Tidings of Comfort and Joy?

Slowly but surely, Pope Benedict is laying the foundation for a spiritual and cultural shift in the Church. He is quietly moving his own men into positions of authority, renovating the Papal liturgies and producing teaching of great clarity and impeccable orthodoxy. Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro, our Rome correspondent, assesses his pontificate to date.

Since the beginning of the pontificate of Benedict XVI we have seen encouraging signs for the restoration of the traditional liturgy of the Church and for the reconciliation of the Society of St Pius X (SSPX). The Holy Father received Bishop Bernard Fellay, the Superior General of the SSPX, on 29 August 2005. In an interview in 30 Days (September 2005) Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and President of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, made a very positive assessment of this meeting, reaffirming that, "The Mass of St Pius V has never been abolished." In another interview in 30 Days Bishop Fellay mentioned three bases for an agreement: 1. A declaration from the Holy See establishing that the Mass of St Pius V has never been abolished and that it can be freely celebrated; 2. The removal of canonical sanctions against the bishops of the SSPX; 3. That the Second Vatican Council should be interpreted in the light of Tradition. As we will see below, this process of correct interpretation by the Holy See has already been launched. Ignazio Ingrao reported in Panorama, (8 December 2005) that Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos recently had a long meeting with Bishop Bernard Fellay and Fr Marc Nélly, Superior of the SSPX's Italian District.

Synod on the Eucharist

From 2-23 October 2005 the Synod of Bishops met in Rome to consider the topic: 'The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church'. This synod was expressly called to deepen the understanding that the Church has of the Eucharist, but it was also brought together to find remedies to many abuses.

In the statements at the general debates we can see how the bishops expressed many concerns about the way in which the Mass is celebrated; on how to keep a sense of the sacred, and how the faith is being taught; the decline in the practice of confession that goes hand in hand with a decline in the sense of sin; the challenges of an invasive secularism, and the very worrying lack of priests. But perhaps the most disturbing complaint was presented by Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who gave shocking numbers on the decrease of Catholics in Brazil as a consequence of the activities of sects. "In 1991 Catholic Brazilians were nearly 83%…today they are barely 67%". He then added: "Many indications show that the same is true for almost all of Latin America, and here too we wonder how long Latin America will be a Catholic continent." Similar concerns were formulated by other Latin American and African bishops and to some extent by the President of the Bishops' Conference of India.

Some of the presentations by bishops confirmed the concern of the Instrumentum laboris (the preparatory document for the synod) n. 7, that there is "a significant decline in the practice of the faith and participation at Mass, primarily among the young." We see this sense of crisis in the statement of Cardinal Francis Arinze to the press, "The problem we have discussed is that many people don't go to Mass, and those that come don't understand; they go to Communion but not to confession, as if they were immaculate." (Zenit, 13 October 2005). Within this sad picture of a serious decline in Mass attendance we have countries where the Church has suffered terrible persecutions like Vietnam and Romania where bishops report that Mass attendance is around eighty per cent.

There were some remarkable interventions in the synod. Perhaps the most valuable was by Bishop Jan Pawel Lenga of Karaganda in Kazakhstan. "Among liturgical innovations produced in the western world, two emerge that in a certain way cloud the visible aspect of the Eucharist concerning its centrality and sacredness: the removal of the Tabernacle from the centre of the Church and the distribution of Communion in the hand." As a consequence he proposed: "that the Holy See establish a universal regulation making the official way of receiving Communion to be that of in the mouth and kneeling." Archbishop Juan Antonio Ugarte Pérez of Cuzco, Peru expressed similar concerns.

Like other members of the synod, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo pointed out that: "The sense of the sacred is obscured and the sense of sin has become relative." Bishop Aleksander Kaszkiewicz of Grodno, Belarus and Bishop Petru Gherghel of Iasi, Romania, proposed that the Tabernacle should be returned to the central place in churches in order to underline faith in the Real Presence of Jesus. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran manifested his apprehension that in the western world, genuflection is being used less and less and that, "We practically never kneel anymore during the celebration of the Mass." Father Mark R. Francis, Superior General of the Clerics of St Viator, noted that among the causes of low attendance at Mass are bad preaching and poorly prepared and executed liturgies. Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, Great Britain, criticised a theology of the Eucharist that regards it mainly as a meal devoid of its intrinsic link with Calvary and Christ's sacrifice. Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Brussels, and President of the Bishops Conference of Belgium, admitted that, "Perhaps we have misunderstood the sense of actuosa participatio, (active participation) which also implies silence before the mystery."

Traditional rite

It has been noted in the press that the synod was silent with regard to the Traditional Mass. This silence is not surprising, because it was not expected that the synod would take up this subject. But what is known is that Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos on Saturday 15 October, proposed the insertion in the final message of the synod clauses that would treat the Traditional Mass as a legitimate rite of the Church with the same standing as the other rites within the Church. A well informed person pointed out to me that perhaps the main reason why the bishops did not accept this proposal was that it would reinforce the sense of crisis in the reformed liturgy, as is apparent from the many shadows that the bishops recognised.

The synod presented a list of propositions for the consideration of the Holy Father. Many constitute an admission of the problems that plague the new liturgy. In the second proposition, after mentioning the beneficial influence of the liturgical reform, the bishops admit that many abuses are occurring. In proposal 25 on the dignity of the celebration, bishops are called to correct abuses; examples of these violations are given, like the introduction of readings that are not part of the Liturgy. Proposal 28 that the Tabernacle should be located in a noble place, is an admission that in many Churches it is not properly placed. The solution presented is that attention should be given to ars celebrandi (the art of celebrating), but the question remains if that is a sufficient solution to the persistent problems of the application of the Pauline Missal.

The Pope celebrating Mass as a young priest

It is valuable that the bishops have given due importance to the promotion of Eucharistic adoration in proposal 6, but it is evident that more attention should be given to the fundamental element of adoration within the Liturgy. Proposal 7 discusses the decrease of the sense of sin and the abandonment of the sacrament of confession, a situation that is described as a "persistent crisis"(Final Message 12). As a response, bishops are asked to promote a pedagogy of conversion and frequent confessions, and it is suggested that the penitential rite in the Mass should be deepened.

We find a constructive verification in proposal 23 of the problems in the way in which the sign of peace is offered and how it creates confusion just before the reception of communion. The secular press gave significant attention to the question of the admission to communion of divorced and remarried persons, but the synod reaffirmed the traditional teaching of denying communion to these persons. With regard to Catholic politicians, the synod also reaffirmed the constant teaching of the Church on their responsibilities.

Considering the problem of the lack of priests, one of the solutions presented was the ordination of the so called viri probati, married men proven to have sufficient virtues to be priests, but this proposal was rejected. Nevertheless, it is concerning that some would have backed a proposal that entails a total departure from Latin Tradition. If the Latin Church were to approve the ordination of married men in exceptional circumstances, it would open the door to a gradual abolition of priestly celibacy. One of the solutions contained in the proposals is the traditional suggestion of encouraging altar boys. Now that girls are allowed to serve as acolytes this traditional source of vocations is beset with ambiguity.

Signs of the times

After the synod different events marked out the orientation of this pontificate, such as the address of Benedict XVI to the Austrian bishops on 5 November, during their ad limina visit:  "You, dear brothers in the episcopacy, know this well: there are some topics relating to the truth of the faith, and above all to moral doctrine, which are not present in the catechesis and preaching of your dioceses to a sufficient extent, and which sometimes, for example in pastoral outreach to youth in the parishes or groups, are either not confronted at all or are not addressed in the clear sense understood by the Church. Thanks be to God, it is not like this everywhere. Perhaps those who are responsible for the proclamation [of the Gospel] are afraid that people may draw back if they speak too clearly. However, experience in general demonstrates that it is precisely the opposite that happens. Don't deceive yourselves!" Taking into account the style of the Holy See this is really a strong statement.

The removal of Bishop Domenico Sorrentino from his post as Secretary of the Congregation of Divine Worship and his appointment as Bishop of Assisi announced on 19 November, and the appointment in his place of Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith, announced on 11 December, is a positive sign. According to journalistic sources, Bishop Sorrentino did not show much understanding of the need to preserve the classical liturgy of the Church; now there are sincere expectations that Archbishop Ranjith will take a more positive view. We already have the valuable article that Archbishop Ranjith published in the weekly English edition of L'Osservatore Romano (21 July 2004) on 'The Eucharistic Spirituality of the Church', (republished in the November 2004 issue of Mass of Ages.) Archbishop Ranjith presents a sober and intelligent criticism of the current liturgical crisis shows how, "the liturgical reform does not seem to have given rise to the desired reawakening and reinforcement of the faith."

Further, we have valuable declarations by Benedict XVI to the Latinitas Foundation on 28 November 28: "We would like to strongly reinforce the tradition of the use of Latin in the Church both in the rites and in the ecclesiastical discipline because we are running the risk that the knowledge of this language might disappear."

The Instruction of the Congregation for Catholic Education, concerning 'The criteria for the discernment of vocations with regard to persons with homosexual tendencies in view of their admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders', published by L'Osservatore Romano on 30 November, is a valuable document that puts to rest many of the negative rumours that were circulating about it. It clearly indicates that a person with a homosexual orientation cannot be ordained to the priesthood. The problem is how it is going to be interpreted and applied. Already we hear some voices distorting the clear intent of this document.

On 5 December the Congregation for Divine Worship held a study day on Sacred Music. The statement of Mgr Valentin Miserachs Grau, President of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, was remarkable: "The obscuring of an entire tradition of prayer formed over two millennia has led to conditions favourable to a heterogeneous and anarchic proliferation of new musical products which, in the majority of cases, have not been able to root themselves in the essential tradition of the Church, bringing about not only a general impoverishment, but also damage that will be difficult to repair." This address was received with thundering applause.

Interpreting Vatican II

In Rome we see the beginning of a process of renewed interpretation of the Second Vatican Council, unbiased by many of the distortions and ambiguities that we have suffered in the last forty years.

On 29 November in L'Avvenire, (the newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference), Mgr Walter Brandmüller, President of the Pontifical Committee for Historic Sciences, published an important article on interpreting the Council, 'Vatican II in the History of Church Councils'. He underlined how its documents have very different levels of obligation. Brandmüller used as his basic interpretative norm that: "it must be clearly stated that trying to interpret the Second Vatican Council outside Tradition would go against the essence of faith." He based himself on the speech of Cardinal Ratzinger in Santiago de Chile in July 1988: "Vatican II is not treated as a part of the greater living tradition of the Church, but as a totally new beginning. Even though it did not issue a single dogma and wanted to be considered a humble pastoral council, some refer to it as though it had been a kind of super-dogma which makes everything else irrelevant."

The statement contained in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) n. 8, that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church, has received diverse erroneous interpretations. Some have maintained that the Church of Christ cannot be identified with the Catholic Church, because elements of the Church of Christ subsist outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church, which runs counter to the traditional view of the Church as demonstrated in Dominus Iesus, (see note 56).

To close this debate, two substantial articles were published in L'Osservatore Romano by advisers to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. One (weekly English edition, 14 December), "An Examination of 'Subsistit in': a Profound Theological Perspective" by Fr Joseph Becker, S.J., states that: "The phrase subsist in meant not only to reconfirm the sense of est, that is, the identity between the Church of Christ and the Catholic Church. It also meant to reiterate that the Church of Christ, with the fulness of the means instituted by Christ, perdures forever in the Catholic Church." The other (Italian edition, 8 December), 'The Church of Christ, the Catholic Church and churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church' by Mgr Fernando Ocáriz, with notable theological precision reaches the same basic conclusions as Fr Becker's article. A senior curial officer mentioned that these articles were published by command of the Holy Father, so this is a clear sign of the concern of Benedict XVI that the Second Vatican Council should be interpreted in accordance with Tradition. Another Vatican officer noted that the ambiguity that we find in some documents of the Second Vatican Council was purposefully willed by some conciliar experts in such a way that later they could interpret them in a way that separated itself from the Tradition of the Church, as Karl Rahner stated.

Important clarifications

It is very symptomatic that on 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and also the fortieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, in the homily that Benedict XVI preached at Mass, in his Angelus comments of the same day and in his address at the Spanish Square, he only made a passing mention of the Council. Many in Rome were expecting that the Pope would have used some of these three speeches to make a strong celebratory reference to the Council; instead his declarations were basically beautiful Marian homilies.

But on 22 December Benedict XVI used the traditional meeting for the exchange of Christmas greetings with high officials of the Roman Curia to deliver an important address interpreting the Second Vatican Council. The Holy Father asked how the Second Vatican Council had been received. He affirmed that, "No one can deny that in vast areas of the Church the implementation of the Council has been somewhat difficult". With a very deftly applied quote from St Basil on the turmoil that the Church suffered after the Council of Nicea, he showed the confusion the Church has suffered after the Council.

He then compared two ways of interpreting Vatican II: the first sees the Council as a break with the past that creates confusion, i.e. a discontinuity that risks ending in a split between the pre-conciliar Church and the post-conciliar Church. This view favours following not the texts of the Council, but rather what interpreters consider to be the true spirit of the Council. This depiction of the Council, he notes, has received the support of the mass media. This interpretation radically misunderstands the nature of the Council because the Council could not reform the Constitution given by the Lord to His Church.

The second and proper way sees the Council as a reform: a renewal in continuity with the Church that the Lord has given to us. In the spirit of Cardinal Newman, the Holy Father pointed out that the Church, "increases in time and develops, yet always remains the same." The Pope underlined this sense of fidelity towards the deposit of the Faith by quoting from the inaugural discourse of John XXIII, noting that even if the message of the Faith could be presented in newer ways, these new formulations have to retain "the same meaning and message."

On particular topics like the relationship between science and faith, with the World and the modern state, and with other religions, the Holy Father recognised that in the Council there might appear to be an apparent discontinuity but there was no discontinuity in the principles. This apparent tension had to be resolved by going back to the principles, which "have not been abandoned."

The Pope, as Cardinal Ratzinger, at the seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

With regard to religious freedom the Holy Father pointed out that it should be seen as a consequence of the fact that "the truth cannot be externally imposed but the person must adopt it only through the process of conviction." At the same time he noted that if the concept of religious freedom were to become a canonisation of relativism, then it could not be accepted.

Pope Benedict also referred to the misunderstandings caused by "the opening towards the world." He showed the naivety of those who "had underestimated the perilous frailty of human nature which has been a threat to human progress in all the periods of history and in every historical constellation. These dangers, with the new possibilities and new power of man over matter and over himself, did not disappear but instead acquired new dimensions: a look at the history of the present day shows this clearly." And later he added, "The Council could not have intended to abolish the Gospel's opposition to human dangers and errors."

An important officer who was present at this Papal audience pointed out to me that the Holy Father's speech was a very positive step in establishing the truth which runs counter to the dominant interpretation of Vatican II; the Holy Father had demonstrated how the Council has to be interpreted in continuity with all the previous teachings of the Church and in continuity with the Tradition of the Church.

In his message for the 'Celebration of the World Day of Peace', 1 January 2006, Benedict XVI emphasises that there will be no real peace on earth if society does not accept an order which has been planted in human society by its divine Founder. This affirmation, grounded in the traditional doctrine that peace is not possible outside the Social Reign of Christ, is a quotation from Gaudium et Spes (78) one of the Second Vatican Council's documents. So this provides additional evidence of the effort of this pontificate to interpret the documents of the Council in accordance with Tradition.

Conclusions

This brief analysis of recent events lead us to a sense of hope and encouragement because we see different things coming together that show that times are mature for concrete measures:

1. The Synod on the Eucharist with its apparent low level of results, served as an occasion to verify the depth of the crisis in the Church. We cannot witness the shrinkage of the Lord's flock and remain indifferent.


2. Even if lip service was given to the liturgical reform of Paul VI, the many complaints presented serve to demonstrate that the changes in the liturgy have not fulfilled the expectation that had been placed on them. This should lead to a profound examination of the pastoral effectiveness of the reform and the need to reconsider the contemporary liturgy.


3. This crisis of the new liturgy shows the need to preserve the rite of St Pius V as a witness to the permanent teachings of the Church on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and on the internal participation of the faithful.


4. The process of giving a proper interpretation to the documents of the Second Vatican Council serves firstly to preserve the purity of the faith, and secondly as a means to obtain the full reconciliation to the Holy See of groups who were scandalised by ambiguous interpretations.

I have pointed to many elements that give us hope, but we also have to consider that time is starting to run short and it is urgent that concrete juridical measures should be adopted to protect the rights of the faithful who are committed to preserving the classical liturgy of the Church. Many of them are suffering real distress.

[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's February 2006 Newsletter.]