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

The intrepid Andrea Tornielli, vaticanista of Il Giornale, and now travelling with His Holiness to World Youth Day, reports on his blog what Pope Benedict said about the Anglicans, whose communion is imploding.

My translation and emphases:

Benedict XVI is "near" to the Anglican bishops in prayer, and hopes that they can avoid "new fractures" and schisms, after the contested decision of the Church of England, bulwark of Anglican tradition, to admit women to the episcopate.  During the long flight taking him to Sydney, where he will arrive this morning for the 23rd World Youth Day, Papa Ratzinger met with 43 journalists who went with him.  For the first time the Pontiff, responding to a question, spoke about the debate underway in the Anglican Church: in the last days the synod of York opened the way to ordination of women bishops and the Anglican communion – which gathers on 16 July in the Lambeth Conference – is shot through with threats of schism on the part of the more traditional communities which do not accept the decision.  Three Anglican bishops had contacts with chief officials of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asking to be admitted to the Catholic Church.  The Vatican response stradled the fence, given that the problems to be faced are many, and that the prelates who are asking to enter into communion with Rome will be asked in turn to accept Catholic doctrine in its entirety.   "My essential contribution," the Pope said speaking of the upcoming general meeting of the Anglican Church, "can only be through prayer, and my prayer will be very near to the Anglican bishops who are meeting.  We cannot and we ought not," he added, "intervene directly in their discussions, we respect their responsibility".  Benedict XVI then explained, "The desire is that they can avoid new fractures and that a solution can be found in their responsibility before our age and the Gospel.  The two things must go together.  Contemporary Christianity must make present the whole message of Christ and add their own contribution being faithful to this message.  We hope," the Pope said again, "they find together the way to make present the Gospel in our time, this is my good wish for the Anglican communion."

What is going on in this answer?

The Pope is not remaining indifferent.  Nor is he slipping into indifferentism.

When he speaks of our responsibility to the Gospel, he is surely referring to the Lord’s own words both when He gave His own authority to Peter, and His desire that His disciples by "one". 

He is surely talking about the need for unity among Christians today in the face of the erosion of Western identity.

Luigi Accattoli is saying that they have touched down at Darwin to refuel, etc.  The journalists can’t leave the plane before they continue another four hours to Sydney.  He used the moment to update his blog, and I assume that is what Tornielli did.  Accattoli says the communication blackout from the plane was nearly total, though some journalists had managed to get some words out. 



In the meantime, one has to wonder what His Holiness is reading.  I think its The Wanderer, perusing the most recent WDTPRS article ... perhaps catching up on the Catholic Herald.  Yes… perhaps that’s it.

Yes, folks, I’ll be here all week.

... quoth His Holiness on the way to Australia.

Over at our friends of the NLM, we find an interesting post in which Fr. Thomas Kocik muses about concrete things priests can do to help along the "reform of the reform" in light of the growing success of Summorum Pontificum and Pope Benedict’s own concrete adjustments of the papal liturgies.

Here is his concrete advice, which I share.  My emphases and comments:

A few suggestions for my priestly confreres:

* Priests and deacons who are available to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion should do so, even if they are not concelebrating or assisting at that particular Mass.  [Especially priests, since a deacon’s hands are not consecrated.]
* Sing the orations, Gospel, and Preface, at least at the principal Sunday Mass.
* Incense may be used at any Mass in the Ordinary Form, whereas in the Extraordinary Form its use is restricted to High Mass. Use incense every Sunday, at least at the principal Mass, and not only for "special occasions."
* Use Latin at every Mass, even if only for the Sanctus or Agnus Dei. (It’s a start!)
* Begin catechetical preparation for celebrations ad orientem, then introduce (or re-introduce) the practice gradually. Advent suggests itself as the best time for implementation (or at least preparation): the Church awaits the coming Lord, symbolized by the rising sun. "People Look East!" commands the hymn. Yes, including the priest!  [Amen.]
* Take advantage of all legitimate options to strengthen and amplify continuity with tradition.  [Legitimate options, including use of the Rituale Romanum and 1962 Missale Romanum.]

Regarding that last point, many examples can be given:

* Use a chalice veil and burse. The use of the former, while not required by the most recent General Instruction of the Roman Missal (2002), is deemed "praiseworthy." The latter is not mentioned, but one would have to espouse the papally discredited "hermeneutic of discontinuity" to oppose the use of a burse.
* Wear the cope whenever permitted; e.g., marriages outside of Mass, baptisms, the final commendation at the funeral Mass.
* Wear violet or black vestments for funerals and other Masses for the Dead.  [Yes… that white vestment thing seems to much like a "canonization", as if we don’t need to pray for the deceased.]
* Do not omit Sequences, even when their use is optional.
* Instead of a Responsorial Psalm, use the Gradual. I recommend this especially for funerals, when (understandably) few people are inclined to sing. At most funerals, the Responsorial Psalm is, in fact, a solo performance by the cantor. [Sounds like we need Gregorian chant.]
* In the weeks containing few or no feasts/memorials, celebrate one or two votive Masses, or some of the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions. No need to go the whole week using the prayers of last Sunday’s Mass.
* Have a "preferential option" for Penitential Rite ‘A’ (the Confiteor and Kyrie).
* Have a "preferential option" for the Roman Canon, especially when the saint of the day is mentioned therein or when a special Communicantes can be used.  [And say the names of all the saints!]
* Although, lamentably, the Octave of Pentecost does not exist in the Ordinary Form, there is nothing to prevent the offering of the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit (and thus the use of red vestments) on the ferial days after Pentecost Sunday. This would give the appearance of observing an octave.  [In the old calendar there is an Octave.  I’m just sayin’ ....]

This list is not exhaustive. I invite liturgically informed readers (clergy or laity) to suggest other legitimate possibilities for realizing the reform of the reform hic et nunc.

 

Perhaps you will have more suggestions.

• Put dalmatics on deacons.
• Use birettas.
• If there are priests available, have confessions during Mass if not always, then occasionally.  It is permitted and laudable.
• Get that schola cantorum going.
• Have a Mass wherein everyone sings the Ordinary in chant from a Kyriale.  Yes… it can be done and it doesn’t always have to be Mass VIII!
• Priests should returning to minding the fingers after the consecration and also where they direct their eyes.
  
• Foster teams of altar boys to serve at Mass.
• Use (or put in) Communion rails.
  

 

Today  I have an interview with newly ordained Fr. Justin Nolan of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the FSSP. 

We talk about Summorum Pontificum, the Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict XVI which derestricted the use of the 1962 Missale Romanum.  Father has some excellent insights about what Pope Benedict was aiming at with this Motu Proprio.

I then drill into a couple of his remarks, especially as they related to the sense of the sacred, what the priest’s consecrated hands are all about, and the ramifications the recovery of these ideas may have for our choice about how to distribute Holy Communion.

To get the drilling started, I read some of the pre-Conciliar Rite of Baptism, which includes the exorcism and blessing of salt and the exorcism of the infant, in this case a fictional "Sempronius".