There is a saying that all roads lead to Rome. This saying became fact on the weekend of 23rd to 26th October when thousands of Catholics of a traditional leaning descended on Rome from all parts of the world to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei Adflicta of Pope John Paul II and to express their thanks to the Holy Father. In the ten years that have passed since 1988 the traditional movement in the Church has rediscovered its confidence and regained a great deal of ground that had been lost during the previous twenty years. This particular gathering was organised by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter which has, perhaps, been the most spectacular beneficiary of the Holy Father's pastoral concern for those who love the Latin traditions of our Church. The growth in the Fraternity has been truly remarkable in some ways, but really not too surprising to those who always maintained that a return to the traditions of our faith was the only way to stabilise the Church and put an end to the haemorrhage of lapsation. In addition to the growing success of the Fraternity, we have seen the fruits of traditionalism in the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Society of St. John, both of which are training seminarians in the traditional Latin ways of the Church. These, too, are attracting young men of faith who have the desire to be priests in the footsteps and the ways of their brother priests down through history. The fraternity of the priesthood does not exist in the isolation of the present but extends back through the centuries since the beginning of the Church.The weekend programme was packed with events that warmed the heart and lifted the spirit; new friendships were made and old ones renewed.
Saturday 24th October: The Conference at the Ergife Hotel.
Cardinal Alfons Stickler opened the conference at 9.00 a.m. and on the platform with him were Bishop James Timlin of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mgr. Arthur B. Calkins of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, and Fr. Josef Bisig, Superior General of the Fraternity of St. Peter. Cardinal Stickler, as usual, was in good form and everyone was encouraged by his message of support and good will.
After a short break the conference resumed at 11.00 a.m with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who received a rousing welcome from the assembled pilgrims. With him were Bishop Timlin, Dom Gerard Calvet - Abbot of Le Barroux, Mgrs. Camille Perl and Arthur Calkins of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, and Michael Davies - President of Una Voce International.
By this time, following the arrival of hundreds of French pilgrims, there were probably around three thousand people in the vast auditorium of the hotel with many of these standing. Included in this total were hundreds of priests and seminarians, all dressed admirably for the occasion in cassocks or smart clerical suits. Mgr. Perl chaired the meeting and Cardinal Ratzinger opened the proceedings and spoke in French; young priest members of the FSSP provided a simultaneous translation into English.
The Cardinal praised the traditional priestly and religious orders that "have given the Church a large number of priestly and religious vocations which, full of zeal, joyful, and profoundly united to the Pope, serve the Gospel in our own epoch of history." He also said, "The authority of the Church can define and limit the use of rites in various historical situations but she never purely and simply forbids their use! Thus the Council ordered a reform of the liturgical books, but it did not forbid the use of the previous books."
Cardinal Ratzinger addressing the pilgrims
To answer the accusation that the use of the 1962 Missal is divisive Cardinal Ratzinger said that no-one had ever been scandalised in the past by the use of the Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Bragan, Carthusan, or Dominican rites, and, in fact, we were proud of the richness of having a number of different traditions. He also stated that the scope the new Missal gives for creativity is often excessively widened, and that the differences in the liturgy from place to place using the new books was often greater than between the old and the new liturgy when both are celebrated properly according to the rubrics.
Bishop Timlin, Michael Davies and Cardinal Ratzinger.
Dom Gerard also spoke in French and posed a number of questions to the Cardinal. Michael Davies addressed the meeting in English and highlighted the problem in the English-speaking world of the catastrophic decline in Mass attendance and where every form of liturgical abuse is permitted but requests for the Mass of 1962 are often refused in a harsh and sarcastic manner. He praised Bishop Timlin, who was seated beside him, as a splendid example of a bishop who is absolutely obedient to the Holy Father and to whom all traditionally minded Catholics throughout the world owe deep debt of gratitude. In the United States, where seminaries are closing continually, and since 1965 the number of seminarians has declined from 48,000 to less than 4,000, the Fraternity of St. Peter is building a brand new seminary at a cost of 9 million dollars. This is a tremendous act of faith on the part of Fr. Bisig, for which he deserves our gratitude and our support. In conclusion, Mr. Davies put forward five proposals to Cardinal Ratzinger which are summarised below.
1: That the third recommendation of the 1986 Commission of Cardinals be implemented in that every priest, when celebrating Mass in Latin, should have the right to choose between the Missals of 1962 and 1970.
2: That the Ecclesia Dei Commission should intervene vigorously on behalf of those faithful whose respectful petitions are denied by their bishops.
3: That where numbers of those attached to the 1962 liturgical books warrant it, non-territorial parishes be established to provide for their legitimate aspirations.
4: That the sacraments be administered according to the books in use in 1962 for all who request this.
5: That a personal prelature, such as that granted to Opus Dei, be established to act on behalf of the many traditional priestly societies and religious communities which are now flourishing and the large number of laity and diocesan clergy who wish to have access to the 1962 liturgical books in full communion with the Holy See.
Mr. Davies thought that the granting of these requests would be a great service to the Church and an important factor in halting the present catastrophic decline in Mass attendance throughout the western world.
Bishop Timlin spoke briefly on why it is important to be obedient to the Pope and this is what he has tried to do since Ecclesia Dei was published in 1988. He said he has gladly accepted the Fraternity of St. Peter into his diocese and also recently, the Society of St. John. He will invite into his diocese any group that is in full communion with the Holy See. How we wish that many of his brother bishops would afford the same courtesy to those traditionalists who are in full communion with the Holy See.
The meeting ended with Cardinal Ratzinger leading the singing of the Salve Regina, the rendition of which filled the huge auditorium.
In the afternoon of the 24th October the delegates of Una Voce International held a meeting in the offices of Una Voce Italia.
Sunday 25th October: Solemn Pontifical Mass in the church of San Ignazio.
Cardinal Angelo Felici, the President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, had agreed to celebrate Mass for the pilgrims but unfortunately had fallen and broken his arm and was unable to fulfil his engagement. Cardinal Mayer had agreed to celebrate in his stead but sadly he had to go to Germany following the death of his sister. It would seem that fate was against us but the indefatigable Cardinal Stickler stepped in to save the day.
This Pontifical High Mass, celebrated as it was in the magnificent church of St. Ignatius, was a Mass of tradition, of true Catholicity, of inspiration, of joy, of emotion, of hope, and of deep faith, and which spiritually uplifted every one who attended.
The celebration began with a solemn procession of 230 priests and seminarians, and monks from the traditional French orders, walking two by two ahead of the sacred ministers. About 80 per cent would be under the age of 30. In addition, there were many, many priests and seminarians in the congregation (some from England and Wales), which itself must have numbered well in excess of two thousand; the church was packed to the doors. The communion of the priests, monks and seminarians took nearly ten minutes, and that of the faithful nearly half an hour; and it was a time spent in thankfulness and reflection.
Father Bisig, Cardinal Stickler, Fr. Marie Louis de Blignière
This is the past of the Church, its present, and its future. The rank upon rank of young priests and seminarians was proof indeed of a living tradition, a tradition that imbues true faith and inspires deep faith, and a tradition that will live on in the future. The Church yesterday, today, and tomorrow. A Church built on faith, living in faith, and surging forward in faith in the tangible witness of the youthful and inspiring ranks of dignified and wholesome young men; men of humour and good cheer and a sense of purpose.
Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat, sang the choir and congregation before Mass started and it is truly so in the traditions of our Church. These Masses, these gatherings, these priests and seminarians are proof positive that this is so. By their fruits shall you know them, and these traditional orders, our traditional orders (but, in reality, the traditional orders of the Church), are bearing fruit in plenty. The joy and sense of well-being and community afterwards in the piazza of San Ignazio was tangible and for many clergy and laity it was the experience of a lifetime. Many friendships from around the world were renewed and new friends introduced.
After many years of being pushed to the margins and experiencing rejection and dismissal by many in our hierarchy we have turned the corner. How many times have we heard that silly phrase "you can't turn the clock back", being parrotted ad nauseam by those with something to fear. Our case is that we do not wish to turn the clock back, we simply look for continuation and in these excellent young priests we will surely have continuation.
In addition to the Solemn Masses being celebrated by our high ranking prelates we must not overlook the blessings from the many hundreds of Masses in the traditional rite that were offered in a number of churches in Rome by the visiting clergy.
Monday 26th October: Audience with Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square at noon.
The audience with the Holy Father had been scheduled for noon and a special enclosure had been allocated for the 'traditional' pilgrims. Many arrived early to ensure a good seat but the enclosure was full long before the time for the audience. Priests, nuns, lay folk from Europe, North America, South America, and Australasia, were there in abundance. Many languages chattering excitedly, instantly became 'una voce' whenever a Latin hymn was intoned and everyone switched in a moment to the mother tongue of Holy Church. Great cheers arose when the priests and seminarians of the Fraternity of Saint Peter, led by Father Josef Bisig, arrived on the scene with representatives from all the traditional orders and took their places on the platform outside the great entrance to St. Peter's Basilica, and on the right hand of the Pope.
At about a quarter to twelve great cheering from those in the rear signalled the arrival of the Pope. He swept around the throng in his white Popemobile, acknowledging the waves and cheers and then alighted to his chair under the great canopy in front the basilica. The huge responsibilities over the years and his brushes with death have obviously taken their toll. Those who have not seen him recently, or heard him speak for some time were moved by how frail he appeared and sounded and yet he still exuded that indomitable spirit for which he is renowned. "Tu es Petrus" sang the French choir in their personal message to the Holy Father, and so indeed, it was the message of all.
Pope John Paul addressed the Ecclesia Dei pilgrims in French and, addressing them as "Dear Friends", said, "your presence with the Successor of Peter to whom it concerns in the first place to take care of the unity of the Church is particularly significant." The Catholic press in England, for their own reasons, put a completely false slant on the Holy Father's message and one headline quotes the Holy Father as saying "Don't let Latin Mass divide the Church". He said no such thing and never mentioned the words "Latin Mass". Compare this with the headline in the French daily paper Le Figaro which said: "John Paul II personally gave signs of encouragement to the traditionalists who have come to Rome." A translation of the Holy Father's address is on page 25. Members can read it and make up their own minds on what was actually said. Of the bishops he said: "I also fraternally invite the bishops to have understanding and renewed pastoral attention to the faithful who are attached to the old rite and, on the threshold of the third millennium, to help all Catholics to live the celebration of the sacred mysteries with a devotion which will be real food for their spiritual life and a source of peace."
After his speech, the heads of the various traditional groups were presented to the Holy Father; these included Father Bisig of the Fraternity of St. Peter, Dom Gerard Calvet from the monastery of Le Barroux, Mgr. Wach of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Mgr. Wladimir of the Canons of Opus Mariae, priests from the Dominicans of Saint Vincent Ferrier, the Holy Cross of Riaumont, and the Society of St. John. The International Una Voce Federation was represented by Mr. Filip Libicki from Poland.
A Vatican prelate thought that the Pope had been more encouraging than he had anticipated. Politics plays a great part in Vatican circles and His Holiness has to balance many conflicting wings within the Church. However, what was absolutely clear was his great delight afterwards when he mingled with the young priests and seminarians who surrounded him. Their joy clearly moved the Holy Father to respond and he, too, became caught up in the excitement of the occasion. The wise old head and the exuberance of youth - a powerful and irresistible combination.
Monday 26th October: Pontifical Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament by Cardinal Augustin Mayer at the church of Santo Spiritu in Sassia at 3.45 p.m.
Happily for the pilgrims, Cardinal Mayer had returned from Germany in time to conduct the Solemn Benediction on Monday afternoon. This was yet another event to lift the spirit and calm the soul. On this occasion 162 priests, monks and seminarians processed into the church of the Holy Spirit, a sacred place since the eighth century, but with this church consecrated on May 17th 1561.
The monks of Le Barroux and the parish choir from the FSSP church of Notre Dame des Armées, Versailles, led the singing which would have been instantly recognisable to any pilgrim who had attended the church over the centuries since its consecration. In all, there were more than 400 priests, monks, and seminarians at the Benediction.
Cardinal Mayer, the first President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, in the presence of Mgrs. Perl and Calkins, his former staff members, and Father Bisig and other leading traditional figures, blessed the congregation which, like all the other events, packed the church to the doors.
As he was processing from the church he stated quite spontaneously that we should thank God we had so many fine young men dedicated to saying the traditional Mass and we should pray that they persevere with their vocations. This was quite a tribute and perhaps an admirable summary of the events that had taken place that weekend. Deo Gratias.
Leo Darroch.
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's November 1998 Newsletter.]