1 October 2003
PRESS RELEASE
Latin Mass Society names and shames 9 bishops to Rome
In a frank document which was sent to Rome at the beginning of September in advance of the ad limina visit to Rome of the bishops of England and Wales scheduled for 13-24 October, the Latin Mass Society (LMS) has named 9 bishops for failing to implement the Pope’s express wish for ‘wide and generous’ permissions for celebrations of the traditional Mass. It has also praised 6 other bishops for making genuine efforts to accommodate the needs of those who wish to worship in the traditional rite of Mass.
The 16 page document was sent to Rome well in advance of the English and Welsh bishops ad limina visit to give the relevant Roman congregations time to consider it when preparing the questions that will be put to the individual bishops regarding their stewardship of their dioceses. The document was sent to Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State. An acknowledgement has been sent to the LMS on behalf of Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos confirming that the Cardinal has ‘taken note’ of its contents.
Anthony Fitzpatrick, newly appointed Chairman of the Latin Mass Society said, ‘Key concepts in the post-Vatican II Church are inclusivity, a horror of any form of discrimination, celebrating diversity and opposing the marginalisation of the disadvantaged and excluded. But for 37 years, since the introduction of liturgical changes following Vatican II, traditional Catholics with a profound attachment to the traditional Roman rite of Mass – the Mass of the English martyrs, still fully valid and celebrated with great solemnity in the basilica of St Mary Major in Rome as recently as 24 May by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos with the full support of the Pope – have been discriminated against and excluded from the full life of the Church. Too often, many of the bishops of England and Wales have ignored the Pope’s express requests to show generous pastoral concern for the traditional faithful and have slammed the door on them instead, thereby marginalising and disadvantaging them. Far from seeking diversity in the Church, many bishops have imposed a liturgical straightjacket.
‘Cardinal Arinze, with the Pope’s agreement, will issue an instruction later this autumn to correct abuses in the celebration of the new rite, so now is the time for all the bishops of England and Wales to heed the requests the Pope has already made to put an end to the discrimination and exclusion which many of them have allowed to be practised against loyal Catholics, and to show them pastoral charity instead.
‘The number of Catholics attached to the old rite in England and Wales is growing rapidly, with many young families. It is one of the few areas of growth in the Church in England and Wales. We hope and pray that Rome will use the ad limina visit of the English and Welsh bishops to insist that they make full Sunday and Holy Day provision for the traditional Mass in their dioceses.’
In brief, the Latin Mass Society document details the policy of the LMS and its commitment to the traditional Mass and Sacraments, and Gregorian Chant as the traditional music of the Church. It analyses the performance of each of the bishops in fulfilling the Pope’s request for generous provision of the old Mass and makes a number of specific requests for the future, chief among which are:
Frequent Sunday and Holy Day celebrations in the traditional rite in convenient churches and at convenient times
Appropriate provision of the old Mass in all major cities and towns
Provision of the other Sacraments in the traditional rite
Active promotion of the use of traditional devotions such as the 40 Hours Devotion, Holy Hours and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Invitations to be extended to the flourishing international traditional orders of priests to work in the dioceses of England and Wales
The document also records the LMS’s profound disappointment that the full report and recommendations it placed before the Bishops’ Conference at its Low Week meeting in April produced no official response whatsoever and have effectively been buried. It concludes by stating that the LMS is ready to work with the bishops to facilitate a generous provision of the traditional Mass and Sacraments which will produce much fruit, not least the nurturing of young traditional Catholic families with many children and the production of vocations to the priesthood. These will be important fruits of the re-evangelisation of Europe for which the Pope has called.
. . . . ENDS . . . .
For further information, please contact John Medlin, Development Manager,
or Yvonne Windsor, LMS Office Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284;
(F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk