Aftermath of the Suppression of Ecclesia Dei

As had been stated in previous posts and by several traditional Catholic websites, Pope Francis decreed that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei - founded by Pope St. John Paul II - is to be abolished. Its work will now continue in a “special section” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Vatican has said that this decision has been taken because ‘conditions and circumstances change,’ but insisted that dialogue towards regularization of the SSPX ‘continues.’

 

Salient points in the PCED's history:

 

• Pope St. John Paul II set up the Pontifical Commission in 1988 in response to Archbishop Lefebvre’s decision that year to consecrate four bishops without papal permission, a schismatic decision according to the Vatican which led to Archbishop Lefebvre’s excommunication along with those of the four bishops.
• Its role was originally to care for Archbishop Lefebvre’s followers who wished to remain united with the successor of Peter, the Fraternity of Saint Peter being the first immediate result.
• It also had the task of regularizing canonical situations of religious communities of a traditionalist nature, giving them a canonical form corresponding to their charism.
• The Commission had the responsibility of working with bishops to facilitate the Tridentine Mass (according to the 1962 Missal) for those faithful who request it.
• Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum gives wider accessibility to the Tridentine Mass. 
• Benedict XVI lifted the four SSPX bishops' excommunications in 2009.
• The 2009 motu proprio Ecclesiae unitatem, “organically linked” the commission with the CDF.
• Officials request Pope Francis, in November 2017, that the CDF directly handle dialogue between the Holy See and the SSPX. He consented to their request in January 2018, recognizing that the “questions being dealt with” are “of a doctrinal nature.” 

Pro Tridentina (Malta) proven right again!

The rupture, as Pro Tridentina (Malta) had written, exists ...

It is not something to be happy about - but Pro Tridentina (Malta) was proven correct again after some months ago we had posted this article.

This was shown by none other Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ...

 

After being accused of spreading “fake news,” the Vatican last Saturday released the complete letter by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI about Pope Francis. The previously hidden part of the letter provided the full explanation why Benedict XVI has refused to write a commentary on a new Vatican-published compilation of books about Francis’ theological and philosophical background.

 

"Nonetheless, I do not feel that I can write a brief and dense theological page about them because for my whole life it has always been clear that I would write and express myself only on books that I had also truly read. Unfortunately, even if only for physical reasons, I am not able to read the eleven little volumes in the near future, all the more so in that I am under other obligations to which I have already agreed."

Not only did he say that he did not have time, Benedict noted that one of the authors involved in the project had launched “virulent,” ‘’anti-papist” attacks against his teaching and that of St. John Paul II. He said he was “surprised” the Vatican had chosen the theologian to be included in the 11-volume “The Theology of Pope Francis.”

“I’m certain you can understand why I am declining”

 

One must remember that the photojournalism industry standards forbid such manipulation of a photo, especially if it alters the content and meaning of the image, as it did.

When the prefect of the communications office, Monsignor Dario Vigano, read part of Benedict’s letter aloud at the book presentation, he gave the impression that Benedict confirmed that Francis has a solid theological and philosophical training and he praised the book initiative for showing the “interior continuity” between the two papacies. He wrote it was “foolish prejudice” to paint Francis as only a practical man devoid of theology and Benedict as a mere academic who knew nothing of the lives of ordinary faithful.

However, Vigano’s effort to show papal continuity effectively backfired. Benedict’s harsh criticism of German theologian Peter Huenermann,  showed the evident differences in theological approaches of the two popes.

The Church in Malta's tacit approval of post Amoris Laetitia society

 

According to the Times of Malta of last Friday, former Maltese priest Vanni Xuereb stated that:

 

"I had mixed feelings when Archbishop Charles Scicluna asked me to form part of a national delegation that would be taking part in the (Re)Thinking Europe dialogue organised at the Vatican by the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) and the Holy See to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community."

 

Further on, he said:

 

"Undoubtedly, the highlight of the dialogue was the address by Pope Francis who, after his speech, greeted all participants individually. It was my first-ever close personal encounter with him. I have also had the privilege to meet both his immediate predecessors, however, on a personal note, this was the most meaningful since it is thanks to Pope Francis that I can still somehow identify with the Catholic Church.

At a moment in time when I felt I was drifting away because of what I was perceiving as an increasing irrelevance of the Church, this Pope has shown that there is a different way of being Church – one that is inclusive rather than exclusive."

According to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the former Fr Vanni Xuereb now lives with another person who has a son. This would explain his comment concerning Pope Francis but also his perceived distaste of Benedict XVI and Saint John Paul II.

 

One hopes that the Catholic Church in Malta is not going to step any further in the post-Amoris Laetitia world. Already enough damage is being done by the easy granting of Catholic 'divorces' nowadays. So why would a former priest be considered as the best person that the Catholic Church in Malta could choose to represent it? No doubt that Xuereb is very knowledgeable about the EU but such a choice still seems inappropriate in our point of view.

What went wrong in the traditional Catholic movement in Malta (Part 2)

The Curia offices in Malta (photo: Times of Malta)

After the first part of this series (other articles will follow, though not necessarily in a chronological order), this Blog was informed of more worrying trends in the traditional Catholic movement in Malta.

Apparently, at the Vatican they received a copy of a letter from a resident in Malta in which a number of priests and laity distanced themselves from the Pro Tridentina (Malta) movement. So, thanks to these Brutus tactics, the Archdiocese of Malta is moving cautiously before granting TLM in other localities.

This is also implied in the website of the Apostolate of Saint Paul Malta (ASPM) which says: "In the Archdiocese of Malta, the Church of St. Paul’s has been entrusted with the promotion and the celebration of the liturgy according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite, also known as The Traditional Latin Mass."

So, don't expect any other regular Tridentine Masses to be held elsewhere in the country.

EXCLUSIVE: Benedict XVI to celebrate Tridentine Mass?

He may do so during this Holy Year of Mercy. One has to admit that if a celebration of the Tridentine Mass by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI indeed takes place, this would raise the question, once again, of what is Pope Benedict's true position on the Tridentine Mass.

A number of distinct personalities (including Dr Alice von Hildebrand) have asked him, over the years, his opinion on this Mass, but Benedict XVI never gave a full, unambiguous answer. 

Prior to his election as Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger celebrated at 07:00 each Thursday in the Teutonic College church inside the Vatican walls, and those Masses were always of the Novus Ordo, celebrated in a very simple, solemn way.

Cardinal Ratzinger repeatedly expressed a certain sorrow, even indignation, over the way the conciliar liturgical reform took place, saying that the liturgy was developed in a non-organic way by professors sitting around a table and that, as the new liturgy was introduced, without sufficient explanation, the ordinary faithful were often confused, and sometimes scandalized. This is the position that Ratzinger took quite explicitly in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy.

At the same time, Benedict XVI personally does in some ways favor at least certain aspects of the conciliar liturgical reform as an improvement over the traditional liturgy.

The German writer Martin Mosebach once stated that Pope Saint John Paul II celebrated the Tridentine Mass on several occasions privately. Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) also had said that someone in the Roman Curia told him that Pope Benedict, too, has celebrated the Tridentine Mass on several occasions privately. It is, in any case, a known secret that when he was a Cardinal, Benedict XVI celebrated on a number of occasions the Tridentine Mass, including for the Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP).

But why would Benedict XVI celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite? 

One can here attempt a number of reasons:

• The traditional Latin Mass was, and is, the organic expression of the faith of Catholics in the Risen Lord, from the first generation to the present time. 
• This Mass was never intended to be the Mass of any political or cultural regime. And that it came to be seen as the expression of a certain political or social culture is one of the unfortunate reasons that the Council Fathers felt they had to approve a reform of the liturgy. 
• However the reform that was produced was not the reform that the Council Fathers called for.
• This has meant almost two generations of liturgical confusion, and the consequent crisis of belief which inevitable follows liturgical confusion, for it is true that lex credendi lex orandi. 
• Worse still, some overzealous people stripped our churches of statues, broke stained-glass windows, and turned against our heritage.

EXCLUSIVE: Pope Francis to visit Malta in 2016!

 

This Blog is pleased to announce that His Holiness Pope Francis will visit Malta in the second half of 2016.

Sources inside the Vatican have confirmed that the visit will be spread over 3 days. It is the Pope's wish that during his visit, he will visit three Marian sanctuaries. 

Unlike the last visit of a Roman Pontiff, this time round the visit will include a stop in Gozo  - probably with Holy Mass at Ta' Pinu Sanctuary.

In Malta, the visit - apart from the usual courtesy visits - is expected to include a visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces in Żabbar and the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta. 

Still to be confirmed is a visit to the Church of Divine Mercy at San Pawl Tat-Tarġa, in Naxxar - the latter to coincide with the Jubilee year dedicated to Mercy.

The Papacy of John Paul I - a return to Tradition?

Pope John Paul I - a friend of Tradition

On the 37th anniversary of the election of Cardinal Albino Luciani as Pope (26 August 1978), we felt it is appropriate to honour the memory of this Pontiff who reigned for just 33 days by sharing the following:

In a past article the former Pro Tridentina (Malta) President, Godwin Xuereb, had indicated that Pope John Paul I was in favour of the Tridentine Mass. His article was picked up by other blogs, although some twisted it to fit their agenda.

It is interesting that, a couple of years later,  the Catholic Traditionalist Movement confirmed, in essence, what that article had claimed (without acknowledging the source). In its article dated September 2013, Father Gommar De Pauw was quoted as follows:

“Well, I tell you one thing, if he had remained Pope, you wouldn’t have me here at the Chapel because with that beautiful official letter signed by the Secretary of State, also came an unofficial message that I better start packing my suitcase, that there was a job waiting for me in Rome, in the Vatican, to help Pope John Paul I bring the Truth back to the Church. Well, it wasn’t to be and the Lord, Who knows what He does, obviously wanted me to be in this Chapel … what was I going to do in Rome? Well let’s just forget it …” 

Fr Gommar De Pauw

This implies that Pope John Paul I was not going to “tolerate”, so to speak, traditionalist Catholics, but rather change course so that the abuses in the liturgy would be stopped, and Fr De Pauw was going to be his right-hand man in achieving this.

The same article claims that Cardinal Ottaviani (famous for the "Ottaviani Intervention") considered Cardinal Luciani as the second best choice for a traditionalist candidate for the Papacy, second only to Cardinal Pericle Felici.

What the former President of Pro Tridentina (Malta) had said was proven right - albeit at the time many in traditional Catholic circles, in particular from the Veneto region, had remained perplexed at his revelation.

BREAKING NEWS: Malta's new Archbishop - Pro Tridentina (Malta) proven right?

Some weeks ago, this Blog had indicated who the contenders for the post of Archbishop of Malta were, in this article. 

In today's Times of Malta, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri is mentioned as the likely candidate. This confirms what we had stated, namely that the Archbishop could be:

a bishop held in high esteem, both locally and in Rome (we cannot indicate if he currently resides in Malta or not);

What this Blog can reveal is that the Vatican has already discarded the frontrunner. Those familiar with us know who that person is.

The official announcement can be expected sooner rather than later.

We reiterate, once again, that whoever will be selected as Malta's new Archbishop, he can count on Pro Tridentina (Malta)'s support and assistance to fully implement Summorum Pontificum in this island. Thus, traditional Catholics in Malta will be fully involved in the diocese they love so much.