JUSTICE AND EQUITY

Rights of the Faithful

The faithful have a right to the traditional Latin Mass by virtue of the fundamental law of the Church which protects immemorial custom such as the ancient liturgy of the Roman rite. The old Roman Mass is the subject matter of an ancient and particular customary law that regulated the Roman rite from earliest times. This law of immemorial custom has never been abrogated and is still in force.

Although the rights of the faithful are regulated by the bishop who, as the custodian of the liturgy, exercises personal jurisdiction in his diocese, the exercise of his stewardship is in turn regulated by ecclesiastical norms, both moral and juridical. The bishop is required by the prescriptions of Canon 387 to rule his diocese "in charity and humility" by serving his flock after the example of Christ Who washed His disciples' feet. In the case of 'Ecclesia Dei', for instance, bishops are constrained by the binding nature of the motu proprio to take into consideration the Pope's will when making their decisions about the traditional Latin Mass.

The Bishops' Pastoral Mission

In the current climate of ongoing change when policies devised in the committee room by liturgical experts are universally imposed on the faithful, the spiritual needs of the individual are in danger of being submerged. Those who feel that their personal vocation to holiness is being compromised by unacceptable changes can be assured by the prescriptions of Canon 387 that their bishop is responsible for the spiritual welfare of each individual member of his flock:

The diocesan bishop... must strive to do all in his power to foster the holiness of Christ's faithful, in accordance with the personal vocation of each individual.

With particular regard to 'Ecclesia Dei', whereby the faculty of granting permission for the old Mass was given to the individual bishop, there is absolutely no question of a transfer of decision-making responsibility in this matter from the bishop to other persons or bodies such as diocesan chancellors, episcopal conferences, liturgy committees, or conferences of priests.

The provision of the spiritual needs of the faithful who have made know their request for the traditional Latin Mass is the ultimate responsibility of the local Ordinary. This is a pastoral charge for which the bishop, as "the steward of the grace of the high priesthood" (De Ecclesia 1965), is personally accountable before Almighty God.

An Appeal to the Bishops

The Latin Mass Society addresses this appeal to the bishops on behalf of all Catholics, both practising and lapsed, who find the experimental changes of the last three decades a source of disquiet and a cause of considerable spiritual distress. The Society has in its possession the testimony of thousands of Catholics who are dismayed, confused or alienated by the nature of continuous reforms which have revolutionised their experience of the liturgy; and there are many other members of the faithful outside the Society who share their views.

Clearly there is a problem for a whole section of the Church who find these changes alien to their idea of worship.Their Lordships are asked to consider those who are suffering in spirit, injured in conscience and forced to endure a liturgy in which they cannot fully participate. Their problem is compounded by the fact that the liturgical establishment refuses to accept that their feelings are justified, and so they find themselves marginalised within a community which ignores their needs.

As this is not the way Holy Mother Church responds to her children's needs, one cannot remain indifferent to this situation in which so many of the faithful are involved, and an acceptable solution must, in justice and charity, be found to this pastoral problem.

In the light of the Church's teaching, The Latin Mass Society urges each diocesan bishop to exercise his pastoral care towards traditionally-minded Catholics in the following ways:

by listening to the voice of the laity as they bring their concerns before him;

by responding fully to their requests for regular and frequent celebrations of the traditional Mass in a form not later than the 1962 Missal;

by co-operating with lay initiatives to foster the traditional liturgy including the Church's treasury of sacred music;

by celebrating the traditional Latin Mass and encouraging priests to do likewise;

by promoting seminary training for canditates to the priesthood who wish to celebrate the former sacramental rites of the Church.

Copyright © 1997 The Latin Mass Society