asperges Me. Then, speaking figuratively, we can only watch, timidly, through a crack. Now, on the contrary, at the modern Mass, we can dance around, up to...I don't want to say it.

Addition to Open letter to the diocesan Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church

The author of this letter, Mr. Oostveen (first from left) in a FIUV activity some years ago. 

The stakes are too high to simply ignore this fact; a proposed solution

Addition to Open letter to the diocesan Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church

This letter has been sent by e-mail to about 3100 Bishops (Diocesan and Auxiliary)

2 February, 2019 -- Presentation of the Lord - Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Your Excellency,

For the good of the Holy Catholic Church, I respectfully ask once more a little of your valuable time to consider the following, and with an earnest request to present this to the Holy Father and to the President of your Bishop’s Conference.
 

I refer to my mail of last month [http://www.ecclesiadei.nl/docs/open_letter.html] which identified for you the source of the “confusion, bitterness in human relations and fratricidal wars” that is evident in the Church since the Second Vatican Council. As befits a good engineer, after presenting you with the results of the problem analysis and its root cause, I now present to you a solution for the problem. Because the problem started due to the lack of “a gracious collaboration concerning the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” and continued with the introduction of the vague “spirit of the Council” in place of the clear hermeneutic rule set by Pope John XXIII, this problem is in essence of a supernatural origin. It therefore needs a supernatural solution, which expresses the unity between begging for mercy, a true confession of Faith and doing penance. The stakes are too high to simply ignore this fact.
 

My proposed solution is threefold:

First: The Church must in a gracious and humble manner, publicly request Mercy from the Holy Spirit This needs to be done by taking into account that the lack of “a gracious collaboration concerning the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” and its consequent “confusion, bitterness in human relations and fratricidal wars”, has penetrated so deeply into the Church that it has left virtually no one unaffected. 

Second: A public confession of Faith shall be made by all the Clergy and Hierarchy. This can follow the model of an extended Creed, like that of Pope Paul VI (Motu Proprio Solemnia Hac Liturgia, June 1968). In accordance with the Council opening address of Pope John XXIII, this creed should explain the full Doctrine “pure and integral”, “without attenuations or distortion” and in an understandable way without any ambiguity. This is essential, because the Church should "never depart the sacred patrimony of truth received from the Father", and above all, it should always act “in unity and in accordance with the Doctrine taught by the Fathers” [Ref. 1], [Ref. 2].

Third: The Church must publicly do penance. This is fundamentally necessary due to the lack of “a gracious collaboration concerning the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” by the majority of Council Fathers, and because so many Bishops, priests and religious had and have rejected the hermeneutic as set by Pope John XXIII. Such penance could be done by obliging all priests to celebrate individually – not as concelebrants - a number of Holy Masses that shall include the reading (in whole or in parts) of the extended Creed as a homily. The intentions of those masses shall be for all victims of that lack of gracious collaboration, over the last five decades both inside and outside the Church, for the healing of the wounds caused, for the conversion of all those who are still attached to that revolutionary spirit, and for the repose of the souls of those who have already died. [Ref. 3 ].

With my heartfelt gratitude for your kind and generous consideration, I offer you the assurance of my filial support and prayers, I hope for a speedy reply, and I humbly ask for the grace of your blessing.

Faithfully in Christo

Reference 1

 

The lack of gracious collaboration and the rejection of the hermeneutic as defined by Pope John XXIII has been initiated by those who were attached to the New Theology that in its turn was strongly influenced by modern ideologies. Here, among other points, this Creed should include a clear explanation why, in the light of the Truth, all ideologies of the modern times are principally false. This is especially so regarding the subject of unrestricted evolutionism that implicitly denies the Truth of original sin.

Reference 2

Given the subject of the upcoming meeting of the presidents of the Bishops' Conferences in the Vatican, sexual abuse by clergy is necessarily very topical. To this end, and especially because of the influence of silencing and implicit denial of original sin, this Creed should unequivocally include the Doctrine of the Church on sexuality: 

• Procreation must be stated (reiterated) as the first goal of sexuality.
• Homosexual activity must be acknowledged as and considered to be the main source of sexual abuse by clergy, but indeed not the only one. This can be clearly deduced from the statistics of the situation, where about 80% (USA) and 85% (the Netherlands) of the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy are male. Like all other disordered forms of sexuality, homosexuality exists due to original sin and our consequent fallen nature. Homosexual activity is therefore objectively a sin against the natural order, and as such one of the sources of sexual abuse. Though the abuse of priestly power in general is a grave sin, and creating victims of sexual abuse by that power is even a very grave sin, yet it has to be distinguished from the sexual abuse itself. The abuse of power over their victims, as well as the covering-up of sexual abuse by clergy, would not exist here without the evident lack of self-control due to a weakness of will, and the loss of discipline over their sexual feelings by the abusers. Therefore, the sexual abuse by members of the clergy must be considered as a matter of very grave sinfulness generally, precisely because it is also a violence against the vows they solemnly made to God at ordination.
• However, because, sexual abuse outside the Church is considerably more prevalent than that by the clergy, the very large numbers of those victims cannot count on any mea culpa’ by the worldly abusers. On the contrary, what can these victims expect from ideologist physicians, psychologists, politicians, jurists, public media and so on. They are the same people whom have strived for so many decades towards political acceptance and legalisation in favour of all kinds of disordered forms of sexuality, as if these would be normal forms of sexual behaviour. This makes the responsibility of the Church, not only towards the victims of the sexual abuse by clergy, but to all victims inside and outside the Church, all the more important and necessary.
• A responsibility not only for explaining the full Doctrine on sexuality “pure and integral”, “without attenuations or distortion”, in an understandable way without any ambiguity, but also for restoring and maintaining the unity between Doctrine and discipline.

Reference 3

The rationale for proposing that “all priests shall celebrate individually – not as concelebrants - a number of Holy Masses”, is because only in this way one can be sure that all priests will be confronted individually with the text of the Creed as a penitential act.

One of the Holy Masses offered should focus on the part of the Creed that explains the full Doctrine on sexuality. The intention shall be for healing the wounds of all victims of sexual abuse, both inside and outside the Church, as well as for true repentance and conversion of the abusers, and all who covered up or made the abuses possible.

Quotes to reflect upon (19)

"I should like also that Rome should in fact give a good example of Liturgy celebrated devoutly and without ill-placed 'creativity'. Certain abuses in liturgical matters have succeeded, through reaction, in favouring attitudes that have led to a taking up of positions that in themselves cannot be upheld and are in contrast with the Gospel. In appealing with affection and with hope to the sense of responsibility of everyone, before God and the Church, I should like to be able to give an assurance that every liturgical irregularity will be diligently avoided."

 

Extract from the homily of Pope John Paul I at the Patriarchal Archbasilica of St John Lateran - Saturday, 23 September 1978 on the occasion of taking possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome.

 

BREAKING NEWS: Summorum Pontificum will NOT be abrogated - NOT YET

 

In the past days, several traditional Catholic websites have stated that a number of Italian Bishops have attacked Summorum Pontificum, and want the Tridentine Mass abrogated. This Blog would like to state the following, thanks to our sources inside the Holy See:

 

• It is true that this attack on the motu proprio has taken place, BUT;
• Pope Francis, as was advised and posted here, will not dare to abrogate the Tridentine Mass, at least NOT YET;
• The current upheaval inside the Vatican has postponed the massive liturgical changes that were to occur this year;

So, what is the real strategy? It is based on the following steps:

 

• Start the liturgical changes as was envisaged initially, but only after the waters have calmed down;
• Reach the agreement with the SSPX, i.e. creating a personal prelature so that the biggest traditional Catholic group is harnessed and silenced;
• If Benedict XVI dies (let's pray this will be in the distant future), there will be no problem for the current Pope to abrogate the motu proprio. This seems to be taken from 2 perspectives - Francis genuinely has respect for Benedict XVI, whilst at the same time the accusation that Francis isn't Pope because Benedict XVI was forced to abdicate, will die a natural death. 

This Blog will continue to follow developments in this area. In the meantime, it is hoped that traditional Catholic groups, in particular the FIUV, start piling up pressure on the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Liturgical abuses in Valletta

St. Augustine Church, Valletta

In normal circumstances Bishops, priests and deacons distribute Holy Communion in virtue of their office as ordinary ministers of the Body and Blood of the Lord. 

The only exception should be when the size of the congregation or the incapacity of the bishop, priest, or deacon requires it, the celebrant may be assisted by other bishops, priests, or deacons. If such ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are not present:

 "the priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, i.e., duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful who have been deputed for this purpose. In case of necessity, the priest may also depute suitable faithful for this single occasion (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, GIRM 162)."

Alas, the parish of St. Augustine in Valletta is abusing this norm. It is happening quite often that during morning Mass, when the congregation is composed of a handful of people (20 at most), after the priest has concluded his own Communion, he distributes Communion to the extraordinary minister, and then hands the sacred vessels to him for distribution of Holy Communion to the people.

This is clearly an abuse - the priest is still relatively young and walks unaided.

Church authorities, kindly note. Perhaps such a practice has reduced attendance to this Mass which up to 3 years ago had a congregation of around 60.