Bishops who void Summorum Pontificum: Do not allow yourselves to be used as INSTRUMENTS OF THE DEVIL

There are several statements from bishop's conferences and individual bishops giving their own interpretation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum that are very restrictive to the point of voiding the Holy Father's motu proprio. Read on what Archbishop Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline, has to say:

[From Fr.Z's wdtprs.com]

A kind reader sent me this fascinating excerpt from a talk given by His Excellency Most Rev. Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.

the talk was entitled “Faith, Obedience and Theology” and was delivered at the annual meeting of the Dutch Latin Liturgy Association (Vereniging voor Latijnse Liturgie) in ’s-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) on 6 October 2007.

He gave the talk in English, but the person who sent it to me translated it from Dutch. So, it probably varies a little from the original English, which perhaps someone out there can dig up for us.

Read this, with my emphases.

“The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on the Latin Liturgy of July 7th 2007 is the fruit of a deep reflection by our Pope on the mission of the Church. It is not up to us, who wear ecclesiastical purple and red, to draw this into question, to be disobedient and make the motu proprio void by our own little, tittle rules. Even not if they were made by a bishops conference. Even bishops do not have this right. What the Holy Fathers says, has to be obeyed in the Church. If we do not follow this principle, we will allow ourselves to be used as instruments of the devil, and nobody else. This will lead to discord in the Church, and slows down her mission. We do not have the time to waste on this. Else we behave like emperor Nero, fiddling on his violin while Rome was burning. The churches are emptying, there are no vocations, the seminaries are empty. Priests become older and older, and young priests are scarce.”

NB: His Excellency has made a connection between Pope Benedict’s decision to promulgate Summorum Pontificum and a remedy for ills in the Church, namely, empty churches and empty seminaries.

Thus, this the Pope’s provisions are willed by God, for they comes from Peter as something for the good of the Church. They seek the defend the Church and build her up at critical points of attack by the devil, namely, what happens in a church (worship of God and sanctification through the sacraments, especially Holy Mass) and what happens in a seminary (men are formed to be alter Christus).

Thus, anyone who resists the provisions of the Motu Proprio, aimed at healing these problems of the Church, actually aids the Enemy of the soul and becomes the devil’s pawns.


We don’t have time to waste.

CBCP's response to the Motu Proprio

From the CBCP Website:

CBCP welcomes Pope’s Letter on Latin Mass

MANILA, 09 July 2007— “We fully welcome with respect and appreciation the recent Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI on the “Tridentine” Mass. It clarifies for us the status of the Tridentine Mass in the Latin language,” said CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo in a statement released today.

Pope Benedict XVI issued Saturday a motu proprio Pastoral Letter entitled “Summorum Pontificum" saying that Tridentine Mass approved by Pope John XXII in 1962 “continues to be permissible as an extraordinary form” of celebrating the Mass.

In the same statement, Lagdameo said that the mass being practiced today by Catholics throughout the world is the “new mass” which was introduced after the Second Vatican Council and approved by Pope Paul VI in 1970, which has become the ordinary form of the mass and more popular among the people because it allows the use of some approved adaptations, including the use of popular languages and dialects.

Supporting the Pope’ Pastoral Letter, Lagdameo stressed that the Tridentine mass has never been forbidden and abrogated but should be celebrated by priests of the Latin Rite only in private masses, in conventual or community celebrations, or in parishes when requested by the faithful but under the guidance of the local bishop.

Lagdameo further said that permission by Pope Benedict to celebrate the Tridentine mass is given on condition that it should follow the formula of the Council of Trent.

But news priests, he said, will require formation before celebrating the Latin mass. (Roy Lagarde)

Disinformation Campaign against the Traditional Mass

[This post has been recently updated]

Now that the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum has been made public, the disinformation campaign will start. One of the most subtle poisons being disseminated is that the priest faces away from the congregation. How often does one read this in the newspapers or from other sources? It is being spread and constantly repeated as if to brainwash the people.

No. That is an illogical perspective.

The logical perspective is this: he does so, so that he would face, with that same congregation, the Lord on the cross and lead them to prayer.

Would you rather let the priest turn his back against the Lord so that he could turn to you instead? I hope we'd rather let the priest face the Lord and give the Lord reverence due Him.

Summorum Pontificum

The much awaited document from the Holy Father has been made public. For quite sometime, every single bit of news was just rumors, now, all is real. Will we have more Classical Mass in Manila? Hopefully. For those who are still curious what the Classical or what is popularly known as the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass is all about, we should let them know where they can find one, in a small and humble parish church in Sikatuna Village, Cubao, The Lord of the Divine Mercy, the Classical Rite is celebrated once every Sundays at 1:30pm.