Scores of protesters joined the 11-kilometre "National Summorum Pontificum" march - so dubbed in honour of Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 apostolic letter about celebrating the Latin Mass.

Young Catholics

According to Newmax, most marchers were young. Young enough, that is, to have been born after the Second Vatican Council's reforms of the 1960s, which was when the 500-year Latin Mass tradition was phased out.

With these reforms, the priest no longer faced the altar (ad orientum) but faced the congregation. Rather than say Mass in Latin, he used the country's everyday language.

Young Catholics who spoke to Newsmax said they loved the Latin Mass and were prepared to actively work against threats to its continuance.

"It is folly to try to restrict a particular Mass to which people are so devoted," one marcher said.

"It's a defining part of my life," another said.

"I first went to a Latin Mass when I was 13 ... Now I'm 35 and the Latin Mass has been a defining part of my life — it's incredibly beautiful."

"Some Catholics feel uncomfortable with the vernacular Mass and the priest facing the worshipers."

What prompted the march?

In July 2021, Pope Francis issued his apostolic letter "Traditionis custodes" to curtail traditional worship. Priests wanting to celebrate the Latin Mass had to get permission from their bishop.

Celebrating the Latin rite was banned from funerals, weddings and baptisms.

These instructions are startlingly different from those prescribed by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict.

St John Paul II's 1988 document "Ecclesia Dei" calls for "wide and generous application" of previous orders permitting celebration of the Latin Mass.

"Respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition" he cautioned.

Benedict's "Summorum Pontificum" went further, saying priests could freely celebrate the Latin Mass privately.

They could also celebrate it "in parishes where a group of the faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition stably exists...".

Summorum Pontificum says that in these cases the "parish priest should willingly accede to their requests to celebrate Holy Mass according to the rite of the 1962 Roman Missal" [the last Catholic prayer book containing the words and choreography of the Latin Mass].

Rules vs devotion

While Francis is clear that he wants the Latin Mass completely sidelined, adherents to the traditional form of worship are digging their heels in.

Newsmax says in July 2021 nine churches in the Washington DC area offered at least one Latin Mass on Sundays. Today there are just three.

Source

• Newsmax

However Adams is being cautious, saying he will seek advice if the Sons' ask to move to his diocese.

He will also be considering recommendations from a Vatican investigation.

It has been alleged that the Sons' leadership has spiritually abused people and performed unauthorised exorcisms on members of its community, but the group denied any wrongdoing.

The Vatican recommendations resulted in Christchurch's Bishop Michael Gielen giving the Sons' professed priests and brothers until October to quit the Christchurch diocese.

The Sons could move to another New Zealand diocese, but could only do so with the permission of the bishop of that diocese.

A Sons' spokesperson said they would not consider that option until the legal action had finished.

Leaving Christchurch also means farewelling their current support base along with property with a ratable value of $4.5 million.

There are six Catholic diocese in New Zealand. The other bishops ruled out welcoming the Sons' to their diocese, however Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe was traveling internationally and was unavailable to comment.

Adams wants to be inclusive

Adams supports the use of the Latin Rite, the same rite that the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer is controversially using.

Some of the Sons were spotted at Adams' episcopal ordination in Palmerston North in 2023.

Before becoming bishop of Palmerston North, Adams, also from Christchurch, regularly offered the old Latin Rite Mass in his Waimakariri parish.

Adams says his approach to the old liturgy is that he wants to be more inclusive.

When asked by Sinead Gill from The Press if he was sympathetic to the possibility of priests being effectively deported if no one else takes them in - as was the concern of the Sons' community - he said the investigation may uncover issues the public did not know about.

Source

• The Press

The letter, written by poet Dana Gioia, emphasised the aesthetic value and cultural significance of the liturgy according to the 1962 rite: "It would be short-sighted to deprive the next generation of artists of this source of mystery, beauty, and devotion," the letter stated.

The signatories write: ‘We all, whether believers or not, agree that this ancient liturgy, which inspired the works of Palestrina, Bach, and Beethoven, as well as generations of great artists, is a great achievement of civilisation and part of humanity's shared cultural heritage.

"It is medicine for the soul, an antidote to the crass materialism of postmodernity."

The Catholic signatories explicitly emphasised their loyalty to the Pope and the validity of the current Novus Ordo: "We hope that you do not lump us together with some of the angry and disrespectful voices amplified by social media."

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco praised the letter as an ‘extraordinary statement by some great artists and cultural figures on the value and inspiration they have drawn from the traditional Latin Mass.'

A group of British celebrities published an open letter in the London Times:

"We implore the Holy See to reconsider any further restrictions on access to this great spiritual and cultural heritage."

This letter referred back to a similar one from a group of British writers and artists sent to Pope Paul in 1971.

That letter resulted in the "Agatha Christie Indult," which allowed the bishops of England and Wales to celebrate the pre-conciliar liturgy on special occasions.

Both letters react to speculation of further restrictions on using the pre-conciliar rites, to which recent Vatican decisions have contributed.

The Vatican's refusal to permit the recitation of the 1962 Mass in Australia's Melbourne Cathedral, based on the cathedral's role as a "parish church," is an example of the implementation of Traditionis custodes (2021).

Another example is its refusal to allow the ordination of members of the traditionalist Society of Missionaries of Divine Mercy in the scandal-plagued French Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon.

While some media, including the French daily "La Croix," cite curial officials denying that further restrictions are immanent, speculation continues.

Speculation intensified after Pope Francis received Gilles Wach, Prior of the "Institute of Christ the King," in an audience.

The institute celebrates the liturgy in the pre-conciliar form.

Initially, nothing was known about the content of the conversation until the institute announced that the pope had encouraged them to adhere to their charism.

The most recent example of the problem of "Latin-Mass" groups comes from Christchurch, New Zealand, where Bishop Michael Gielen has expelled a fringe group who lead illicit and abusive exorcisms without training and episcopal permission.

Traditionis Custodes

Traditionis custodes (Guardian of Tradition, 2021) restricted the celebration of the 1962 Missal and other pre-conciliar rites.

It rejected Benedict XVI's distinction of "ordinary" and "extraordinary" forms of the Mass in his motu proprio Summorum pontificium (2007).

It returned permission for the limited use of the pre-conciliar rites from the individual priest to the diocesan bishop.

Theoretically, this might have worked if it hadn't been for the divergent way bishops applied this permission.

In February 2023, Francis removed the diocesan bishops' authority to grant dispensations for the 1962 Missal by transferring this to his liturgical office.

He stipulated that bishops may not dispense from the prohibition of celebrating the pre-conciliar liturgy in parish churches and must seek the explicit permission of the Holy See.

Based on the cathedral's role as the "parish church of the diocese," Melbourne Archbishop Comemsoli's request to use the cathedral was denied.

The refusal to ordain the seminarians of the Society of Missionaries of Divine Mercy in Fréjus-Toulon is based on specific requirements.

All seminarians who wish to use the 1962 Missal after their ordination must show obedience to the Church's magisterium and seek the permission of their diocesan bishop, who must, in turn, obtain consent from the Vatican.

Part of the problem is the papacy's indecision on the matter since the 1970's.

While traditionalist groups such as the Institute of Christ the King continue to celebrate the pre-conciliar Mass based on their statutes, seminarians of the traditionalist Missionaries of Divine Mercy are refused permission for ordination due to their adherence to pre-conciliar liturgy, and exceptions seem random.

The confusion will continue, and the true nature of liturgical prayer will remain prey to secondary influences.

Liturgy is based on baptismal fidelity

Pope Benedict XVI wrote that the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), came first because the liturgy is the heart and center of the Church's life.

We are not a social club but a community of baptised people who worship God and seek to live the Gospel of Christ daily.

Baptism brings responsibilities and an acceptance of what constitutes the Church's teaching authority.

We accept that the teaching authority of the Pope and bishops in council, to which the Second Vatican Council belongs, is a category of magisterium.

As baptised members of the ecclesial community, we listen to the Spirit guide the Church through the Church's magisterium.

To deny this is to turn one's back on the Catholic Church and to call into question the reality of one's baptism.

It becomes inauthentic to say that the teaching authority is wrong simply because it does not suit a personal point of view.

Baptism is the basis of how we pray, and how we pray shows what we believe.

Together, these create the "law of prayer" and "law of belief."

These are not cultural or aesthetic categories but theological ones. Liturgical prayer expresses an ecclesiology.

The breakdown in baptismal authenticity that unites magisterium and liturgical prayer as the basis of faithfulness to the Church has created a situation where ecclesiology becomes a matter of personal choice, and liturgical rites become the battleground of these choices.

One of the main reasons for the liturgical changes during and following the Second Vatican Council has been how the Church understands salvation (who can be saved, the Church's mission, and the sacramental role in the mysterion of salvation history).

Simply put, the pre-conciliar rites do not reflect this change and are at odds with the church's self-understanding.

When, in the 1950s rite of Good Friday, the Church prayed for the "perfidious Jews," and no one blinked an eye at the deep antisemitism, now we pray for the "Jewish People, the first to hear the word of God."

We pray differently now because the Church's self-understanding, expressed in the constitutions and documents of the Second Vatican Council, is different from those that went before.

Liturgical rites have meaning, and liturgical rituals express the inner meaning of belief, which is why the liturgy is called a "lex orandi," a law of prayer.

This "law of prayer" cannot be separated from the "law of belief," nor can they be played off against each other.

Since the Council, most so-called "Latin Mass" groups have become deniers of the magisterium of the bishops and Pope in council.

A recent example of this is the ordinations of priests in the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in the Bavarian diocese of Regensburg.

The diocesan Bishop, Rudolf Voderholze, emphasised that the SSPX's ordinations were unauthorised and violated ecclesiastical norms. He also expressed hope for the SSPX's genuine efforts to return to full communion with the Catholic Church, respecting canonical regulations.

The prominent British and United States figures from politics, business, art, and media display an essential misunderstanding of liturgy as aesthetic.

They make a fundamental mistake: they do not understand the initiative sacramental function of the liturgical rites that underpin what the Church believes about itself and how it expresses this belief in a particular place and culture.

As a result, they do not express the deeper meaning of ecclesiology of the rites beyond the aesthetic of specific rituals.

Ultimately, it is nice that the liturgy inspires artists and musicians, but this is not the point or even essential; it is tangential.

Liturgical prayer is not primarily defined by its aesthetic but by its participation in the mysterion of salvation.

The rites use ritual gestures, postures, etc., to express the mysterion.

The problem with an aesthetic approach is that either the ritual expressions become overdone (rituals for the effete, or available to the "gnostic" few) or underdone (becoming too anthropocentric and robbed of mysterion).

The danger in both is either an appeal to a "universal" or idealised culture with its call to uniformity or an appeal to a "particular" or anthropocentric culture and its appeal to local culture.

In both instances, the unity of the Church is not considered because the ecclesiological basis of liturgy is lacking.

The struggle behind the liturgical fights

Liturgical divisions weaken the unity of the Church and are not to be ignored. However, the more fundamental issues are not essentially liturgical but soteriological.

With the introduction of culture as a category of theology throughout the 20th century (and since Vatican II), our understanding of redemption, humanness, salvation, gender, sexuality, and procreation has radically changed.

The liturgy is not at war with itself because it articulates our theology of redemption, which reflects the deeper changed experience since the mid-eighteenth century.

The crux of the liturgical debates is the viability of the Latin Rite Catholic Church to maintain a single liturgical expression when it cannot retain a single pre-modern understanding of salvation because culture has been given a place within the Church in the salvific dialogue between God and humankind.

As the forces of globalisation and inculturation make deeper inroads into the magisterial system's presumptions, we struggle to maintain a unified view of what it means to be Christian and Catholic in the modern world.

Therefore, it is no surprise that we have a disunified episcopacy, the rejection of papal authority, and liturgical divisions.

The divisions concerning the use of the 1962 Missal are significant theological ones.

That is because within this conflict lie our theological understandings of the Church, laity, ordination, ministry, salvation, women's rights, participation in worship, and the discipline of believing in the teaching authority of the Church.

Those who choose one over the other should be respected for their choice.

Those who try to celebrate in both rites create a schizophrenic relationship with the Church.

• First published in La Croix
• J. P. Grayland is a visiting professor at the University of Tübingen (Germany). A priest of the Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North (New Zealand) for nearly 30 years, his latest book is titled: Catholics. Prayer, Belief and Diversity in a Secular Context (Te Hepara Pai, 2020).

Five seminarians from the Missionaries of Divine Charity have been awaiting ordination as deacons for over a year. One seminarian is reported to have been waiting for more than two years.

The Missionaries of Divine Charity, based in the French diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, have faced a temporary suspension of all ordinations.

Superior General Jean-Raphaël Dubrule clarified that the delay is not linked to the overall situation in the diocese but to the seminarians' adherence to the 1962 liturgical books.

The issue emerged after discussions with Vatican authorities revealed concerns about the ability of these seminarians to celebrate the liturgy as it was prior to the Second Vatican Council.

"The Roman authorities have no certainty about this possibility, and so it could be that candidates are ordained without subsequently being allowed to celebrate according to the old rite.

"They would then no longer be able to exercise their ministry within the framework of the congregation and in accordance with the statutes" Dubrules' statement reads.

Founded in 2005, the "Société des missionnaires de la miséricorde divine" have 22 members of whom twelve are seminarians.

Their charism focuses on mercy, celebrating the pre-conciliar Mass, and missionary work, especially among Muslims.

The community operates under diocesan law and is overseen by the diocesan bishop.

Further restrictions rumoured

The motu proprio Traditionis custodes (2021) requires newly ordained priests wishing to celebrate the 1962 Missale Romanum to seek formal permission from their diocesan bishop, who must consult the Vatican.

This regulation has heightened concerns among traditionalist circles about further restrictions from Rome.

The rumours were fuelled after the Pope received Gilles Wach, the prior of the "Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest", in an audience on Monday.

The international institute celebrates the liturgy in its pre-conciliar form.

While the Vatican hasn't commented on the meeting, the Institute stated on its website that "the Pope insisted that we continue to serve the Church according to our own proper charism, in the spirit of unity and communion which the harmony and balance of the Salesian spirituality allow".

While some communities, such as the Fraternity of St Peter, have received papal decrees allowing the use of the pre-conciliar liturgy for all sacraments, similar permissions have not been extended to other groups.

Sources

Katholisch

Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

CathNews New Zealand

"We shall return", a buoyant Fr Glen Tattersall said at the final Traditional Latin Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne on Wednesday evening.

The Australian reports the Cathedral was packed for the Mass - it estimated there was a congregation of around 850 people.

"They came in business suits, in strollers, on trams and in fluoro tradie gear. Most were rugged up in heavy coats against the Melbourne winter which did not dim the spirit of the cathedral lit with candlelight and optimism" reports Tess Livingston in The Australian.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli sat in the Sanctuary, but did not address the crowd.

On Monday Comensoli received the news that the Vatican had denied his request to hold the Traditional Latin Mass at Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral.

The decision from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was published on Monday on the news portal "Zenit".

"While we recognise that Mass according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 has been celebrated in the Cathedral Church for some time, we are nonetheless constrained to deny this request" the response stated.

The Vatican stated that liturgies in a bishop's church should serve as a model for the entire diocese.

"It does not seem appropriate for the antecedent liturgy to be celebrated in the place that should serve as an example for the liturgical life of the entire diocese" said the statement.

The Dicastery's Secretary, Bishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, signed the response.

Viola emphasised that "The Cathedral is the first place where the celebration of the liturgy must use the current liturgical books, which form the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite".

Lex orandi refers to what is prayed.

It is often used in conjunction with lex credendi which together translated from the Latin means: "the law of what is prayed [is] the law of what is believed".

It is also sometimes expanded as lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi, which again translated from the Latin means "the law of what is prayed [is] what is believed [is] the law of what is lived".

Congregation at St Patrick's Melbourne final old rite Latin Mass

Latin Mass restrictions

While the cathedral request was denied, the Vatican allowed the Traditional Latin Mass to be celebrated at Saint Michael and Saint Philip parishes in Melbourne for two years.

After this period, Comensoli must seek renewed permission from the Vatican to continue these services.

The Vatican suggested that a contemporary form of the Mass could be celebrated in Latin at the cathedral for the group favouring the Traditional Latin Mass, potentially using the same altar as the pre-conciliar form.

Archbishop Comensoli's request, made in June 2023, came in the wake of Pope Francis's 2021 Motu Proprio "Traditionis custodes" ("Guardians of the Tradition"). This publication restricted the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

The rules were further tightened in February 2023, mandating that bishops need the Holy See's permission to authorise such Masses in parish churches.

Sources

Katholisch

Zenit

The Australian

CathNews New Zealand

After what has been labelled as a significant address, discussion took place against the backdrop of the dicastery's annual plenary assembly.

The assembly focused on enhancing the liturgical formation for clergy and laity in line with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Pope's recent reflections.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Council's foundational document on the liturgy, which set the stage for sweeping reforms intended to make the Church's rituals more accessible and meaningful to the faithful worldwide.

Pope Francis used this occasion to reiterate that genuine reform of the Church is impossible without a reinvigoration of its liturgical life.

"Without liturgical reform, there is no reform of the Church" declared the Pope. He outlined a vision of a Church that engages actively with its people's spiritual and pastoral needs, bridges divisions among Christians and proclaims the Gospel with renewed vigour.

During the address, Francis spoke passionately about the importance of priests' fidelity and their relationship with the Church.

Keen to animate the Church's mission in the modern world, Francis urged the Dicastery for Divine Worship to proceed in close cooperation with other Vatican bodies, such as the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

In affirming the centrality of the liturgy to the life of the Church and as a way of encountering Christ, he says the Dicastery's focus is to ensure the liturgical life of the Church is vibrant and a unifying force for Catholics around the globe.

Liturgy and church life a single coherent unity

"At its most profound level, Sacrosanctum Concilium articulates a renewed understanding of the Church, where the liturgy of the church and the life of the baptised form a single coherent unity.

"Sacrosanctum Concilium was the first Constitution issued by the Council, not only because of the decades-long research that preceded it and the liturgical reforms of Pope St Pius X and Pope Pius XII but, most importantly, according to Pope Benedict XVI, because the liturgical life of the Church is central to the very existence of the Church.

"2,147 bishops at the Council overwhelmingly approved Sacrosanctum Concilium" Dr Joe Grayland told CathNews recently.

Source

• CNA
• CathNews

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has expressed a heightened vigilance over the potential for mystical or spiritual elements to be exploited for abusive ends.

Speaking to OSV News, Cardinal Fernández spoke of "false mysticism" and outlined the Vatican's initiative to study and implement measures to forewarn and halt spiritual abuse.

"Today we are more attentive than before to the possibility of mystical or spiritual elements being used to take advantage of people and even abuse them" the Cardinal told OSV News.

This announcement comes amidst a backdrop of several high-profile cases that have shed light on the distortion of the Catholic faith and its mystical tradition by abusers to manipulate and coerce victims into sexual acts.

One such case involves Father Marko Rupnik, a former Jesuit and renowned liturgical artist, whom multiple victims accused of using spiritual justification to facilitate abuse.

Similarly, Third Order Franciscan Father David Morrier, a former chaplain at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, faced allegations and subsequent legal action for sexual battery of a student under the guise of spiritual counselling and rites purportedly aimed at deliverance and exorcism.

The posthumous revelations concerning Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche communities and his mentor Dominican Father Thomas Philippe, further underscore the gravity of the issue.

An independent investigation commissioned by L'Arche International revealed that Vanier, Father Philippe and his brother Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, also a Dominican friar, manipulated spiritual beliefs to justify sexual abuse, invoking religious figures and concepts of divine union to coerce their victims.

These cases have prompted the Vatican's doctrinal office to take a proactive stance in preventing the exploitation of spirituality for abusive purposes.

By raising awareness and developing strategies to prevent such abuses, the Church aims to safeguard its followers from those who might pervert its teachings and rituals for nefarious ends.

Local interest

In late 2023, the Vatican responded to Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen's request for help dealing with unauthorised exorcisms and related spiritual abuse in the Diocese.

The retired bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin, has been tasked with conducting an Apostolic Visitation to investigate the allegations.

Following allegations of unauthorised exorcisms by the Latin Mass Trans-Alpine Redemptorists, Gielen suspended all exorcisms in the Christchurch diocese in August this year.

Yet despite the suspension order, Newshub alleges more unauthorised exorcisms and concerns about the wellbeing of young people have emerged.

Sources

• OSV
• CathNews

Sixty years hence, we can reflect on the impact of this document on New Zealand's theological landscape and liturgical practices.

Sacrosanctum Concilium is the cornerstone of Vatican II because it addresses more than just ritual adjustments to the 1962 rites.

At its most profound level, it articulates a renewed understanding of the Church, where the liturgy of the church and the life of the baptised form a single coherent unity.

Sacrosanctum Concilium was the first Constitution issued by the Council, not only because of the decades-long research that preceded it and the liturgical reforms of Pope St Pius X and Pope Pius XII but, most importantly, according to Pope Benedict XVI, because the liturgical life of the Church is central to the very existence of the Church.

2,147 bishops at the Council overwhelmingly approved Sacrosanctum Concilium.

Only four voted against the Church's cornerstone document and the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy was promulgated by Pope St Paul VI on December 4, 1963.

Historical Snapshot

The journey of implementation unfolded gradually in New Zealand.

The bishops, cognizant of the sweeping changes, decided not to alter liturgical practices until the publication of the first Instruction on February 5, 1964.

Throughout 1964, New Zealanders, were kept abreast of liturgical developments through publications like Tablet and Zealandia, while the bishops prepared to implement the Mass in English.

On May 16, 1964, the decree permitting the use of English and Maori (vernacular) in the Mass reached New Zealand, outlining its application in parish Masses, Religious community Masses, and special occasions such as requiem and nuptial Masses.

A circular letter from the New Zealand bishops, dated July 10, 1964, further authorised changes in the Mass and extended permission for English in sacraments and funeral rites.

The final form of the New Mass was introduced on the First Sunday of Advent, 1970.

Throughout the late 1960s, religious women had been very prominent in the liturgical changes.

At the same time, they were exploring their original charisms under the guidance of Perfectæ Caritatis, the Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life (28 October 1965).

In New Zealand's four dioceses, some diocesan priests gave practical leadership to the reforms, many of whom used French, German, and English sources.

Most of these priests were associated with the St Paul's group at the National Seminary, Holy Cross during the 1950s which had been foundered by Basil Meeking, later Bishop of Christchurch, one of New Zealand's greatest advocates for the new Order of Mass (Novus Ordo).

In Christchurch, Bishop Brian Ashby displayed a nuanced approach to reform and emphasised practical ecumenism.

He established two commissions for Liturgy and Music with Fr Basil Meeking, playing a central role.

Indeed, Meeking was sometimes too Avant guarde in his approach.

There is much anecdotal evidence of his parish church resounding to the sounds of modern music long before this practice became popular.

And much to the horror and bewilderment of the majority of parishioners there was also the sight of liturgical dance.

In Auckland, Auxiliary Bishop, Reginald Delargey, emerged as the one who seamlessly embraced the reforms of Vatican II.

Delargey's enthusiasm came from his involvement with the Catholic Action or Cardijn movement.

Lay Catholic involvement was strong during this period of reform, especially from those involved in Catholic Action and the Young Christian Worker Movements.

Delargy's emphasis on the lay apostolate in theology and liturgy set him apart from Archbishop Listen (Auckland), Cardinal McKeefry and Bishop Sneddon (Wellington), and Bishop Kavanagh (Dunedin).

The Clergy and Laity

Both clergy and laity faced challenges transitioning from a rigid ritual practice of worship to one where the liturgy itself was seen as the principal way the Church does its pastoral work.

In short, the advent of Pastoral Liturgy.

Priests, accustomed to meticulous liturgical manuals, grappled with adaptability and laity, used to non-participatory forms of worship now had to adapt to praying the Mass and the sacramental rites with the priest.

Celebrating the Mass to the people (missa cum populo) for the priests meant facing the congregation and for the congregants, it meant seeing the priest presiding.

Consequently, altars had to be repositioned and lecterns introduced because previously the priest had read the epistle and Gospel at the altar.

Using our vernacular languages (English and Maori) was not new, but it was different, and new texts for shared proclamation had to be written and learned.

Although the "Dialogue Mass" with bi-lingual missals in Latin and English had been introduced in 1939, and Maori congregations had participated in the Roman Canon's prayers for the dead, these changes to language, posture and inclusion were significant.

As an example, our language changed from "going to hear mass" on Sundays to "celebrating the liturgy", or "celebrating the Eucharist" on Sundays.

"Liturgy", became a new word that, also, unfortunately, covered a multitude of mistakes as well.

Contemporary Context

Since the Council the voices for the reinstatement of the 1962 Roman Missal and the rites before 1962 became more strident, creating the so-called "liturgical wars", which as Pope Francis wrote in Traditiones Custodes, has led to a division in the church through their rejection of the Second Vatican Council as the Church's highest teaching authority.

Given this division, Pope Francis, guided by the bishops of the Church, abrogated the pre-Vatican rites and reserved permission to use them to the Holy See.

He did this to preserve the unity of the Church, through the use of the liturgical rites promulgated by Saints Paul IV and John Paul II.

Pope Francis has also offered Bishops' Conferences the opportunity to adapt liturgical rites further to local culture, language, and use.

This allows for the revision of many prayers in the current 2010 translation, excluding the Eucharistic Prayer.

The biggest danger to the New Zealand Church at present is the loss of 60 years of work towards a Church that is pastorally focused through liturgical prayer and responsive to the Signs of the Times.

Without this, the "self-revealing God" of the Scriptures and Tradition is replaced with devotionalism.

Many parish communities are endangered by laity and clergy who disenfranchise local communities through clerical structures and mentalities that belong more to the past than they do to the present.

Marking 60 years of Sacrosanctum Concilium is an opportunity to consider what the New Zealand Church has been through, tell the story, and ask those joining the Church to respond to this history in positive and life-giving ways.

• Dr Joe Grayland is a Liturgical Theologian and is currently a visiting professor at the University of Tübingen (Germany). He has been a priest of the Diocese of Palmerston North for nearly thirty years. His latest book is: Catholics. Prayer, Belief and Diversity in a Secular Context (Te Hepara Pai, 2021).

He has again started off the month with a bang by naming Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández of La Plata (Argentina) as the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

Fernández, (pictured) who will be 61 in July, has been one of Francis' most trusted theological advisors and ghostwriters, going back to the days when the pope was still the cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires.

He closely collaborated with then-Cardinal Bergoglio in writing the final document at the 2007 conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) in Aparecida.

A former president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, "Tucho" - as he is familiarly called - is also understood to have been the principal author of Evangelii gaudium (the Joy of the Gospel), the apostolic exhortation that is the programmatic document of Francis' pontificate.

Traditionalists sure to be angry

Fernández replaces Cardinal Luis Ladaria, the 79-year-old Spanish Jesuit who has been prefect since 2017.

The Argentine theologian also becomes the president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and head of the International Theological Commission.

By bringing Fernández to Rome, the pope now has another key ally in one of the most important Vatican offices. This should greatly boost the 86-year-old Francis in helping clear internal opposition to his ecclesial reforms.

But the appointment of the new DDF prefect is also certain to infuriate Catholics who are not in agreement with the pope's vision of the Church.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in May 2015 Archbishop Fernández raised the ire of traditionalists when he said the People of God would not tolerate any attempts by a future pope to reverse the changes Francis has already brought to the Church.

Immediately afterwards, Sandro Magister, a veteran Italian journalist who has been one of the vaticanisti most critical of the current pontificate, belittled Fernández' qualifications as a serious theologian. He egregiously mocked him for stating - correctly, by the way - that the Roman Curia was not an "essential part of the Church's mission" and that "cardinals could disappear", too.

Magister claimed the archbishop had signed his own death warrant by taking on the curia and specifically for criticising Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who was still prefect of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It now seems ironic that it was exactly six years ago to the day from Fernández's appointment when Francis dropped another July bombshell by refusing to renew Müller for another five years as prefect.

The German, who was only 69 years old and still six years from retirement, has held no other post since Francis dismissed him in 2017.

"To promote and encourage, not to condemn"

In announcing Fernández's appointment, the Holy See Press Office released an unusually long curriculum vita for the new doctrinal chief.

And even more unusually, it published his full bibliography of books, essays and articles. In addition, it made public a personal letter Pope Francis wrote to his fellow Argentine, in which he urges the new DDF prefect to help promote the faith rather than condemn heresies.

"The dicastery over which you will preside used immoral methods in former times. They were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, it persecuted possible doctrinal errors," the pope says.

"What I expect from you is without a doubt something very different," the pope adds, in a letter that quotes Evangelii gaudium extensively.

Francis goes on to praise Fernández for his theological and pastoral experience, saying he's confident the new prefect is "very capable of bringing theological knowledge into dialogue with the life of the holy People of God".

While pointing out that the DDF also has the task dealing with the most serious clergy sex abuse cases, the pope says the main task of the doctrinal office is to "guard the faith" and "become an instrument of evangelization" that helps the Church "enter into conversation with the people of the world in a context that is unprecedented for the history of humanity".

"Hacer lío!": dropping bombshells

Francis urges the new DDF prefect to promote a theology that "convincingly" presents God as "the God who loves, who forgives, who saves, who liberates, who promotes people and summons them to fraternal service".

Pope Francis loves to tell young people: "Hacer lío!", a Spanish phrase that can mean anything from "shake things up" to "make a mess". And the appointment of Victor Manuel Fernández is certainly part of his own penchant for dropping bombshells in the month of July.

It all began in his first months as Bishop of Rome when - on July 1, 2013 - the Holy See Press Office announced he would be flying a week later down to Lampedusa.

Lampedusa is the island off of Sicily that had become emblematic of the unfolding crisis of African migrants and refugees, many who were perishing at sea in an attempt to reach Europe. The July 8th visit would set the tone for the rest of the pontificate.

But three days before leaving on that dramatic day trip, Francis did something else that shocked some Catholics but delighted many others.

He approved the canonization of John Paul II and the beatification of Alvaro de Portillo, the second prelate of Opus Dei.

Halting the Old Latin Mass

Who can forget the surprise announcement on July 4, 2021 that the Jesuit pope had been taken to Gemelli Hospital and that same Sunday afternoon underwent the first of now two abdominal surgeries?

But the real bombshell came a week after he returned from his hospitalization. That's when released his "motu proprio" Traditionis custodes. This effectively overturned Summorum Pontificum, the "motu proprio" Benedict XVI issued in 2007 to allow for an unfettered celebration and promotion of pre-Vatican II Mass.

The following year - on July 13, 2022 - Francis dropped another bombshell by appointing three women to be members - members, not mere consultants - of one of the most important Vatican offices, the Dicastery for Bishops. This was the second shock in as many years for Catholic traditionalists.

Sacking two cardinals

On July 27, 2018 the Vatican announced that the pope had accepted Theodore McCarrick's resignation from the College of Cardinals.

Francis actually forced McCarrick to resign after the former archbishop of Washington had been credibly accused of sexually abusing adolescents and seminarians. The pope also forced him out of active ministry and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penance. McCarrick was eventually removed from the clerical state altogether.

And, of course, there was the previously-mentioned announcement on July 1, 2017 that Francis had decided Cardinal Gerhard Müller would not be extended as the Vatican's doctrinal chief.

It could not be foreseen back then that Francis would eventually give the post to his Argentine friend and theological aide. Yes, this is certainly another bombshell. But don't think for even one moment that it will be the last.

• Robert Mickens is the La Croix International Editor. Each week he publishes the Letter from Rome, unravelling the issues and policies that are alive in the Vatican and within the Church.
• First published in La Croix International. Republished with permission.

Then all will be right with the Catholic world...

Obviously, I'm just caricaturing.

But this was the tenor of some of the comments that began circulating after the success of the traditionalist Chartres Pilgrimage over Pentecost weekend and the publication of La Croix's survey of young Catholics going to World Youth Day, who indicated enthusiasm for more classical forms of their religion.

The truth is, for the past 25 years we've been hearing the same thing, and in almost the same words...

One generation, the "conciliarists" or the famous "Vatican II generation", has failed to maintain Catholicism at its current level.

And so we need to return to more traditional celebrations, even in Latin, and to a more interior, less "social" practice of the Catholic faith.

Movements encouraged under the pontificate of John Paul II

Between 1990 and 2000, this same Vatican II generation was already being pitted against what was then seen as the "future" of the Church in France - groups such as the Saint-Jean Community and the Community Beatitudes, which were more traditional in their dress, theology, and liturgical practices.

It is not a matter of criticizing these movements today.

But they were presented as the solution at one time, and now we must admit that they were no more so than other groups.

In some cases, they have even been painfully called into question because of their abusive behaviour.

Meanwhile, Catholics of the Vatican II generation - those "conciliarists" who are accused of being the source of all evils - are mostly past retirement age.

Most of them have already died, while those still alive have not been at the helm of the Church for a quarter of a century.

So, if we really must point the finger at someone, we need to be consistent and say it's "the fault" of all these movements born with John Paul II.

An anthropological rupture

Except that doesn't make any sense at all!

It's really nobody's "fault"... or at least, not in that way.

The obsession to blame one segment of the Catholic Church - and let's face it, over the last thirty years, the conciliarists have taken their share of it - is the best way of refusing to see the problem.

The Church should welcome those Catholics who have a rather traditional outlook and remain faithful to regular religious practice.

But we must admit that they do not represent the French population as a whole, and realize that French Catholicism is in danger of becoming a "monocolored" minority.

The culprit, if there is one, is the considerable anthropological rupture we experienced from the 1950s onward, which completely overturned our relationship with the Divine, the human body and the institutions.

The model of an ecclesial institution focused solely on liturgical celebrations on Sundays and the major moments in life (birth, marriage, death) no longer holds up in our secularized society.

Or, it can only attract a small part of the population.

The vast majority of young people - and the not-so-young for that matter - don't fit in anymore.

This does not mean that it isn't important for Christianity to still find a means of expression, of transmission, and that the Gospel continues to be read and prayed.

On the contrary!

But without a doubt, we need to accept other ways of praying, gathering, coming together and getting involved.

Rather than embroiling ourselves in mutual and sterile accusations, we need to be creative - as Benedict XVI theorised - and dare to be different, diverse, without a single model, putting aside labels such as "reactionary" or "progressive" Catholics.

Because what is at issue here? Having a Church that "works" well or one whose members are collectively more faithful to the Gospel?

• Isabelle de Gaulmyn is a senior editor at La Croix and a former Vatican correspondent.

That Scripture verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes (1:19) comes to mind as I reflect on the agitation expressed by some in the church and the media over the Holy Father's motu proprio "Traditionis Custodes" and the recent confirmation given in the "Rescriptum ex Audientia"released by Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.

Let us remember that in those Roman documents, the successor of Peter, who is the guarantor of unity in the church, called bishops to assist all Roman Catholics to accept fully that the liturgical books promulgated by St Paul VI and St John Paul II are the unique expression of the lex orandi (the law of praying) of the Roman Rite.

The fact that the Holy Father had to do this 60 years after the Second Vatican Council saddens but does not surprise me.

Over my 50 years as a priest and 25 as a bishop, I have seen pockets of resistance to the council's teachings and reforms, especially the refusal to accept the restoration of the liturgy.

In fact, St John Paul II challenged this resistance head on in his apostolic letter on the 25th anniversary of Vatican II's "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ("Sacrosanctum Concilium") on Dec. 4, 1988.

There he wrote:

It must be recognized that the application of the liturgical reform has met with difficulties due especially to...a tendency to see religious practice as something of a private affair, by a certain rejection of institutions, by a decrease in the visibility of the Church in society, and by a calling into question of personal faith.

It can also be supposed that the transition from simply being present, very often in a rather passive and silent way, to a fuller and more active participation has been for some people too demanding.

Different and even contradictory reactions to the reform have resulted from this.

Some have received the new books with a certain indifference or without trying to understand or help others to understand the reasons for the changes; others, unfortunately, have turned back in a one-sided and exclusive way to the previous liturgical forms, which some of them consider to be the sole guarantee of certainty in faith.

Yes, he admits, some outlandish innovations harmed the unity of the church and offended the piety of the faithful.

But, he added, "This should not lead anyone to forget that the vast majority of the pastors and the Christian people have accepted the liturgical reform in a spirit of obedience and indeed joyful fervour."

And then he wrote something that all Catholics, especially leaders in the church, should take to heart: "We should give thanks to God for that movement of the Holy Spirit in the Church which the liturgical renewal represents."

My point is simply this: Like St. John Paul II, Pope Francis takes seriously that the restoration of the liturgy was the result of the movement of the Holy Spirit.

It was not about the imposition of an ideology on the church by any one person or group.

And so no one should now suggest that Pope Francis (or, for that matter, Cardinal Roche) has any motivation in issuing "Traditionis Custodes" and authorizing the "Rescriptum" other than the desire to remain faithful to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that gave rise to the teachings and reforms of the council.

There is another thing the late, saintly pope wrote in his 1988 letter that we bishops should take seriously.

After listing the many reasons for holding fast to the teachings of the "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" and to the reforms it made possible, he quoted from the final report of the extraordinary synod of 1985:

"The liturgical renewal is the most visible fruit of the whole work of the Council."

"For many people the message of the Second Vatican Council has been experienced principally through the liturgical reform." Continue reading

Francis reimposed restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass that Benedict had relaxed in 2007. Francis said he was doing so because Benedict's reform had become a source of division in the Roman Catholic Church and used as a tool by Catholics opposed to the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 event that led to wide reforms across the global church.

Critics said they had never before witnessed a pope so thoroughly reversing his predecessor. Continue reading

The clarifications, published Dec. 18, ban priestly ordinations and confirmations in the old rite and limit the frequency in which priests who receive a dispensation to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass can do so.

The Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments released the responses to 11 questions (or dubia) prompted by Francis' July 16 decree, Traditionis Custodes, which limited the use of the traditional Latin Mass.

The responses, which are addressed to the presidents of Catholic bishops' conferences around the world, were approved by the pope during a meeting with the head of the Vatican's liturgy office, Archbishop Arthur Roche, on Nov. 18.

Roche, in an introduction to the new text, said that each norm has the "sole purpose of preserving the gift of ecclesial communion" with the pope.

In explaining his original decision to reimpose restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass earlier this year, Francis lamented that it had become a source of division in the church.

Since then, the decree has become a lightning rod for a vocal minority group of Catholics who still favour the traditional Latin Mass, many of whom also have expressed skepticism or even outright rejection of the reforms of Vatican II and of the legitimacy of Francis.

Among the reforms of Vatican II was the approval of the translation of the liturgy into the vernacular, in an effort to make the Mass more accessible and involve greater participation of the laity. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI relaxed restrictions on the Latin Mass in an effort to foster greater unity with breakaway Catholic groups.

In an interview last month, Roche said that after years of trying to offer concessions, such as through the continued use of the old Mass, those efforts have "not entirely been successful" and it is time to "go back" to the principles of the Second Vatican Council. Continue reading

Santamaría says that he has temporarily been sent to his sister's home and that the diocese will send him to a retreat house/clinic that will provide him, "spiritual, psychological and medical attention, at least according to the website of this place." Read mor

A quasi-parish is the equivalent of a parish under canon law, with some exceptions. It can later become a parish at the discretion of the local bishop.

"In response to a growing interest, it has become timely to provide additional pastoral care for those wishing to participate in Divine Worship in the Extraordinary Form," Chaput says.

The archbishop made his decision after consulting with local pastors, local priests who celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, and the archdiocese's Council of Priests.

From 1 August, the former St Mary parish in Conshohocken (which has been merged with another parish) will be handed to the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP).

The FSSP is an international fraternity of priests who celebrate exclusively according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (sometimes known as the traditional or Tridentine Latin Mass).

"While it remains to be seen if this community will flourish so as to become a [permanent] parish, the establishment of a quasi-parish to provide this spiritual care appears to be most fitting at this time," he added.

This year, the Vatican allowed the FSSP to celebrate Holy Week liturgy according to the pre-1955 rubrics.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Catholic Herald
• Image: Exultate lusti in Domino

Bishop Mark O'Toole of Plymouth told Mass of Ages magazine he would like to "establish a regularity of provision and systematised provision" of the Mass.

"I don't like the idea of someone just going round and saying Mass here, there and everywhere," Bishop O'Toole said.

"It's much better to have some consistent provision," he said, according to a report in the Catholic Herald.

That includes not just "making provision for the celebration of Mass".

"There is also the question of how you pastorally accompany the people who come to it - the priestly support in terms of catechesis and support and advice."

He added that he wants to create a centre for traditional liturgy.

This already exists at Lanherne, in the west of his sprawling diocese, but he wants more to be done.

"If we had something around Exeter, the east Devon part of the diocese, that would help," he said.

And if people go to there instead of their own parish church, he does not see this as a problem.

"If there is regular provision, then that will become their parish," he said.

"People travel anyway."

Bishop O'Toole has been meeting with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter about the provision of the extraordinary form.

The bishop said he is "open" to the FSSP "manning a parish in the diocese".

Bishop O'Toole described tensions between groups of laity over the form of the liturgy as "unfortunate".

He said openness needs to run both ways.

"As long as people recognise that it is a way to holiness, not the only way . . . you can't be exclusive. That's the attitude that people object to."

Sources

• Catholic Herald
• Latin Mass Society
• Image: Plymouth Herald

The September 2015 event for the Society, who promotes the traditional Latin Mass, will be a silent retreat involving

• daily traditional Latin Mass,
• exposition of the blessed sacrament,
• rosaries,
• litanies,
• confessions and
• a visit to Sisters of Compassion founder, Mother Mary Aubert's grave.

The Ecclesia Dei Society is exhorting its members to attend.

In December last year, the Lord Bishop gave excellent talks on Sanctifying Grace, sin, and God's love, the Society says on its website.

The Society promises a full programme shortly.

Source: Ecclesia Dei

The Requiem Mass in the traditional form will be at St Catherine's Church in Leyland, Lancashire, on March 26, the day when King Richard's remains will be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral.

It will be a Sung High Latin Mass with singers from the Laeta Cantoribus Choir, "in the style and manner of (Richard III's) day".

"The idea is that it will be closer to what he might have experienced in his own lifetime, as a pre-reformation Catholic," said St Catherine's parish priest Fr Simon Henry.

After the service, refreshments will be served, also in keeping with what King Richard might have expected in his lifetime.

Continue reading

Fr Jeremy Palman was ordained by Bishop Patrick Dunn at St Patricks' Cathedral on August 9, and the new priest offered a thanksgiving Mass in the ordinary form at Te Atatu the next day.

On August 12, two days later, Fr Palman celebrated his "first traditional Latin Mass" at Holy Family Parish, Te Atatu.

This is believed to have been a "High Mass" of the extraordinary form (EF).

Some 500 people were present, said Fr Peter Janssen, SM, who was a "priest in choir" at the liturgy.

"It was beautifully sung. The music was just right, the music serving the liturgy," he said.

Young New Zealand priests had significant parts, with Fr Gerard Boyce of Hamilton being sub-deacon and Fr Nicholas Dillon (on loan from Dunedin diocese and ministering in Melbourne) being the deacon and homilist.

Some New Zealand seminarians were acolyte, torchbearer and thurifer at the liturgy.

Fr Janssen, who lectures seminarians and others at Good Shepherd College in Auckland, said there is interest among his students in the extraordinary form liturgy.

Fr Janssen celebrated an EF Mass at Good Shepherd, as part of a liturgy class, a couple of years ago.

This followed an EF Mass celebrated at the theologate by Fr John Rizzo, FSSP, in 2009.

Under Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, priests can celebrate extraordinary form Masses without a congregation, according to the 1962 Missal, without permission from their bishop or Rome, except during the Easter Triduum.

Such Masses may "be attended also by members of the lay faithful who spontaneously request to do so, with respect for the requirements of law".

Fr Janssen said the community of people in Auckland with devotion to the extraordinary form Mass is not large in percentage terms.

"But in terms of the intensity with which it is experienced and felt, it is significant," he said.

These people wish to be in "unambiguous communion" with the Church, he said.

Fr Janssen celebrates EF Masses at Mt St Mary's in Titirangi on Saturday nights, Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Some other priests help him when he can't be there.

Fr Palman will be assistant priest at Papakura in south Auckland.

According to the seminary website, he is an Aucklander who was born in Twizel and spent some time in religious life in the 1990s.

Auckland diocese did not want to comment for this article.

Sources

• Summorum Pontificum
• Fr Peter Janssen, SM
• Fr Palman's First Traditional Latin Mass booklet
• Holy Family Parish Te Atatu
• Holy Cross Seminary
• Papakura Catholic
• St Patrick's Cathedral Facebook
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Supplied

Gary Michael Moran, 54, who had only been out of jail for six weeks, has been arrested following the shooting of Fr Kenneth Walker, FSSP, and the beating of Fr Joseph Terra.

Police say Fr Terra went to investigate noises in a yard, and was hit with an iron rod.

Fr Terra went to retrieve his .357 calibre gun, but couldn't fire it because of an injured finger.

The gun was taken by Moran, who shot Fr Walker who had came out of his room to see what was happening.

Fr Walker, 28, later died of his wounds.

Moran has a history of violence and drug abuse.

Continue reading