Nasty ads on this Blog

Screenshot sent by one of our readers with the ad appearing on the right.

 

A reader of this Blog has alerted us to nasty ads appearing on our Blog Pro Tridentina (Malta).

 

We would appreciate if anyone can tell us how to block and remove such ads which only serve to harm our work.

 

Comments can be posted beneath this post or sent by e-mail.

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.

Bishop Williamson to visit Malta

Bishop Williamson is touring several countries following his expulsion from the SSPX

This Blog has been informed - from a reliable source - that Bishop Richard Williamson will be in Malta in July or August 2013. It is part of the second tour to Europe this year by the former SSPX bishop. He will also be visiting France, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

This visit seems to follow the alleged ones that took place in 2011 although in both cases the SSPX delegation was not headed by a bishop. 

Since then, Bishop Williamson was de facto expelled from the Society of St. Pius X and is now closely linked with the SSPX-SO headed by Fr Joseph Pfeiffer.

Pro Tridentina (Malta) is in no way involved in this visit nor was it involved in the previous ones.

Pope Francis and the Tridentine Mass

In traditional Catholic websites and blogs, a lot is being said about Pope Francis' position on the Tridentine Mass. Some say that he promoted the Tridentine Mass while the majority are saying that the former Cardinal Bergoglio restricted (to put it mildly) celebration of this Mass in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. 

In this article (in Spanish) written from a third party perspective on 17 September 2007 i.e. just three days after the entry into force of  Summorum Pontificum it is stated that:

The very first thing Bergoglio did after the publishing of Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI was to promote the Traditional Latin Mass, the Extraordinary Form, in his Archdiocese, immediately directing that a chapel, to start with, be set up for this end.

However, in blogs such as Rorate Coeli, the opinion is much different. See e.g. How Summorum Pontificum was blocked and trampled on in Buenos Aires: facts, not fantasy and disinformation. The tone is somewhat bitter and unwarranted, in our opinion.

Whatever the case about how things developed in Buenos Aires (bearing also in mind the strong presence of SSPX there), Bergoglio certainly tried to do the right thing from the beginning.

A good strategy, in our opinion, is to continue to use the provisions of Summorum Pontificum. If no provision is made for those who ask, the matter can always be brought to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED).

New Blog about Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI soon after announcing his resignation

In the beginning of this month, a new blog Apologia pro Benedetto XVI was launched. Following the announcement of Benedict XVI's resignation last week, it was decided to include various quotes and extracts from Benedict XVI on a wide variety of topics. A way to thank His Holiness for all that he has done - and will continue doing - for the Church.

This new blog is not directly connected with Pro Tridentina (Malta) and it is still subject to layout and other changes. It is manned by the interim President of Pro Tridentina (Malta).

New pages on this Blog

 

A number of documents that are useful to understand the developments, over time, regarding Latin and the Tridentine Mass are being posted on this Blog. These documents complement the two that govern the Roman Missal of 1962, namely Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae. They are to be found in separate pages:

• Quo Primum (1570);
• Veterum Sapientia (1962);
• Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963);
• Quattuor Abhinc Annos (1984);
• Ecclesia Dei Adflicta (1988);
• Latina Lingua (2012).   

End of an era





 With the death of former Maltese Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, the era of the giant politicians (Anthony Mamo, Guido de Marco and Ċensu Tabone) that shaped postwar Maltese history has come to an end*.

Without going into the merits of Chuch - State relations between Mintoff and the Maltese Catholic Church, which still needs to be written without biases, this is the time of prayer for the repose of his soul.

It is shameful that unlike other illustrious deaths (of the personalities mentioned above) some Maltese have indulged in celebrating Mintoff's death and also some of the comments posted in local newspapers and blogs are simply revolting.

Update 23 August 2012:

A certain Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith who the Catholic Herald defines as 'a Catholic priest and a doctor of moral theology' wrote an article about his personal recollections of the late Premier.

* Included are those who died in the past 5 years.

Goodbye ...

 

The past weeks I tried, with the help of some other dedicated people, to somehow revive the group Pro Tridentina (Malta) as I was told that it was not functioning at all. Some attempts have been made - including reactivating this Blog and the Facebook group -  but regrettably I found no tangible effort to really set the ball running.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the founding of Pro Tridentina (Malta), the time has come to turn over a new page. I still believe in the aims of this group but armchair critics and Masses organised against the letter of Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae will lead to nowhere.

Another problem is the fact that many people, including priests, like to have their own little niche, celebrate Tridentine Mass for the selected few, and refuse outright to co-operate or communicate with Pro Tridentina (Malta) - these things are simply not on and I outright refuse to be part of this division.

If, and I stress if, a well functioning committee is one day set up, then I might join once more. In the meantime, I continue my work in a project initiated by the Holy See that is giving me great satisfaction.

This being my last message, I would like to thank those who genuinely helped and ... Goodbye.

Godwin Xuereb

Quotes to keep in mind when discussing with parish priests and bishops ...

Photo: Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos (centre) with members of the FIUV Council and other faithful (November 2011)

The below quotes by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos are useful in discussions between laity and the parish priests / bishops to show what the Pope's intentions are:

"The Holy Father, who is a theologian and who was (involved) in the preparation for the (Vatican II - my note) council, is acting exactly in the way of the council, offering with freedom the different kinds of celebration."

"(Pope Benedict wants - my note) All the parishes. Not many, all the parishes (to make provisions for the Tridentine Mass - my note), because this is a gift of God. He offers these riches, and it is very important for new generations to know the past of the church."

"This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful. The worship, the music, the architecture, the painting, makes a whole that is a treasure. The Holy Father is willing to offer to all the people this possibility, not only for the few groups who demand it but so that everybody knows this way of celebrating the Eucharist in the Catholic Church."

Way back in 2007/2008, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) wrote to all seminaries to ask that candidates to the priesthood are trained to celebrate Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Latin rite, and also to understand the theology, the philosophy and the language of such Masses.

In Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI had indicated that Tridentine Masses should be made available in every parish where groups of the faithful desire it and where a priest has been trained to celebrate it. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos had indicated that a stable group could mean just three or four people who were not necessarily drawn from the same parish. This has been the main stumbling block in Malta for seemingly unknown reasons.

"Different parishes or dioceses" was inserted in Universae Ecclesiae following pressure from traditional Catholics, including in particular from Malta. I had been involved in informal discussions with the Roman Curia for the previous 18 months and this insertion should have cleared the minds of the local Curia. But, with few exceptions, the status quo has remained.

Concluding, my advice to Pro Tridentina (Malta) and other laity in these islands is to press the local church authorities by referring to these issues and others raised in previous contributions in this Blog. Should discussions fail, the motu proprio and the instruction clearly indicate the other available routes.

Resignations from Pro Tridentina (Malta) and the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce

Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, with effect from today, Godwin Xuereb has resigned from the posts in Pro Tridentina (Malta) and the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce. The name of this Blog has changed to Perspettiva Kattolika (Catholic Perspective).

Sit uffiċċjali

Pro Tridentina (Malta) tixtieq tinforma li s-sit uffiċċjali li kien http://www.protridentina.org/ issa tneħħa. Għal aġġornamenti wieħed għandu jara dan il-Blog jew il-Grupp fuq Facebook. Grazzi.

Blog under Construction

In a way, this photo is symbolic of the work that Pro Tridentina (Malta) will be facing in the months and years to come to ensure that what is a Catholic's right to have the Tridentine Mass will be ensured in Malta and Gozo. Unfortunately, this is an uphill struggle but one day this right will become a reality and Maltese and Gozitans will be able to benefit from its spiritual fruits.

Godwin Xuereb

Avviż Importanti rigward blog ieħor

 

Ħbieb,

Nota żgħira rigward blog ieħor (li jidher inattiv):

http://pro-tridentina.blogspot.com/

Dan il-blog m'għandux x'jaqsam mal-moviment Pro Tridentina (Malta) minkejja li jismu hekk.

Godwin