Il Giornale: interviews Card. Castrillón Hoyos

The Italian daily Il Giornale scored an interview with the President of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".  This Commission will figure big in the implementation of Summorum Pontificum.

There is nothing terribly interesting or new in most of the interview.  The questions run along the predictable, as do the responses, though they are worded more strongly some we have seen.

This is a good reminder, however.  After the Cardinal is asked, probably for the zillionth time, about the prayer about the conversion of the Jews on Good Friday, we get:

Still, there are groups that are now reprinting old missals having precisely that text…

It would be better if there weren’t confusion about this point.  The only authorized Missal, also the the celebration of the Easter Triduum, which will be able to be one in parishes, is that of 1962.

Two things about that. 

First, as the Cardinal says, only the 1962 Missal is to be used.  That means following the 1962 rubrics.  That means no Second Confiteor and various other points.  However, there are those who say the old Mass but are doing things from before the 1962 Missal.

Second, the Cardinal states that the Triduum can be done in parishes.  There are reports going around that the older use of Mass won’t be possible at all during the Triduum.  That is not accurate.  When it is a case of the older and new uses being celebrated in the same place, during the Triduum the older extraordinary use will have to give way to the newer ordinary use.  Otherwise, in places where the older use is exclusive, as in a parish or oratory set up by a bishop soley for the extraordinary use of the Roman Rite, there will be no problem to use the 1962 Missale for the Triduum.  But it has to be the 1962 Missale: it is illicit even now to use the Triduum ceremonies from before Pius XII’s reform in 1955.


n. 160 del 2007-07-08 pagina 15

«Decisione che spalanca le porte al ritorno dei fedeli lefebvriani»
di Redazione

da Roma

È il cardinale che ha tessuto pazientemente le trattative con i lefebvriani e ha seguito i gruppi tradizionalisti. Darío Castrillón Hoyos, presidente della commissione «Ecclesia Dei» è il più stretto collaboratore di Benedetto XVI su questi temi.

Che significato ha la decisione del Papa?

«La lettera del Pontefice è chiara. È una decisione che scaturisce dal cuore e dall’intelligenza di un Papa che ama e conosce bene la liturgia. Vuole che si conservi il patrimonio rappresentato dalla liturgia antica, senza che questo significhi alcuna contrapposizione con la nuova Messa. A Roma sono arrivate migliaia di lettere da parte di chi chiedeva la libertà di poter partecipare al vecchio rito».

C’è chi ha detto che così Ratzinger «sbeffeggia» il Concilio…

«In nessun modo e con nessuna espressione Benedetto XVI è andato o va in una direzione diversa da quella indicata dal Concilio. La nuova Messa continua ad essere il rito romano ordinario. Nel Motu proprio e nella lettera papale non c’è nulla che segni un seppur minimo distacco dal Concilio. Forse vale la pena ricordare che il Vaticano II non ha proibito l’antica Messa, che è stata celebrata dai padri conciliari durante le assise. Nessuno sbeffeggio, nessuno schiaffo. È un venire incontro alle esigenze di gruppi di fedeli, un atto di liberalità».

È un atto di continuità o di rottura rispetto ai pontificati di Montini e Wojtyla?

«Non c’è contrapposizione. Paolo VI concesse subito dopo l’entrata in vigore del nuovo messale la possibilità di celebrare col vecchio rito e Papa Wojtyla intendeva preparare un Motu proprio simile a quello ora promulgato».

L’autorità del vescovo viene minata?

«Chi l’ha sostenuto, l’ha fatto sulla base di un preconcetto perché il ruolo del vescovo è assicurato, il diritto canonico non cambia. Spetta al pastore della diocesi coordinare la liturgia, in armonia con l’ordinatore supremo del culto divino, che è il Papa. In caso di problemi, il vescovo interverrà, sempre in consonanza con le disposizioni stabilite dal Motu proprio. Sono certo che la sensibilità pastorale dei vescovi troverà la strada per favorire l’unità della Chiesa, aiutando ad evitare uno scisma».

Come la mettiamo con la preghiera del Venerdì Santo dedicata agli ebrei?

«Il messale autorizzato è quello del 1962, promulgato da Giovanni XXIII, nel quale le espressioni “perfidis judaeis” e “judaica perfidia” erano già state cancellate».

Eppure ci sono gruppi che ora ripubblicano vecchi messali contenenti proprio quei testi…

«Sarebbe bene che non ci fosse confusione in merito. L’unico messale autorizzato, anche per la celebrazione del Triduo pasquale, che potrà essere fatta nelle parrocchie, è quello del 1962».

Prevede difficoltà?

«Non conosco, nella storia della Chiesa, alcun momento in cui si sono prese decisioni importanti senza difficoltà. Ma auspico vivamente che possano essere affrontate e superate, con l’approccio suggerito dal Papa nella sua lettera».

Dopo questa decisione la fine della rottura con i lefebvriani è più vicina?

«Con questo Motu proprio si spalanca la porta per un ritorno alla piena comunione della Fraternità San Pio X. Se dopo questo atto non avviene questo ritorno, davvero non lo saprei capire. Vorrei però precisare che il documento papale non è stato fatto per i lefebvriani, ma perché il Papa è convinto della necessità di sottolineare che c’è una continuità nella tradizione e che nella Chiesa non si procede per fratture. L’antica Messa non è stata mai abolita né proibita».

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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13 Comments

  1. Treat says:

    I had been told that the ICR had permission for the pre ’55 Holy Week rites, but had never seen anything in writing. Can someone fill me in?

  2. bknotts says:

    On this point, there is something I don’t quite understand.

    The Holy Father makes it clear that the 1962 and 1970 Missals are not two separate rites, but different forms of one rite. He points out that the ancient form was never actually abrogated. Were previous Missals actually abrogated? If so, was this done formally, but wasn’t done in 1970?

    I guess what I’m asking is if the mere promulgation of the 1970 Missal did not abrogate the previous form, why would that be the case for older Missals?

  3. RichR says:

    great. now I need to get a baronius missal. my 1956 missals will just confuse me.

    oh well. I know my money is going to a good company: baronius press.

  4. Augustine says:

    Good question, Treat. I would like to know myself.

    Father Z., you said that the pre-1955 ceremonies are illicit. What does that mean for someone attending those ceremonies?

  5. Augustine: It will mean they have been to something illicit. That’s about it. Nothing more.

  6. Michael says:

    Fr. Z.,
    Don’t several FSSP and ICK parishes use elements of the pre-1955 Missal? I know I’ve seen pictures of Palm Sunday processions with accolytes knocking on the door of the Church, which isn’t contained in the 1962 OR 1955 Missal.

  7. Michael: We all have permission to use the 1962 Missale, not another.

  8. Fred C. says:

    Many kudos to you for using the phrase “scored an interview” in reference to a Cardinal :D

  9. Gibbons Burke says:

    Article Six of the S.P. says: “In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people in accordance with the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, the readings may be given in the vernacular, using editions recognized by the Apostolic See.”

    I haven’t seen any commentary on this fact but as a lay Catholic (born in 1962) who has attended three Latin masses in the last two years, it would seem to be a welcome innovation in the Rite. I enjoyed the celebration in Latin, but found myself wishing that the readings were in the vernacular so that my understanding of the priest’s homily, if based on the readings would be made easier.

    Is Article 6 something new or is Benedict ratifying (no pun intended) current conventions for celebrating the Latin form of the mass?

  10. Jordan Potter says:

    Is Article 6 something new or is Benedict ratifying (no pun intended) current conventions for celebrating the Latin form of the mass?

    It’s new in that this was a question that had not been settled. Before Vatican II, in some parts of the world there was an indult that permitted the readings to be in the vernacular, but the rule was that even the readings were to be in Latin. Under John Paul II’s indult allowing Tridentine Masses, many times the readings were in Latin and other times they were said in the vernacular, and it wasn’t clear what the rule ought to be. Now that question is settled. (In my own limited experience of the Tridentine Mass, the readings — and of course the homily — were in English.)

  11. Petra says:

    @Gibbons:
    At the FSSP Masses here in Vienna, Austria, the readings are always read in both languages – first “ad Deum” in Latin and then “ad populum” in German. (The homily is in German of course.) I read on the internet that other indult communities do this as well.

  12. John says:

    “Still, there are groups that are now reprinting old missals having precisely that text…”

    Do you laugh or cry?

    The reason “there are groups that are now reprinting old missals having precisely that text” is that the “old missals” are the only ones out of copyright. The kindly publishers and religious orders holding the copyright on the newer – i.e., 1962 — editions refused to allow reprints for any price. So the older, out-of-copyright missals were reprinted so those attending the indult Masses would have a missal. And since in 99.something% of the indult situations in this country only Sunday Masses are allowed (up until last Saturday anyway) the text of the Holy Week triduum is of no practical import.

    It’s a wonderful world.

    Cheers,

    -John-

  13. John says:

    “Still, there are groups that are now reprinting old missals having precisely that text…”

    Do you laugh or cry?

    The reason “there are groups that are now reprinting old missals having precisely that text” is that the “old missals” are the only ones out of copyright. The kindly publishers and religious orders holding the copyright on the newer – i.e., 1962 — editions refused to allow reprints for any price. So the older, out-of-copyright missals were reprinted so those attending the indult Masses would have a missal. And since in 99.something% of the indult situations in this country only Sunday Masses are allowed (up until last Saturday anyway) the text of the Holy Week triduum is of no practical import.

    It’s a wonderful world.

    Cheers,

    -John-

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