Old & New Mass Ecclesiology Incompatible?

Is the Ecclesiology of the Old Missal "Incompatible" with that of the New?

Motu Proprio Ecclesiological Question

Answered by Rev. Nicola Bux and Rev. Salvatore Vitiello

4 October 2007

Some say the Summorum Pontificum Motu proprio of Pope Benedict XVI could cause “uneasiness” because the ecclesiology present in the old Missal is “incompatible” with that which flowed from Vatican II. Let us try to verify the validity of this theory, by looking at the Roman Canon, the ancient Eucharistic prayer retained in the new Missal.

In it the priest turns first of all to the Father and presents the offerings for “the holy Catholic Church”, that He may guide it and grant it unity throughout the world - as the ancient Didachè prays - he offers them for the Pope, the Bishop and the community in which the Eucharist is being celebrated and “for all who hold and teach the Catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles”.

These are the famous diptychs which prove the existence of communion in the Church. At the same time he ask the Father to remember those present: “we offer you this sacrifice of praise”, the ordained and the common priesthood. Secondly he says that the Mass is celebrated in communion with the Mary and the saints, the heavenly Church, asking for their intercession. Thirdly he asks God to “bless and approve the offerings”, that they may become consecrated: the expression is referred to the Holy Spirit. Scholars say the nucleus of the Roman Canon, is older than the definition of the Council of Constantinople in 381. And then the other ancient Eucharistic prayer, the Copt anaphora of Serapione also contains an epiclesi to the Word.

To return to the Roman Canon, after the consecration the priest recalls the memorial of Christ's paschal mystery offering his Body and his Blood as a pleasing sacrifice, prefigured in those of Abel, Abraham and in Melchisedech; he prays that the offering may be taken from the altar on earth to God's altar in heaven. There follows intercession for the dead, and "for us sinners". The great prayer closes with the glorification of the Trinity, and the Amen of the faithful.

From this prayer which skilfully doses personal and community faith, there emerges a Trinitarian ecclesiology of communion which descends from heaven with traits of unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity. The prayer remembers Jesus Christ and his mystery and awaits His coming both in the today of the liturgy and at the last judgement. A prayer which is essentially adoration. The present crisis of the liturgy is due to the fact that at centre of the liturgy very often instead of God and adoration of God there is mankind, the community; so, as J.B.Metz used to say: “The crisis of God is ecclesiologically blocked”.

Providentially the Council approved as its first act the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy because “First there is adoration and therefore God […] The Church derives from adoration, from the mission to glorify God” (J.Ratzinger, L’ecclesiologia della costituzione Lumen gentium, in La Comunione nella Chiesa, Cinisello B. 2004, p 132). This is the ecclesiology of the Council which, over and beyond historical accentuation, has remained the same for two millennia in the Catholic Church.

A crisis in the liturgy begins when it is not understood and lived as adoration in Jesus Christ of the Trinity and as a celebration of the whole Catholic Church not just one particular community, of which the bishops and priests are the ministers, that is servants, not masters. Continual lamenting on the part of some liturgists with regard to the failed actuation of the reform and expedients to render it attractive, indicate that the spirit of the liturgy has been lost reducing to an self-celebration of one particular community.

How many examples of liturgical relativism (falsely hidden under the name of creativity) we see every day: the Eucharist is the first to have paid for an idea of Church which is not catholic. To which ecclesiology are those who intend to affirm the presumed incompatibility of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII with the present ecclesial situation referring?

To fear two different ecclesiologies is a grave error: it means, as the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI said in his address to mark the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, considering the Council a break with Catholic tradition. The Roman missal of Saint Pius V and Blessed John XXIII, heir to the ancient sacramentaries and medieval Missals, and the Missal of Paul VI, are an expression of the one and the same lex credendi et orandi which gives primacy to the relationship with God of the Church and every individual member. This is the only ecclesiology which can be said to be Catholic. (Agenzia Fides)

Papal Decree on Tridentine Mass

Forthcoming papal decree authorizes expanded use of Tridentine Mass, Vatican says

By Gerard O'Connell

6/29/2007

VATICAN CITY (UCAN) – According to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI will, in a few days, authorize wider use of the Tridentine Mass as an "extraordinary" form of the Latin Rite.

A Vatican statement released on June 28 says the forthcoming Motu Proprio, a decree the pope issues "on his own initiative," will expand "the use of the Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962."

In 1969, Pope Paul VI suppressed that missal, which was issued on the eve of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), by promulgating a radically revised one that reflects Council-inspired changes, including the use of the vernacular.

Before becoming pope, Benedict XVI harbored serious reservations about that suppression. In the interview-book Salt of the Earth (1997), he says: "A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent." In his view, "the old rite should be granted much more generously to all who desire it."

He moved decisively in that direction late June 27 afternoon when he spoke to cardinals and bishops from 14 countries and seven bishops' conferences at a meeting held sub secreto (under secrecy) in the Vatican. He told them that his Motu Proprio will allow broader use of the missal promulgated by Pope John XXIII, which actually is a revised version of the Pius V Missal of 1570.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of state, convened the gathering aware that several episcopal conferences strongly oppose reinstating the Tridentine Mass on a wider scale. The cardinal invited representatives of some bishops' conferences and a small number of other bishops who favor the return of the old rite to attend.

Almost half the participants came from Europe: two each from Italy and France, and one each from Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Also attending were two from the United States, two from Africa and one from Asia. The Asian participant was Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi, India, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.

Though nearly half the world's Catholics live in Latin American, the only representative from that region at the meeting was Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, 77, president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei."

The commission, which Pope John Paul II set up in 1988 to reconcile members of the Saint Pius X Society and the pope, strongly advocates reinstating the Pius V Missal, as John XXIII updated and revised it, to foster reconciliation.

The society's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, went into schism in 1988 by ordaining four members of his society as bishops without papal approval.

Besides getting a copy of the Motu Proprio, participants received a letter Pope Benedict wrote to explain why he is issuing the decree. Some participants admitted it was hard to understand the Motu Proprio because it is in Latin.

Cardinal Bertone refuted media reports intimating that the papal decree will remove power from bishops in this matter. As the pope had done in his letter, the cardinal outlined three key reasons for issuing the document.

The first and main one is to ease the full communion and reconciliation of the St. Pius X Society with the pope. Suppression of the Tridentine Mass was a major reason for Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers to break with the pope.

The "Lefebvrites" also disagreed with much of what the Second Vatican Council taught about ecumenism and interfaith dialogue. The meeting's participants were given updated statistics on the Saint Pius X Society.

A second reason for the Motu Proprio is to enable "wider use" of the Tridentine Mass. Unlike the "ordinary form" approved by Paul VI in 1969, in the Motu Proprio, the Tridentine Mass is considered an "extraordinary" expression of the Latin Rite.

John Paul II authorized bishops to approve requests of people for the Tridentine Mass, but many bishops have refused to do so. Benedict, lobbied by traditionalists and basically sympathetic to them, devised the "extraordinary" form as a way to unblock the situation and accommodate those people.

The third reason for the Motu Proprio is to preserve "the treasures" of the Church's older culture, including Latin in the liturgy, and to integrate them into the contemporary culture.

Pope Benedict suggested in his nearly one-hour meeting with participants that if five or six Sunday Masses are offered in a diocesan cathedral, the bishop could designate one of them for celebration according to the John XXIII missal, if a sizable number of people ask for it.

All participants expressed their views at the meeting. Some saw the Motu Proprio as an expression of "pastoral charity," or a strong affirmation of "diversity in unity." By the end of the meeting, most indicated their basic acceptance of the text, but a few, like the French, still had reservations.

The Motu Proprio provides for a review of the situation in three years.

-Republished by Konkani Catholics with permission of UCA News (http://www.ucanews.com/).

MUMBAI: Our Lady of Egypt Church Outreach - February 2007

Outreach Programme by Our Lady of Egypt Church, Kalina, Mumbai - February 2007

There will be an outreach program on 8th, 9th, 10th & 11th February 2007 at St Mary's High School grounds from 7 p.m. till 10 p.m. The programme will begin with holy Mass at 6:00 p.m.

On Sunday however, the mass will be at 6:45 p.m.

Mr. Trevor Lewis of the Jeevan Jal prayer group will conduct the Outreach.

The daily themes are:

February 8th - 'Love'.
February 9th - 'Forgivness'.
Feb. 10th & 11th - 'Inner Healing' & 'Healing'.

Confessions will be heard from Friday the 9th onwards.

Seating arrangements have been made on the grounds. Volunteers will be there to help those in special need.

Come one, come all for this spiritual renewal which will help discern God's plan for you.

Should you have any query, please call Mr Francis Mendes on 9223335922.

There will be no Mass at 7:00 p.m. in the Church on those days.

Posted by Robin Viegas