The Three Little Pigs.
The title of this editorial may seem just a little strange in a Newsletter dedicated to the cause of traditional Catholicism but most of the fairytales for children are based on sound moral and practical principles and the tale of the three pigs can easily be related to our experiences of the last 35 years or so.
This edition of the Newsletter contains a number of articles and items that can be considered encouraging; the recognition, on page 14*, by the head of the congregation of the clergy that people who prefer the old Mass should have complete freedom of access to this Mass; the comments on page 15* that Cardinal Hume predicted that Rome would encourage priests to return to the practice of celebrating Mass facing the altar; the usual impressive statistics from the Chartres pilgrimage (page 11*); the exciting news that 400 attended the pilgrimage to Holywell, and that nearly half of the young men in modern seminaries are tradition minded (page 26*) add to the hope we all have for better times.
To return to the tale of the three pigs. The first pig built his house with straw and the big bad wolf simply blew it away. The second pig had built his house with sticks and reeds but the wolf simply blew that away also. We all know the ending; the clever third pig built his house with strong bricks and the wolf was unable to demolish it with his teasing and taunting and sweet words. Despite all his huffing and puffing it was the wolf, not the pig, that perished. How relevant this is to our experiences of the past 35 years.
Much in the Church in this time has been built with straw and flimsy materials – especially in religious education and liturgical experimentation – and those who have been formed under this regime have perished; the lapsation has been without parallel in the history of the Church. So much of the solid brick faith has been jettisoned in favour of, for example, a straw-based ecumenism that provides our children in particular, and the laity in general, with no defence now against the marauding wolf. In the midst of this turmoil it will be the sound construction of tradition that will be the saviour of the Faith. Should anyone disagree let them read the words of two former Archbishops of Westminster, Cardinal Bourne (page 8*) and Cardinal Manning (page 16*). Teach the faith, teach tradition, and teach our history.
Father Josef Bisig and the Fraternity of Saint Peter.
During the preparation of this Newsletter news broke that Rome had removed Fr Josef Bisig from his position as Superior General of the Fraternity and appointed a new Superior General without the Fraternity being allowed to hold an election. The initial reaction from many has been one of dismay and outrage at the apparently harsh treatment of a wonderful friend and leader within the traditional movement. Notwithstanding the loyalty we owe to such a valued friend we must not respond with a knee-jerk reaction until all the facts are known. This could be counter-productive.
There are two major issues here; firstly, the reaction within the Fraternity itself. It is for the Fraternity members themselves to decide how they must proceed as a priestly society and we must allow them to do this quietly without bombarding them with ill-informed advice. The other issue is that more than ever the international movement must stand together in rock-solid support of the Missal of 1962 and let Rome see that we are all united under this banner. The picture should be much clearer by the time our next Newsletter is published in November.
Leo Darroch: Editor.
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's August 2000 Newsletter.]
*of the newsletter distributed to members of the Latin Mass Society.