Vatican - SSPX: Point of no return?

Müller: having the last laugh?

Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in a recent interview to the Mittel Bayerische was very critical of the SSPX. This does not bode well for future discussions with the SSPX, although hope is the last thing to die. Below are extracts:

Q: You have always been very critical of the SSPX. Now, you are responsible as Prefect for the return of the fallen-away Society into the bosom of the Church. How difficult is it?

A: The negotiations of the Vatican with the SSPX brothers are friendly, Christian and humane, but clearly in formation. Who wants to become Catholic again must recognise the authority of the Pope and the bishops. No one should think that he can impose his own ideas of the Catholic Church. The talks in Rome are not negotiations between two parties. No religious fraternity may impose conditions of the church. 

Q: The negotiations between the SSPX with the Vatican have been going on since January 2009. How much more time is needed?

A: Eventually, the "point of no return" is coming and they must decide: Do they wish for the unity of the Church? This includes the acceptance of the form and content of the Second Vatican Council, and the previous and subsequent statements and decisions of the Magisterium. There is no other way

Q: The main criticism of the SSPX is the Second Vatican Council's - the permission for Masses in the local language instead of Latin. Is there any leeway? 

A: What can be granted, is that which actually belongs to the diversity of the Catholic faith and life. The liturgical reform of Vatican II was factually correct and necessary. One cannot issue polemic against it just because there are abuses.

Q: The SSPX have just designated you again as a heretic, that is, as one who has fallen from the faith.

A: I must not give an answer to every stupidity. 

Godwin's comments:  The SSPX have always stated that they are Catholic and they recognise the authority of the Pope. The statement from Müller is at variance with various Vatican statements of recent years. And though the SSPX might have exaggerated by claiming that Müller is a heretic (although certain statements from him in the past e.g. his flirting with liberation theology, have raised eyebrows in the Roman Curia), mutual respect is needed for any dialogue to continue. Hopefully the point of no return is far away...

Communique concerning Priestly Society of St. Pius X

The four SSPX Bishops

Vatican City, 19 July 2012 (VIS) - Early this afternoon, the Holy See Press Office released the following English-language communique concerning the declaration which emerged from the General Chapter of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X.


"The recently concluded General Chapter of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X has addressed a declaration regarding the possibility of a canonical normalisation in the relationship of the Society and the Holy See. While it has been made public, the declaration remains primarily an internal document for study and discussion among the members of the Society."

"The Holy See has taken note of this declaration, but awaits the forthcoming official communication of the Priestly Society as their dialogue with the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei continues".

Quotes from the message by Benedict XVI, (50th International Eucharistic Congress, June 2012)

Mass by Benedict XVI

"The Congress also occurs at a time when the Church throughout the world is preparing to celebrate the Year of Faith to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Vatican Council II, an event which launched the most extensive renewal of the Roman Rite ever known. Based upon a deepening appreciation of the sources of the liturgy, the Council promoted the full and active participation of the faithful in the Eucharistic sacrifice. At our distance today from the Council Fathers’ expressed desires regarding liturgical renewal, and in the light of the universal Church’s experience in the intervening period, it is clear that a great deal has been achieved; but it is equally clear that there have been many misunderstandings and irregularities. The renewal of external forms, desired by the Council Fathers, was intended to make it easier to enter into the inner depth of the mystery. Its true purpose was to lead people to a personal encounter with the Lord, present in the Eucharist, and thus with the living God, so that through this contact with Christ’s love, the love of His brothers and sisters for one another might also grow. Yet not infrequently, the revision of liturgical forms has remained at an external level, and “active participation” has been confused with external activity. Hence much still remains to be done on the path of real liturgical renewal. In a changed world, increasingly fixated on material things, we must learn to recognise anew the mysterious presence of the Risen Lord, which alone can give breadth and depth to our life."

'External Activity' Mass

Society of St. Pius X General Chapter Statement

19-07-2012   

As announced in the press communiqué of the Society of St. Pius X’s General House on July 14, 2012, the members of the General Chapter sent a common statement to Rome. It has been published today.

During the interview published at DICI on July 16, Bishop Bernard Fellay stated that this document was “the occasion to specify the (SSPX’s) road map insisting upon the conservation of the Society’s identity, the only efficacious means to help the Church to restore Christendom”. “For,” he said, “doctrinal mutism is not the answer to this “silent apostasy”, which even John Paul II denounced already in 2003.”

At the conclusion of the General Chapter of the Society of St. Pius X, gathered together at the tomb of its venerated founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and united with its Superior General, the participants, bishops, superiors, and most senior members of the Society elevate to Heaven our heartfelt thanksgiving, grateful for the 42 years of marvelous Divine protection over our work, amidst a Church in crisis and a world which distances itself farther from God and His law with each passing day.

We wish to express our gratitude to each and every member of our Society: priests, brothers, sisters, third order members; to the religious communities close to us and also to our dear faithful, for their constant dedication and for their fervent prayers on the occasion of this Chapter, marked by frank exchanges of views and by a very fruitful common work. Every sacrifice and pain accepted with generosity has contributed to overcome the difficulties which the Society has encountered in recent times. We have recovered our profound unity in its essential mission: to preserve and defend the Catholic Faith, to form good priests, and to strive towards the restoration of Christendom. We have determined and approved the necessary conditions for an eventual canonical normalization. We have decided that, in that case, an extraordinary Chapter with deliberative vote will be convened beforehand.

We must never forget that the sanctification of the souls always starts within ourselves. It is the fruit of a faith which becomes vivifying and operating by the work of charity, according to the words of St. Paul: “For we can do nothing against the truth: but for the truth” (cf. II Cor., XIII, 8), and “as Christ also loved the church and delivered himself up for it… that it should be holy and without blemish” (cf. Eph. V, 25 s.).

The Chapter believes that the paramount duty of the Society, in the service which it intends to offer to the Church, is to continue, with God’s help, to profess the Catholic Faith in all its purity and integrity, with a determination matching the intensity of the constant attacks to which this very Faith is subjected nowadays.

For this reason it seems opportune that we reaffirm our faith in the Roman Catholic Church, the unique Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, outside of which there is no salvation nor possibility to find the means leading to salvation; our faith in its monarchical constitution, desired by Our Lord himself, by which the supreme power of government over the universal Church belongs only to the Pope, Vicar of Christ on earth; our faith in the universal Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of both the natural and the supernatural orders, to Whom every man and every society must submit.

The Society continues to uphold the declarations and the teachings of the constant Magisterium of the Church in regard to all the novelties of the Second Vatican Council which remain tainted with errors, and also in regard to the reforms issued from it. We find our sure guide in this uninterrupted Magisterium which, by its teaching authority, transmits the revealed Deposit of Faith in perfect harmony with the truths that the entire Church has professed, always and everywhere.

The Society finds its guide as well in the constant Tradition of the Church, which transmits and will transmit until the end of times the teachings required to preserve the Faith and the salvation of souls, while waiting for the day when an open and serious debate will be possible which may allow the return to Tradition of the ecclesiastical authorities.

We wish to unite ourselves to the others Christians persecuted in different countries of the world who are now suffering for the Catholic Faith, some even to the extent of martyrdom. Their blood, shed in union with the Victim of our altars, is the pledge for a true renewal of the Church in capite et membris, according to the old saying sanguis martyrum semen christianorum.

“Finally, we turn our eyes to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is also jealous of the privileges of her Divine Son, jealous of His glory, of His Kingdom on earth as in Heaven. How often has she intervened for the defense, even the armed defense, of Christendom against the enemies of the Kingdom of Our Lord! We entreat her to intervene today to chase the enemies out from inside the Church who are trying to destroy it more radically than its enemies from outside. May she deign to keep in the integrity of the Faith, in the love of the Church, in devotion to the Successor of Peter, all the members of the Society of St. Pius X and all the priests and faithful who labor alongside the Society, in order that she may both keep us from schism and preserve us from heresy.

“May St. Michael the Archangel inspire us with his zeal for the glory of God and with his strength to fight the devil.

“May St. Pius X share with us a part of his wisdom, of his learning, of his sanctity, to discern the true from the false and the good from the evil in these times of confusion and lies.” (Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre; Albano, October 19, 1983).

Given at Ecône, on the 14th of July of the Year of the Lord 2012.

Cardinal Burke on the 5th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Five years ago (7 July 2007), Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum, his motu proprio permitting priests to offer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass without first having to obtain permission from their bishops.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (who I had the honour of meeting last November in Rome during the FIUV General Assembly) lamented what he termed the “resistance to what the Holy Father has asked.”  His analysis makes interesting, albeit sad, reading:

“There's no question that there remains in certain places a resistance to what the Holy Father has asked, and that's sad."

“It's sometimes even an expression of disagreement with the Holy Father's discipline and even an expression that this is harmful for the Church.”

On the liturgical changes that followed the Second Vatican Council:

“There was a stripping away, a changing of the form of the rite that in my judgement was too much.”

“You can't take a living reality, the worship of God as God has desired that we worship him, and tamper with it without doing violence and without in some way damaging the faith life of the people.”

On the Novus Ordo Missae, Cardinal Burke said (according to Catholic News Service) that he hoped the ordinary form of the Mass would eventually be enriched through the increased use of Latin and the restoration of prayers at the foot of the altar and the Last Gospel (Jn. 1:1-14).

Cum Petro et sub Petro per Mariam ad Jesum. Amen

WikkiMissa ... but not in Malta!

Five years into the era of Summorum Pontificum, no less than 30 European countries offer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass on a regular basis together with around 50 other countries around the globe. And Malta and Gozo? As usual we are the know-it-all, more Catholics than the Pope and notwithstanding various petitions and personal requests made to the local Church authorities, the situation remains stuck as it was in the pre-Summorum Pontificum days. So much for obedience to the hierarchy, in this case to Pope Benedict XVI... 

Tridentine Masses have been cancelled and those that were given 'permission' (because in Malta you have to obtain a permit from the local Curia to have a Tridentine Mass celebrated) are usually given at strange hours in non-central locations.The few that were celebrated according to the provisions of Summorum Pontificum were reminiscent of the catacombs' days...

There can be no denying that there are more Tridentine Masses being offered in more places with each passing year around the world. To that end, I recommend that people check the site Wikkimissa endorsed by Rorate Coeli every now and then. And perhaps, next time round the Maltese Islands will feature too.   

I encourage the Committee of Pro Tridentina (Malta) to continue piling pressure, locally with the Church authorities and abroad with the PCED and the FIUV. The Tridentine Mass is a reality and delaying tactics (cunctando regitur mundus) from those who should know better will serve nothing.

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.