FFI News: Fr Volpi is dead

The late Fr Volpi (left) during an audience with Pope Francis

The Institute of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate announces with deep sorrow the death of the Apostolic Commissary Father Fidenzio Volpi OFM Cap, which occurred on Sunday, June 7, 2015.

Fr. Volpi’s death follows a period of ill health resulting from a stroke on April 29th.

He died peacefully in the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was lovingly assisted by medical personnel, relatives and confreres.

In this time of great sadness, our Institute joins in the sorrow of the Capuchin Order and the entire Franciscan Family; in that of the Italian Conference of Major Superiors, which was led by Father Volpi for over twenty years; and, of course, with that of his earthly family.

On the day when the Church celebrated Corpus Domini, Fr. Volpi passed to the Father’s House. Like the grain of wheat that dies in the ground, we are sure that his sacrifice will bring a plentiful harvest of spiritual fruit.

Confreres and the faithful can pay their last respects to the Apostolic Commissioner at his funeral on Wednesday, June 10, at 10 am, at the Basilica of San Lorenzo al Verano in Rome.

 

Father Alfonso M. Bruno

General Secretary

Rome, June 8, 2015

 

Pro Tridentina (Malta) comment: Fr Volpi had been selected by Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz to oversee the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate after Pope Francis decided to to insist on the use of the Novus Ordo in that religious community because of internal dissension, and not because of any negative judgment on the traditional liturgy. Volpi’s leadership resulted alas in the virtual destruction of the order (see Official Note from FFI). 

The death of Fr Volpi, (remember him in your prayers) might have an effect on the Tridentine Mass in Malta. As a matter of fact, former Pro Tridentina (Malta) President, Mr Godwin Xuereb, had initiated talks with the FFI and discussions were ongoing. These discussions came to an end following developments in the FFI.

 

Text of the Decree regarding the FFI (Italian version)

The full text of the decree mentioned in the previous post is transcribed below (in Italian).

CONGREGATIO

PRO INSTITUTIS VITAE CONSECRATAE

ET SOCIETATIBUS VIATE APOSTOLICAE

PROT. N. 52741/2012

DECRETO


La Congregazione per gli Istituti di vita consacrata e la Società di vita apostolica, attese le considerazioni formulate nella Relazione presentata dal Rev.do Mons. Vito Angelo Todisco a conclusione della Visita Apostolica disposta con decreto del 5 luglio 2012, al fine di tutelare e promuovere l'unità interna degli Istituti religiosi e la comunione fraterna, l'adeguata formazione alla vita religiosa e consacrata, l'organizzazione delle attività apostoliche, la corretta gestione dei beni temporali, ha ritenuto necessario nominare un Commissario Apostolico per la Congregazione dei Frati Francescani dell'Immacolata con le conseguente attribuite dal diritto particolare ed universale al Governo Generale del citato Istituto religioso.

Atteso che la suddetta decisione il 3 luglio 2013 è stata oggetto di approvazione in forma specifica a norma dell'art. 18 della cost. ap. Pastor Bonus dal Santo Padre Francesco, con il presente decreto si nomina

il Reverendo P. Fidenzio Volpi O.F.M. Cap.

Commissario Apostolico

ad nutum Sanctae Sedis,

per tutte le Comunità e i sodali della Congregazione dei Frati Francescani dell'Immacolata

Nell'espletamento delle sue mansioni, il Rev.do P. Volpi assumerà tutte le competenze che la normativa particolare dell'Istituto e quella universale della Chiesa attribuiscono al Governo Generale.

Sarà inoltre sua facoltà avvalersi, se lo riterrà opportuno, di collaboratori scelti a sua discrezione e da lui nominati previo assenso di questo Dicastero, a cui potrà chiedere il parere quando lo riterrà necessario.

Il Rev.do P. Volpi ogni sei mesi, dovrà informare questo Dicastero del suo operato, inviando una dettagliata relazione scritta circa le dicisioni adottate, i risultati conseguiti e le iniziative che riterrà utili realizzare per il bene dell'Istituto.

Infine, spetterà all'Istituto dei Frati Francescani dell'Immacolata sia il rimborso delle spese sostenute da detto Commissario e dai collaboratori da lui eventualmente nominati, sia l'onorario per il loro servizio.

In aggiunta a quanto sopra, sempre il 3 luglio u.s. il Santo Padre Francesco ha disposto che ogni religioso della Congregazione dei Frati Francescani dell'Immacolata è tenuto a celebrare la liturgia secondo il rito ordinario e che, eventualmente, l'uso della forma straordinaria (Vetus Ordo) dovrà essere esplicitamente autorizzata dalle competenti autorità per ogni religioso e/o comunità che ne farà richiesta.

Nonostante qualunque disposizione contraria

Dato dal Vaticano, l'11 luglio 2013

f.to Joao Braz Card. de. Aviz
prefetto

+ José Rodrìguez Carballo, O.F.M.
Arcivescovo Segretario

Bad news from the Vatican: FFI forced to celebrate Novus Ordo only

In the article being reproduced below, Sandro Magister narrates what can lead to unforeseen and unwarranted problems inside the Catholic Church. As an aside, a couple of years ago, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate had sent a priest to Malta for the possible establishment of the FFI here. A Tridentine Mass was also celebrated by the same priest in Valletta and a meeting with Pro Tridentina (Malta) took place. Reliable sources informed Pro Tridentina (Malta) that the outcome of the talks with the local authorities was a negative one.

For the First Time, Francis Contradicts Benedict

He has touched upon the sore spot of the Mass in the ancient rite. Ratzinger permitted its celebration for all. Bergoglio has prohibited it for one religious order that favored it 

by Sandro Magister

ROME, July 29, 2013 – One point on which Jorge Mario Bergoglio was eagerly expected  to weigh in, after his election as pope, was that of the Mass in the ancient rite. 

There were those who predicted that Pope Francis would not distance himself from the stance of his predecessor. Who had liberalized the celebration of the Mass in the ancient rite as an “extraordinary” form of the modern rite, with the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum" of July 7, 2007:

Benedict XVI Liberalizes the Ancient Rite of the Mass – And Explains Why

and with the subsequent instruction "Universæ Ecclesiæ" of May 13, 2011:

Two Masses for a Single Church

And there were instead those who prognosticated on the part of Francis a restriction - or even a cancellation - of the possibility of celebrating the Mass with the rite prior to Vatican Council II, even at the cost of contradicting the decisions of Benedict XVI with him still alive.

To read the decree issued by the Vatican congregation for religious shortly before the voyage of Francis in Brazil, with the explicit approval of the pope himself, one must agree more with the latter than with the former.

The decree bears the date of July 11, 2013, the protocol number 52741/2012, and the signatures of the prefect of the congregation, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, a focolarino,  and of the secretary of the same congregation, Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, a Franciscan.

Braz de Aviz is the only high-ranking official in the curia of Brazilian nationality, and because of this he has accompanied Francis on his voyage to Rio de Janeiro. He has a reputation as a progressive, although that of a scatterbrain fits him better. And he will probably be one of the first to go when the reform of the curia announced by Francis takes shape.

Rodríguez Carballo instead enjoys the pope's complete trust. His promotion as second-in-command of the congregation was backed by Francis himself at the beginning of his pontificate.

It is difficult, therefore, to think that pope Bergoglio was unaware of what he was approving when he was presented with the decree before its publication.

The decree installs an apostolic commissioner - in the person of the Capuchin Fidenzio Volpi - at the head of all the communities of the congregation of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.

And this in itself is cause for astonishment. Because the Franciscans of the Immaculate are one of the most flourishing religious communities born in the Catholic Church in recent decades, with male and female branches, with many young vocations, spread over several continents and with a mission in Argentina as well.

They want to be faithful to tradition, in full respect for the magisterium of the Church. So much so that in their communities they celebrate Masses both in the ancient rite and in the modern rite, as moreover do hundreds of religious communities around the world - the Benedictines of Norcia, to give just one example - applying the spirit and the letter of the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum" of Benedict XVI.

But precisely this was contested by a core group of internal dissidents, who appealed to the Vatican authorities complaining of the excessive propensity of their congregation to celebrate the Mass in the ancient rite, with the effect of creating exclusion and opposition within the communities, of undermining internal unity and, worse, of weakening the more general "sentire cum Ecclesia."

The Vatican authorities responded by sending an apostolic visitor one year ago. And now comes the appointment of the commissioner. 

But what is most astonishing are the last five lines of the decree of July 11:

"In addition to the above, the Holy Father Francis has directed that every religious of the congregation of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate is required to celebrate the liturgy according to the ordinary rite and that, if the occasion should arise, the use of the extraordinary form (Vetus Ordo) must be explicitly authorized by the competent authorities, for every religious and/or community that makes the request.”

The astonishment stems from the fact that what is decreed contradicts the dispositions given by Benedict XVI, which for the celebration of the Mass in the ancient rite “sine populo" demand no previous request for authorization whatsoever:

"Ad talem celebrationem secundum unum alterumve Missale, sacerdos nulla eget licentia, nec Sedis Apostolicae nec Ordinarii sui" (1).

While for Masses "cum populo" they set out a few conditions, but always guaranteeing the freedom to celebrate.

In general, against a decree of a Vatican congregation it is possible to have recourse to the supreme tribunal of the apostolic signatura, today headed by a cardinal, the American Raymond Leo Burke, considered a friend by the traditionalists.

But if the decree is the object of approval in a specific form on the part of the pope, as it seems to be in this case, recourse is not admitted.

The Franciscans of the Immaculate will have to comply with the prohibition on celebrating the Mass in the ancient rite beginning Sunday, August 11.

And now what will happen, not only among them but in the whole Church?

It was the conviction of Benedict XVI that "the two forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching." He had explained this in the heartfelt letter to the bishops of the whole world with which he had accompanied the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum":

"With great trust and hope…"

But from now on this is no longer the case, at least not for all. For the Franciscans of the Immaculate, forced to celebrate the Mass only in the modern form, there remains just one way to take to heart what Benedict XVI also hoped: to "demonstrate" in this form as well, "more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage."

The fact is that one pillar of the pontificate of Joseph Ratzinger has been cracked. By an exception that many fear - or hope - will soon become the rule.

__________

(1) Curiously, even six years after its publication, the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum” of Benedict XVI continues to be present on the website of the Holy See only in two languages, and these among the least-known: Latin and Hungarian.