CONCLUSION

It is a sad reflection on our present situation that, despite the Pope's will that access to the traditional liturgy should be available to all who request it, there is little evidence of willingness to serve the Church as the Church wishes to be served.

At this moment in history so many forces are arrayed against the traditional Latin Mass by those who have a firm grasp on the levers of power that we cannot say that the Church is treating all her members justly by protecting their interests, respecting their rights and safeguarding their freedom of access to the former liturgy.

When we consider the heavy machinery that is brought to bear to ensure the imposition of revolutionary changes in the liturgy, we can see how far we have departed from the mind of the Church as expressed in the norms of Vatican II which required respect not only for the sacred traditions but also for the rights and freedom of the children of God. We are at the mercy of liturgists who have dismantled almost the entire framework of traditional symbolism which highlighted the supernatural and transcendent nature of the liturgy.

But the search for the transcendent cannot be extinguished; it is imperishable, being a charism given by God to man. So, too, the immemorial form of Mass, our glorious heritage which grew under the guidance of the Holy Spirit out of the devotion of the faithful, cannot be willed out of existence. It, too, is of God and cannot be withstood.

The Church stands opposed to all forms of oppression which, whether by design or neglect, have the effect of depriving the faithful of their right of access to the former sacramental rites. The Church's duty to safeguard her own living, unbroken traditions and to care for the spiritual welfare of all her children demands that particular attention be given to the needs of the faithful who have a justified grievance at being denied access to their own liturgical heritage which is theirs by right.

Copyright © 1997 The Latin Mass Society