Tradition? To hell with it! Part Two

Is divorce a sin? No, the Tridentine Mass is...

One could have thought in the previous article that Fr. Martin Cilia's M.S.S.P. 'love' of tradition interview was a once in a lifetime occurrence. Or that the media had manipulated his words. Unfortunately this is not the case. The same priest, when the divorce referendum was such a hot topic in Malta last year, thought that the Lenten preach he delivered on Malta's Radju Marija should target the Tridentine Mass - the cause of all evils in these sunny islands it seems.

Hey, you're not looking at us!

He had said - on that blessed 13 April 2011 - that it is an insult for the people when the priest turns his back to the people as is done in the Latin Mass. Apart from the abysmal lack of knowledge of why the priest faces the tabernacle and not the people in the Latin Mass, Fr. Cilia then said that the Maltese have difficulty in understanding Mass in Maltese, let alone the one in Latin!

So, this priest considers the Maltese as being an ignorant people and therefore we have to believe all that he says. And obviously he is not an idiot... but my logic says that if the Maltese are ignorant and the priest shouting from the microphone on Radju Marija is Maltese then .... he must be an idiot too!

I was a Russian Altar boy not a Santa Claus.

In fact, thanks to Fr. Cilia I learnt that Karl Marx was a Russian who was an altar boy and afterwards he turned against the Catholic Church. I must throw away all the books that say that Marx was a German.

It is not usual of me to be sarcastic but today I cannot help it. The worst part is yet to come though.

As President of Pro Tridentina (Malta) at the time, I had written to the Director of Radju Marija, the M.S.S.P. Motherhouse and the Maltese Curia seeking an explanation for this.

It goes without saying that no one bothered to answer, chi tace acconsente as the Italian saying goes.

Thankfully, the Holy See's Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) takes things more seriously as the Maltese Curia's postman surely knows...

Tradition? To hell with it!! Part One

Fr Martin Cilia in his modern-looking and colourful oratory. (Photo: Matthew Mirabelli, Sunday Times of Malta)

Last Sunday, the Sunday Times of Malta carried an interview with Fr Martin Cilia MSSP.

At first I thought it might make interesting reading. In a way it was, for the wrong reasons. In order not to pain you with it unnecessarily, I will select the most memorable parts of this article, and my comments will be in blue.

1. Fine things, tasteful décor, aesthetics and art top the list of Fr Martin Cilia’s priorities ... and Jesus?!?

2. “We do not need to be surrounded by rubbish,”  ... so St. John's Co-Cathedral and Malta's wayside chapels are? Yeah, right. Rubbish!

3. “The Church is selling product Christ, but if it is wrapped in the old, traditional way; youngsters, young couples and those still searching can refuse the content for the covering...” ... same old story with those who are so afraid of Latin. It's all tradition's fault. But reality in Europe and America is very different.

4. “One of the major problems of the Church is that Mass does not offer a sense of community. It is like a supermarket – no one knows each other.” ...oops, this is not fair. Why should a priest speak so negatively about Mass in MALTESE?!?


5. The environment is vital and “mood manipulative”, Fr Cilia believes. So among his mini “revolutions”, he has changed the church structure, pushing the altar into its midst to ensure the priest is not separated from his congregation. ...  hmmm, to ensure the priest (not Jesus) is not separated from his congregation...

6. Mass is not always the best experience, he admits. It can be “so boring” – all the more for children. Asking them to remain quiet for an hour is asking for the impossible, Fr Cilia believes. In fact, during his homily, the young ones leave for their own liturgy, which even includes activities they then demonstrate to their families back in the church. ... I recall having read that St. Dominic Savio, St. Mary Goretti, the Fatima seers and other young children all getting bored during the Mass in Latin. Yeah, pull the other one ...

7. “Things are changing and fast – but the Church is moving slowly. It is too tied to tradition, and faith is too tied to religion. But the Church is not just religion and doctrine; it is an experience.” ... and an experience can be good and bad ...

8. But it also faces criticism from the community’s older members, who are only concerned with tradition. “I hope those who come because of their faith influence those who come for tradition. They are like two different religions,” he says. ... again, to hell with tradition! And while we're at it, how about dumping the Bible and Jesus? After all they are so traditional!!! 

50 Sena mill-Missal Ruman tal-Beatu Ġwanni XXIII

Id-Digriet mis-Sagra Kongregazzjoni tar-Riti li bih twaqqaf il-Missale Romanum (Edizzjoni 1962) ġie promulgat fit-23 ta' Ġunju 1962, jiġifieri l-ġimgħa li għaddiet għalaq 50 sena. 

Il-Missal hekk magħruf ta' Ġwanni XXIII intuża matul il-Konċilju Vatikan II.

Din hija l-edizzjoni tal-Missale Romanum li tintuża mill-Kattoliċi tradizzjonalisti madwar id-dinja kollha li huma f'għaqda ma' Ruma u li l-Papa Benedittu XVI talab permezz tal-motu proprio Summorum Pontificum sabiex tkun faċilitata ċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-Quddiesa Tridentina.

Jalla l-użu ta' dan il-Missal ikompli jinfirex f'dawn il-gżejjer. Nafu kemm l-Arċisqof Pawlu Cremona huwa devot ta' dan il-Papa u dan ikun tassew mod sabiħ ta' kif jibqa' mfakkar il-Papa Buono. 

 

Infatti Mons. Cremona kiseb id-Dottorat fl-1973, wara erba' snin ta' studju fl-Angelicum, l-Universita' Dumnikana f'Ruma, fejn kiteb teżi fuq il-ħsieb tal-Papa Ġwanni XXIII dwar il-kultura tal-paċi.

 

Fl-Ordinazzjoni tiegħu bħala Isqof, nhar is-26 ta' Jannar 2007, Mons. Cremona kien liebes l-alba tal-Beatu Ġwanni XXIII li rregalalu s-Segretarju tal-Papa, Mons. Loris Capovilla

 

New vice president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"

NOTE FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH 

Vatican City, 26 June 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an English-language note issued today by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fatih concerning the appointment of Archbishop Augustine Di Noia as vice president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei": 

"Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, O.P., to the post of vice president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'. The appointment of a high-ranking prelate to this position is a sign of the Holy Father’s pastoral solicitude for traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union with the See of Peter. The president of the commission is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William J. Levada.

"The Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' was established in 1988 by Blessed John Paul II to facilitate 'full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Lefebvre' and to promote the pastoral care of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church. In 2009, the Pontifical Commission was structurally linked to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to address the doctrinal issues in the ongoing dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.

"As a respected Dominican theologian, Archbishop Di Noia has devoted much attention to these doctrinal issues, as well as to the priority of the hermeneutic of continuity and reform in the right interpretation of Vatican Council II - a critically important area in the dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity. Under the guidance of Cardinal Levada, with the assistance of Msgr. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Pontifical Commission, this dialogue has been ongoing over the past three years.

"Previously, Archbishop Di Noia served as secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments where, together with the prefect, Cardinal Antonio Canizares, he oversaw the reorganisation of the dicastery and the preparation of a new 'Regolamento' following the directions of Pope Benedict’s 'motu proprio' of 30 August 2011, 'Quaerit Semper'. Archbishop Di Noia’s experience and continued association with the Congregation for Divine Worship will facilitate the development of certain desired liturgical provisions in the celebration of the 1962 'Missale Romanum'.

"In addition, the broad respect that Archbishop Di Noia enjoys in the Jewish community will help in addressing some issues that have arisen in the area of Catholic-Jewish relations as the journey towards the reconciliation of traditionalist communities has progressed".

Summorum Pontificum in Maltese

Pro Tridentina (Malta) has made a translation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum from Latin into Maltese. It can be found in the page titled "Summorum Pontificum". Thanks goes to Mr Anthony Mangion for his work.

It is hoped in this way that laity in Malta and Gozo will know better their rights when it comes to the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. 

Also, whilst showing respect to our Bishops, we will facilitate dialogue and ensure that these islands will benefit from the same fruits that many other dioceses have been benefiting for a long time now.

In due course other relevant translations will be made available. Where a translation in Maltese would not be possible, an English version will be provided.

Avviżi dwar Quddies Tridentin f'Malta

Nhar l-Erbgħa 6 ta' Novembru 2011 ġiet organizzata Quddiesa Tridentina għal ruħ il-membri mejtin tal-Għaqda Dilettanti Mudelli ta' Knejjes ġewwa l-Knisja tal-Monasteru ta' Santa Katarina V.M. fil-Belt Valletta.  Ċelebrant: il-W.R. Dun Marc Andre' Camilleri. Ħajr: Għaqda Dilettanti Mudelli ta' Knejjes.

Minn żmien għal żmien, għadd ta' persuni - fosthom barranin li jkunu se jżuru Malta - isaqsuni dwar fejn u meta tkun se tiġi ċċelebrata Quddiesa bir-Rit Tridentin. Peress li sa issa quddies b'dan ir-rit mhux qed isir b'mod regolari, ma jkunx dejjem faċli li wieħed jagħti tweġiba korretta.

Sfortunatament riċentament kien hawn saċerdot Ingliż li ma tħallix iqaddes b'dan ir-rit, f'għadd ta' knejjes hawn Malta. Dan huwa saċerdot f'komunjoni ma' Ruma.

Min ikun jaf b'xi quddies li jkun se jsir, jista' jinfurmani permezz ta' email. Min ikun irid li tiġi mħabbra quddiesa f'dan il-Blog jista' jkellem lili jew lill-membri ta' Pro Tridentina (Malta).

Maqgħudin ma' Papa Benedittu XVI

Bħalissa qed jintqal ħafna diskors dwar dak li l-media laqqmet Vatileaks. 

Ejjew nitolbu għall-Papa sabiex il-Mulej iħarsu minn aktar tiġrib.

Paolo VI e la lingua latina

Dalla Lettera Apostolica Sacrificium Laudis (15 agosto 1966), di Papa Paolo VI, uno dei papi del Concilio Vaticano II:

«Siamo venuti a conoscenza che nell'uffizio di Coro si vanno richiedendo le lingue volgari e si vuole ancora che il canto, cosiddetto gregoriano, si possa qua e là sostituire con le cantilene oggi alla moda; addirittura da alcuni si reclama che la stessa lingua latina sia abolita. Dobbiamo confessare che richieste di tal genere ci hanno gravemente turbato e non poco rattristato; e sorge il problema donde mai sia nata e perchè mai si sia diffusa questa mentalità e questa insofferenza prima sconosciuta... Le cose che abbiamo sopra denunciato accadono dopo che il Concilio Vaticano II ha espressamente e solennemente pronunciato, sopra questo argomento, la sua sentenza... e dopo che norme chiare e precise sono state emanate»

«si riconferma quello stesso precetto e se ne adduce nel medesimo tempo la ragione del vantaggio spirituale dei fedeli ... Né poi qui si tratta solamente della conservazione della lingua latina - lingua che, lungi dall'essere tenuta in poco conto, è certamente degna di essere vivamente difesa, essendo nella Chiesa Latina sorgente fecondissima di cristiana civiltà e ricchissimo tesoro di pietà ma si tratta anche di conservare intatti il decoro, la bellezza e l'originario vigore di tali preghiere e di tali canti... Desta dunque meraviglia il fatto che, scossa da improvviso turbamento, quella maniera di pregare sembri ad alcuni ormai trascurabile... Quale lingua, quale canto potrà sostituire le forme della cattolica pietà, di cui finora vi siete serviti? Gli uomini desiderosi di ascoltare le sacre preghiere continuerebbero a frequentare così numerosi le vostre chiese, quando non vi risuonasse più l'antica ed originaria loro lingua, congiunta con un canto pieno di gravità e di decoro?» 

«Quelle preghiere, piene di forza e di nobile maestà, continueranno ad attrarre a voi i giovani chiamati al servizio di Dio; il Coro - al contrario - a cui si togliesse quel linguaggio che supera il confine di ogni singola Nazione che si fa valere per la sua mirabile forza spirituale, il Coro a cui si togliesse quella melodia che sale dal più profondo dell'animo - il canto gregoriano, vogliamo dire - sarebbe simile a un cero spento, che più non illumina, più non attira a sè gli occhi e la mente degli uomini... Non vogliamo, per il bene che vi portiamo, accordarviciò che potrebbe essere origine forse di non poco danno a voi stessi, e sicuramente indebolire e intristire la Chiesa tutta di Dio. LasciateCi proteggere, anche vostro malgrado, il vostro patrimonio...»

Latest developments between the Holy See and the SSPX

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED), on 18 April, released the following communique:

"On 17 April, as requested during the 16 March meeting held at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Commission received the response of Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X. The text of the response will be examined by the dicastery then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement".

In the same day, Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., had this to say (the following is a transcription of his oral comments to journalists by Dr. Robert Moynihan):

"Today's news means that yesterday Bp. Fellay's response, that had been requested by Cardinal Levada at the last meeting, was delivered to the Congregation, to the Ecclesia Dei Commission, to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Now, this response, it is a response that, according to the words of those who could see it, is a very different response from the previous one, and this is encouraging, we proceed forward. But, naturally, we also find in the response the addition of some details or integrations to the text of the doctrinal preamble that had been proposed by the Congregation for a doctrinal agreement, and this response will be discussed, it will be examined first by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in one of its meetings of the next few weeks and, afterwards, it will also naturally be examined directly by the Pope. It can be said that steps forward have been taken, that is to say, that the response, the new response, is rather encouraging, but there are still developments that will be made, and examined, and decisions that should be taken in the next few weeks. I think the wait will not be long because there is the desire to reach a conclusion in these discussions, in these contacts."

The General House of the SSPX, also on 18 April, released the following communique:

"The media are announcing that Bishop Bernard Fellay has sent a “positive response” to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that consequently the doctrinal question between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X is now resolved.

The reality is different.

In a letter dated April 17, 2012, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X responded to the request for clarification that had been made to him on March 16 by Cardinal William Levada concerning the Doctrinal Preamble delivered on September 14, 2011. As the press release dated today [April 17] from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith indicates, the text of this response “will be examined by the dicastery then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement”. 

This is therefore a stage and not a conclusion.

Menzingen, April 18, 2012"

 

Benedict XVI's 85th Birthday

On 16 April 2012, Benedict XVI celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, addressed some words to the Holy Father.

"Today, on the occasion of your birthday, we wish to thank you for the solicitude with which you carry out this service of love."

"It is no coincidence that your first Encyclical was a hymn to the Love that is God, the love which must always animate pastors, who are called to bring the light of God, the warmth of His love, into the world."

"Holy Father, may the Lord continue to remain at your side, accomplishing the promise announced by God to the just man in Psalm 90: 'With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation'".

Brief Biography

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was born on 16 April 1927,  in his parents' home in Marktl, Bavaria, Germany. He was baptised the same day. Ratzinger attended the elementary school in Aschau am Inn, which was renamed in his honour in 2009.


Following his 14th birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was conscripted into the Hitler Jugend —as membership was required by law for all 14-year-old German boys after December 1939 — but was an unenthusiastic member who refused to attend meetings, according to his brother. In 1941, one of Ratzinger's cousins, a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was taken away by the Nazi regime and killed.  In 1943, while still in seminary, he was drafted into the German anti-aircraft corps. Ratzinger then trained in the German infantry.

As the Allied front drew closer to his post in 1945, he deserted back to his family's home in Traunstein after his unit had ceased to exist. As a German soldier, he was put in a POW camp but was released a few months later at the end of the war in the summer of 1945. He reentered the seminary, along with his brother Georg, in November of that year.

After a long career as an academic, serving as a professor of theology at various German universities—the last being the University of Regensburg—he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome when he became Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of  Faith. From 2002 until his election as Pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals.

In addition to his native German, Benedict speaks French and Italian fluently. He also has a very good command of Latin and speaks English and Spanish adequately. Furthermore, he has some knowledge of Portuguese. He can read Ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew. He plays the piano and has a preference for Mozart and Bach.

During his papacy, Benedict XVI has advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many developed countries. He views relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. He teaches the importance of both the Catholic Church and an understanding of God's redemptive love.

Pope Benedict XVI has also revived a number of liturgical traditions including elevating the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.

Ad multos annos!

Towards an agreement in Malta?

Rumours are circulating that, in the near future, an agreement will be reached between a Maltese benefactor and one of the parishes in Valletta. The agreement stipulates, inter alia, the following:

• a financial package for a restoration project;
• the celebration of Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form every Sunday;
• premises made available for seminars and other related activities for groups that promote the Tridentine Rite.

I stress that they are still rumours but I was informed from a couple of different and reliable sources.  It would surely be a wonderful and much awaited gift for the Church in Malta.

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.
Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3]

An important week for Pope Benedict XVI

This week is an important one for our Pope, Benedict XVI:

a) his 85th birthday;

b) his seventh anniversary as Roman Pontiff;

c) the SSPX reply to last month's request.

In the coming days we will delve in brief on these three events.

Prosit Pro Tridentina (Malta)

Nixtieq nifraħ lil Pro Tridentina (Malta) tal-ħidma mwettqa fl-aħħar ġimgħat. Jalla li t-tibdil konkret li sar u l-Quddies bil-Forma Straordinarja organizzat iħalli l-frott u b'hekk il-motu proprio Summorum Pontificum ikun implimentat f'Malta f'kull sens. 

Ninsab konvint li t-tim il-ġdid, b'taħlita ta' nies b'esperjenza u l-ġodda bil-ħeġġa tagħhom, se jmexxi 'l quddiem l-għanijiet li għalihom twaqqfet Pro Tridentina (Malta).

Nittama li fil-futur inkun infurmat minn qabel sabiex, fejn ikun possibbli, nattendi.


Godwin Xuereb