What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

Everyone: I slowed down for a few days, as I am sure some of you noticed.  I had important house guests, including my mother, here at the Sabine Farm.  I had some problems sleeping.  There has been a lot to write lately, for things other than this blog, that is!  I frankly got a little burned out.

On 12 September I will be heading out of the USA to that sceptr’d isle, that green and pleasant land, England and also to my stomping ground Rome for a few days.  Back to the USA on 26 September.  I am not sure what sort of connectivity I will have in the UK.  I am confident that I will be able to get on line.  I am not sure how much time I will have to write lots of posts. 

A few more of you have sent donations via the donation button on the left side bar.  Thanks!   A few days back I brought a list of recent donors with me to the altar and remembered you at the Memento of the Living.  Please know that the donations have taken care of a few important things and given me some elbow room.  I am grateful.

I appreciate enormously the participation of so many of you readers.  I know many of you with blogs are linking here.  Many of you post comments.  Over time I have also noted that people are being pretty good to each other, all in all, sticking to issues and not attacks on people.  That is very gratifying.

I have been receiving and listening to your voicemails, left through Skype (wdtprs).  Thank you for these interesting messages!  I will surely want to include some of them in PODCAzTs when and if I get back to them.  One fellow from my native place mentioned that those little projects made buying an iPod worth it.  Thanks for that.

That leads me to another point: I know that the feed for iTunes seems not to be working quite right. I don’t understand precisely why.  I have never been able to get it right.  Usually, when I post new ones, they appear in iTunes for me and I have no problem with them.  Other people say they don’t see them.  Someday I will figure this out.

Anyway that’s the latest.

The Bishop of Arlington, Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, has made a statement on the Motu Proprio in the The Catholic Herald.

My emphases and comments.

  On the 1962 Latin Mass

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 9/13/07)

The following letter from Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde is addressed to all priests of the diocese [Okay… he is talking to priets and letting other listen in.] and shared here with the lay faithful.

Sept. 13, 2007

Dear Brother Priests,
As you well know, on July 7, 2007, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, promulgated an Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio entitled Summorum Pontificum (The Care of the Supreme Pontiffs for Divine Worship): On the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970. In this Apostolic Letter, the Holy Father decrees that the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite encompasses two forms: the ordinary form, as contained in the Missale Romanum (the Roman Missal) of Pope Paul VI, promulgated in 1970; and an extraordinary form, as contained in the Missale Romanum first promulgated by Pope Saint Pius V following the Council of Trent and which, after several revisions under subsequent popes, was promulgated again in 1962 by Blessed John XXIII.

In Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that the Mass celebrated according to the Missal of Paul VI (the Novus Ordo Missae) remains the ordinary [probably in the sense of "usual"] expression of the Church’s law of prayer (lex orandi), while the Mass celebrated according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII is to be regarded as the extraordinary expression of the law of prayer and should enjoy due honor “on account of its venerable and ancient use” (Summorum Pontificum, art. 1). Thus, these two forms are “two uses of the one Roman Rite.”

Before reflecting further on this Apostolic Letter and its implications for us, in light of my authority and responsibility as the moderator [It’s like they follow a template.] of the liturgy in this diocesan church (cf. Sancrosanctum Concilium, 22), I want to underscore, as both a reminder and an exhortation, that the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, whether in the ordinary or in the extraordinary form, be marked by a profound reverence for the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in our midst. [This is very good.] As our Holy Father states, the Church of Christ should “offer worthy worship to the Divine Majesty ‘for the praise and glory of his name’ and ‘for the good of all his Holy Church’” (Summorum Pontificum, paragraph 1).

In his “Letter to Bishops Accompanying Summorum Pontificum,” Pope Benedict notes the pastoral value, riches and holiness of the normal form — the forma ordinaria — of the Eucharistic Liturgy. “It is clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful” (Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum). [which is not a juridical document.] Therefore, the Holy Father reminds us, “The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and theological depth of this Missal” (Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum).

Even as Pope Benedict XVI clearly envisions that the ordinary form — the Missal of Paul VI — will continue to be widely celebrated, he acknowledges that “in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal”(Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum). Moreover, the Pope also makes clear that “not a few of the faithful, including many young persons, have found in the Mass celebrated according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII — the extraordinary form — a prayerful and spiritually uplifting encounter with the Lord, one that is nourished by the rules of the Church’s tradition. For this reason, as well as seeking to attain “an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church” (Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum) with those for whom, sadly, the liturgy has become a source of division, Pope Benedict has decreed that the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite may be celebrated according to the conditions established in Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. [Right.] I invite you to read attentively the text of Summorum Pontificum, not only to understand the conditions the Holy Father sets forth, but also his underlying vision of aiding the entire Church to progress in unity and organic continuity with the heritage of our liturgical tradition. [This is very good.  I am noticing that more bishops are starting to talk about the MP in terms of Benedict’s larger vision.  This is very good.] In our Holy Father’s words, “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too. … It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place” (Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum).

Since 1969, priests have been trained in the seminary for the proper celebration of the Mass in accord with the Missal of Paul VI. In his “Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum,” the Holy Father referenced the need for “a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language” in order that the Mass celebrated according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII be carried out worthily and well. When permission was given in the spring of 2006 for the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal in two of our parishes (Saint Lawrence, Alexandria, and Saint John the Baptist, Front Royal), I appointed several priests to celebrate that form of the Mass with the request that they be sufficiently prepared. [This was reasonable.] Other priests may have also received training in the past. In keeping with the spirit of our Holy Father’s desire that the Mass in its extraordinary form be celebrated “worthily and well,” I request that priests send me a letter outlining the manner of their preparation prior to celebrating the Mass in its extraordinary form. [hmmm… this is not really required by the Motu Proprio, is it.  On the other hand, if it is just for the bishop’s opportune knowledge of who can do what, then it could be useful.  At the same time, the MP says all priests of the world have the right to use the older book at least in private.  Here the principle fabricando fabri fimus kicks into play.] In this way, I and our faithful will be assured that priests are capable of celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass in a fitting and deserving manner. Moreover, I have asked our Office of Sacred Liturgy to arrange opportunities for training [This is very good.] in the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and the celebration of the sacraments according to the older ritual. Such training is intended to assist you in responding with generosity [nicely phrased] to the requests of the faithful and in serving their pastoral and spiritual needs. Further details will be communicated to you when such arrangements have been finalized.

Several of our pastors have received requests from their parishes to celebrate publicly the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (cf. Summorum Pontificum, art. 5, §1). I ask that pastors inform the Office of Sacred Liturgy of their decision to celebrate publicly the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. [Exactly right.  The pastor, the parish priest, makes the decision and let’s the chancery know for their opportune knowledge.  Very good.]  An updated list may then be maintained and will also be posted on the diocesan web site in order that the faithful may know in what parishes public celebrations of the extraordinary form occur.

May the two expressions of the law of prayer (lex orandi) bring about a renewal in our love and reverence for the liturgy!

Faithfully in Christ
Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington

All in all, a very good letter.  He makes some excellent points, especially about Pope Benedict’s vision for the Church through liturgy. 

Get this...

English missal expected in 2009


The Vatican’s Vox Clara Committee has announced that the new English translation of the Roman missal is expected to be ready by the end of 2009.

This follows a meeting in Rome over the past few days, under the chairmanship of Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell.

Catholic News Service reports that Vox Clara Committee hopes missal translation completed by 2009 it was the first time they have set a specific date.

The third edition of the Roman Missal was promulgated in Latin by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Work on the English translation began soon afterwards.

A Vox Clara statement said its meeting reviewed the most recent draft translations of the Roman Missal. These were produced in English by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, or ICEL, which is preparing the translation in several sections.

The material includes Masses for various needs and intentions, as well as ritual Masses and the eucharistic prayers for Masses with children.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for December.


SOURCE
Vox Clara Committee hopes missal translation completed by 2009 (Catholic News, 11/9/07)

Is Card. Pell praying?  Or throwing up his hands in frustration at the ugly language and the unreasonable delay? 

I picked up the following from Forest Murmers.

 Training Day for Priests with Dr Alcuin Reid

I am pleased to able to able to forward this information:

The local Latin Mass Society is organising a study day on the Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, of Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday 24th October in either Newcastle or Gateshead. The main speaker, we are very proud to say, is the distinguished liturgical scholar, Dr Alcuin Reid author of `The Organic Development of the Liturgy`

We would like to invite you all to this day. Numbers will be limited and we do require names no later than Thursday 20th September.
Provisionally, the day will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There will be no charge and lunch and drinks will be provided.

When the Pope was in Austria, there was a Mass in the Cathedral of Vienna.  The music was the Mariazeller Mass of Haydn.  This has impressed the gentlemanly Sandro Magister.  At the very end there is a comment that H.E. the M.C, Most Rev. Piero Marini is soon to be moving along.

My emphases and comments.

    From Vienna, a Lesson on How to Sing the Mass

    Haydn’s polyphony and the Gregorian antiphons of the ancient missal accompanied the papal liturgy in the Austrian capital, all of which was celebrated with "the gaze fixed upon God." A model for Catholic Masses in the Latin rite all over the world

    by Sandro Magister

      ROMA, September 12, 2007 – Among the many things Benedict XVI said and did during his early September visits to Loreto and Austria, there are two that distinguish his pontificate in an unmistakable way.  [A strong statement.  Let’s see where he goes with it.]

    Both have to do with the Church’s visibility, with its ability to communicate: and not about itself, but about "the things that are above."  [Very good.  As I have been writing for a long time now, this Pope has a vision for the Church.  We are in need of a recovery of our Catholic identity so as to revitalize the Church from within and therefore give it something to give to the world.  His documents are part of this project.]

    In Loreto, at the vigil on Saturday, September 1, the pope demonstrated how he intends to make himself visible and audible to the world, and in particular to the world of the young.

    In Austria, with the Mass in the cathedral of Vienna on Sunday, September 9, Benedict XVI made it clear how he wants the Church to appear to men at the moment when it is most recognizable, the celebration of the Eucharist.  [Yes… I think Magister gets it.]

    * * *

    In Loreto, the vigil with the thirty thousand young people who came from Italy and the rest of the world was comprised of two events: the first, an afternoon of prayer and reflection; and the second, a typical evening of musical entertainment, featuring famous performers.

    This evening of music, which was broadcast live by one of the television channels of the Italian state, was conceived by Bibi Ballandi, a manager for famous artists and an organizer of televised events. He was the one who in 1997, for a similar evening during the international Eucharistic congress in Bologna, brought in Bob Dylan and Adriano Celentano to sing in front of John Paul II, who remained on the stage for the entire performance.

    This time, in Loreto, there were Claudio Baglioni, Lucio Dalla, and the rock group "Vibrazioni." But the pope wasn’t there. While the singers were performing, he was secluded in prayer at the shrine, before the reliquary of the Holy House of Nazareth.

    That evening, the pope appeared for just a few minutes via a single television broadcast link. This showed him kneeling before the statue of the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus, devoutly reciting a prayer.

    This was to be expected from Joseph Ratzinger. A year after what happened at the 1997 Eucharistic congress in Bologna, a written commentary was published that made his disagreement known: "Bob Dylan and the others had a message completely different from the one for which the pope labors," and therefore "there was reason to question whether it was truly right to give voice to these kinds of prophets," the bearers of a message shown to be "outdated and impoverished" if it’s placed next to the one proclaimed by the pope.

    In Loreto, Benedict XVI instead personally participated in the afternoon meeting with the young people, organized by the heads of the pastoral care of young people for the Italian bishops’ conference.

    But here, too, he made a clear departure from the prepared script. On the one side, there were the young actors who took turns reading – with theatrical flair, but still in a contrived manner – the passages selected by the organizers, [that was sure obvious to anyone who watched] many of which were taken from the Bible. On the other side, there was the pope, who set aside the texts prepared for him by the offices of the curia and responded to questions from the young people with spontaneous, improvised words that were unmistakably his own, and therefore also capable of penetrating the heart. While he was speaking and saying profound, demanding, touching things, there was an impressive silence and attention among the three hundred thousand young people listening to him.  [it is as if he spoke, not like the scribes and pharisees, but with authority?]

    In any case, Benedict XVI did not appear to be isolated. He had the full agreement of the young men and women who recounted their personal stories, some of them dramatic, and asked him questions. He had with him the missionary Giancarlo Bossi, recently freed from Islamic kidnappers in the Philippines. Father Bossi spoke simply and said little, but what he said made clear to everyone what it means to be a genuine missionary of the Gospel of Jesus, and not a humanitarian worker or an anti-globalization activist.

    * * *

    It was a different tune in Vienna – literally. With the Mass celebrated in the cathedral of Saint Stephen on Sunday, September 9, Benedict XVI revived a musical and liturgical tradition that had been interrupted for many decades.  [These Masses are used all the time in Vienna… and St. Paul, MN.]

    Within living memory, in fact, the last papal celebration accompanied by the complete performance – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei – of a great polyphonic Mass dates all the way back to 1963. That Mass was celebrated in Saint Peter’s, and the composer selected was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the dean of Roman polyphony in the sixteenth century.  [Let’s not forget the Mozart Mass on Sts. Peter and Paul years ago.  I was there.]

    This time, the Mass was celebrated in Vienna, and the composer was, rightly, Austria’s Franz Joseph Haydn and his stupendous "Mariazeller Messe" of 1782, for chorus, soloists, and orchestra.

    Gregorian chant also made an important return appearance in the papal Mass on September 9. During communion, the choir repeatedly sang the antiphon "Vovete," from the propers for that Sunday in the missal of the ancient rite, in alternation with verses from Psalm 76, also sung in Latin: "Make and keep vows to the Lord your God. May all present bring gifts to this awesome God, who checks the pride of princes, inspires awe among the kings of earth."

    A musical critic would have given his highest praise to the splendid performance, conducted by Markus Landerer, the choirmaster at the cathedral of Vienna. But this was a Mass, and not a concert. And Benedict XVI imparted a clear lesson in this regard, on two successive occasions that Sunday.

    At the Angelus, a few minutes after the end of the Mass, he began this way:

    "It was a particularly beautiful experience this morning to celebrate the Lord’s Day with all of you in such a dignified and solemn manner, in the magnificent cathedral of Saint Stephen. The celebration of the Eucharist, carried out with due dignity, helps us to realize the immense grandeur of God’s gift to us in the Holy Mass, and fills us with deep joy. It is precisely in this way that we draw near to each other as well, [in other words it builds authentic, not contrived, community] and experience the joy of God. So I thank all those who, by their active contribution to the preparation of the liturgy or by their recollected participation [YES!] in the sacred mysteries, created an atmosphere in which we truly felt God’s presence.

    And that afternoon, in the monastery of Heiligenkreutz, where each day 80 Cistercian monks celebrate the divine office in pure Gregorian chant and entirely in Latin, he said:

    "In the beauty of the liturgy, [...] wherever we join in singing, praising, exalting and worshipping God, a little bit of heaven will become present on earth. [Good liturgy points to mystery.  Bad liturgy destroys our faith.] Truly it would not be presumptuous to say that, in a liturgy completely centred on God, we can see, in its rituals and chant, an image of eternity. [...] In all our efforts on behalf of the liturgy, the determining factor must always be our looking to God. We stand before God – he speaks to us and we speak to him. Whenever in our thinking we are only concerned about making the liturgy attractive, interesting and beautiful, the battle is already lost. [YES!] Either it is Opus Dei, with God as its specific subject, or it is not. In the light of this, I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed on God within the communion of saints, the living Church of every time and place, so that it will truly be an expression of the sublime beauty of the God who has called men and women to be his friends."

    Benedict XVI also told the monks of Heiligenkreutz: "A liturgy which no longer looks to God is already in its death throes."  [Exactly.] Haydn, a Catholic with a deep spirituality, was not far from this view of beauty in the Christian liturgy when he wrote at the end of each of his musical compositions, "Laus Deo," praise to God.

    When in the Creed of the "Mariazeller Messe," the soloist intones "Et incarnatus est," and when the "Benedictus" is sung in the Sanctus, flashes of eternity truly break through. More than a thousand words, great liturgical music communicates the mystery of "He who comes in the name of the Lord," of the Word made flesh, of the bread that becomes the body of Jesus.

    The liturgy that inspired Haydn – together with other great Christian composers – these sublime melodies, glimmering with theological joy, was the ancient, Tridentine liturgy: just the opposite of the "sense of staleness" that some associate with it. It is the liturgy that Benedict XVI wanted to preserve in its richness with the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum," on July 7, 2007, together with the modern rite he observed in the Mass in Vienna.  [And the Motu Proprio is just one part of his Marshall Plan for rebulding the Church]

    Broadcast internationally, the papal Masses are a paradigm for the liturgies of the Latin Church in the entire world.

    The one in Vienna on September 9 was intended to be so in a particular way. And Benedict XVI pointed this out.

    Such a shame that some of the television networks charged with retransmitting the Mass ended up mangling its distinctive features. [Oh how tru this is!   So often the comments and voiceover is incessant.  As I watched I wanted to smash the commentators microphone.  SHUT UP!] During the live broadcast on Italian state television, for example, the Gregorian melodies for communion were treated as if they weren’t worthy of being heard. They were replaced by vacuous chitchat [perfect] about the presumed "great questions" of the Church and Austria.

    In the Vatican, the liturgical event of Vienna will soon be followed by the replacement of the master of the pontifical liturgical celebrations. Taking the place of Piero Marini – who will go to preside over the pontifical committee for international Eucharistic congresses – will be the current master of ceremonies for the archdiocese of Genoa, Guido Marini. [!] He’s close to his predecessor in name, but to pope Ratzinger in substance.

Okay… note that last part?  

Are suitcases being packed?
 

The president of the bishops’ conference of the Philippines issued a statement about the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

My emphases and comments.

STATEMENT ON THE "TRIDENTINE" MASS

 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.  [Okay… I would like more precise language, but it gets the point across and it is warm.]

 In accordance with the Apostolic Letter ("Motu proprio") entitled "Summorum Pontificum" of Pope Benedict XVI, the celebration of the so-called Tridentine Mass, which is in the Latin language, [Again… so many people focus on the language of Mass.  I don’t think the language is the most important dimension, but… it is one of the most obvious differences between the older form and the way Mass is celebrated far and wide.] as approved by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962 continues to be fully permissible as an extraordinary form of the Mass. The Tridentine Mass was never forbidden or abrogated.

 The so-called "New Mass" which was introduced after the Second Vatican Council and approved by Pope Paul VI in 1970 has become more popular among the people because it allowed the use of some approved adaptations, including the use of the popular languages and dialects. [This seems to be this fellows real point of interest.] It became the ordinary form of the Mass, widely celebrated in the parish churches.

 When may the Tridentine (Latin) Mass be celebrated? According to the letter of Pope Benedict XVI, it may be celebrated by catholic priests of the Latin Rite: a) in private masses, b) in conventual or community mass in accordance with the specific statutes of the Congregation, c) in parishes upon request of the faithful and under the guidance of the bishop [This is not really accurate, is it.  The PASTOR is the one who needs to regulate things.  The Bishop has an role of helper when reasonable expectations can’t be met.] (in accordance with Canon 392). In such Masses, however, the readings may be given in the vernacular. [Again, this is this bishop’s main focus, it seems.]

 This permission given by Pope Benedict XVI means that the Mass in Latin and in accordance with the formula of the Council of Trent, hence Tridentine, with the celebrant’s back to the faithful [We are now even more heavily into the incidentals, but without question he is right: it cannot be forbidden.  I like the fact that he said it so clearly.  However, this also applies to the newer Mass!  So does Latin!] may be celebrated, as it was never forbidden or abrogated. For new priests, this will require formation in the Latin Mass.  [See what I mean?]

 Now, we are instructed that in the liturgy of the Mass, there is the ordinary form which is that approved by Pope Paul VI in 1970 after the Vatican II; and there is the extraordinary form – the Tridentine (Latin) Mass which is that approved by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962. The two forms will have their way of leading the faithful to the true worship of God in prayer and liturgy; and may even be a factor for unity in the Church. 

 
+Angel N. Lagdameo
Archbishop of Jaro
President, CBCP
JULY 9, 2007

Okay… this was pretty good, though somewhat limited in perspective.  I am sure the bishop is writing with knowledge of the needs of the people in that region. 

I received this nice e-mail from a reade about a Mass celebrated in the Philippines. 

I have the great joy of informing you that His Excellency, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo D.D., Archbishop of Jaro and currently President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), celebrated a Missa Cantata according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite last September 11, 2007, 7:00 PM (Manila time) at the Carmelite Monastery Church in Lipa City, Province of Batangas (located south of Manila).

Due to various contingencies, emergencies and events, the Archbishop was not assisted by any clergy, and had only two lay servers who had to substitute at the very last minute. The Mass itself has been agreed upon only last week, and the schedule was finalized only the day before the Mass itself was about to be celebrated. One has to keep in mind that, uhm, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in the Philippines continues to face "Extraordinary" obstacles indeed! However, there was no question of cancelling the Mass, once the Archbishop had given his consent last week to celebrate it. This would be a moment of triumph for the Philippines’ tiny and long-suffering Traditionalist community, practically on the eve of Summorum Pontificum.

The cantor (who was supposed to chant the Propers) was not able to come; however, some ten ladies formed an impromptu schola and very capably sang the Ordinary of the Mass. It was truly a "Mass at the frontlines!"

The Archbishop was ordained a priest in December 1964, and had celebrated according to the 1962 Missal in his first five months as a priest. After that, he adopted the vernacular liturgy along with almost everyone else. However, he retained his knowledge and understanding of Latin and, as Archbishop of Jaro from 2000 to the present he has been one of the few Filipino bishops who have shown sympathy and understanding for the aspirations of the faithful who love the Traditional Roman Rite. As bishop, he has celebrated the TLM twice before: once each in the years 2000 and 2001.The current Mass is his first TLM as President of the CBCP. 

Don’t panic. 

Vatican City – An official statement from the Vatican was released on Tuesday announcing the Holy See’s preliminary plans to hold a third Vatican council in the year 2962. Due to take place exactly 1000 years after the second Vatican council in 1962, early plans for Vatican III foresee possible changes taking place within the Roman Catholic Church.

"We are excited about these preliminary plans" stated Cardinal Benito Cuilasso, a spokesperson for the Vatican. We know that we are some time away from the actual date of this event, but in the Roman Catholic Church we think not in terms of today or tomorrow, but in terms of centuries for changes to take place.

Issues already slated to be discussed at the council include the possibility of delaying the subject of married priests until a fourth council can be convened, the question of whether or not Protestants can truly be saved, and the question as to whether or not Purgatory has ever really been an official doctrine of the church. Other issues that are still being examined are whether or not restrictions on eating meat should be reinstated for Fridays, the pay scale for priests, [ain’t that the truth] and possibly expanding church parishes to other currently

"Part of the difficulty of such a task as this is that one cannot predict the future" stated Cuilasso. "We know that some things will remain the same. Everyone will be wearing the same outfits, of course, and I’m sure the same furniture will still be here, but one cannot say what the world will be like."

Many have wondered, though, why the church is already looking forward to a third Vatican council when questions surrounding the the second council still remain.

"It’s too soon for this" stated one priest who wished to remain anonymous. "Vatican II was only 45 years ago, and it’s still being worked out even as we speak. I’m just very apprehensive as to whether we will be ready for another council in 955 years."

Others, though, see this as a step in the right direction.

"I’m glad we’re thinking ahead" said Rev. Mark Anthony Hodges, of St. Isaac’s Parish in Newport Beach, Virginia. "I really was expecting them to schedule the next council for sometime around the year 3500. I’m glad it’s going to be sooner so that some of these other issues can be resolved more quickly."

From TBNN. 

The National Catholic Register published a very good piece by a blogger’s friend Mark Shea.

Catholic Church Says Same Thing as Ever: Millions Shocked

BY Mark Shea

September 16-22, 2007 Issue | Posted 9/11/07 at 1:44 PM

Oh my stars and garters! It turns out that, not only did the Church say a perfectly valid Mass from the time of the Reformation till now, but on top of that, the Pope is still Catholic.

That was the astonished discovery of the delightfully ignorant mainstream media when, in a shocking move, Pope Benedict XVI let the cleansing daylight of truth throw light on the minds of people who have somehow gotten it into their heads that there are two Churches, pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II.

Pope Benedict issued a motu proprio on July 7 that reaffirmed that the Mass that was said for centuries before the 1970 reform of the Mass was still a good thing, and that people should be able to celebrate it if they like.

It would appear that this was horrifying enough to professionally aggrieved people, such as this poor man in profiled in the Washington Post:

“I can’t fight back the tears. This is the saddest moment in my life as a man, priest and bishop,” Luca Brandolini, a member of the liturgy commission of the Italian bishops’ conference, told Rome daily La Repubblica in an interview July 8.

“It’s a day of mourning, not just for me but for the many people who worked for the Second Vatican Council. A reform for which many people worked, with great sacrifice and only inspired by the desire to renew the Church, has now been cancelled.”

I missed the memo announcing the cancellation of Vatican II.

Indeed, I could have sworn that the Pope was making a generous gesture to folks who just want to celebrate the Mass that was celebrated every day the council was being held.

I got the impression somehow that these people are, like, part of the Church too.

Yet, somehow, some panicky folks have the notion that if you worship God in Latin rather than the vernacular, you are destroying the Church.

How fragile we are. It’s not enough that the Paul VI Mass is celebrated in about 99.9% of the world. This small gesture of kindness to people who like the John XXIII rite spells the doom of the council and quite possibly of the Church.

There’s a jittery totalitarianism behind such sentiments, the restless, sleepless fear that not everybody everywhere is “just like me.”

And there was more trauma to come. For on July 10, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document informing us that, as a matter of fact, St. Paul wasn’t kidding when he said, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

What did the document say? Basically, it said, again, what the Church has always said: that the fullness of the revelation Christ handed down subsists in the Catholic Church. In short, the Church believes about itself what it has always believed: that it is the Church Christ founded and that other Christian bodies are right insofar as they participate in that fact and wrong when they don’t.

Of course, what the mainstream media reported was junk like “Vatican: Protestants Not True Christians” (CNN). In fact, what the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said was that Protestant congregations are not true churches but ecclesial bodies.

What Rome means is, “Where there’s no valid Eucharist, there’s no Church,” because the Eucharist is what makes the Church the Church.

What Rome does not mean is “Protestants aren’t Christian. God hates Protestants. Protestants are all going to hell. Only the Catholic Church is a true Church.”

The reality is that Protestants are in real, but imperfect, communion with the Church. That’s because “we believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” If you are validly baptized, you are Christian even if you aren’t Catholic. And, by the way, the Church does recognize non-Catholic bodies as true Churches. (Think Orthodox, for instance.)

It’s all about the Eucharist, baby. If you’ve got a valid one, you’re a Church. If you don’t, but you still adhere to the basics of the Creed, you’re an ecclesial body.

None of this stuff is news to anybody familiar with actual Catholic teaching. It’s neither a “cancellation” of Vatican II nor a “retreat from ecumenism.” It’s a precise restatement of Vatican II and of Dominus Iesus.

But it’s shockingly new to the majority of Catholics and to most of the rest of the world.

Which is why the Church had to point it out — again.