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. Here is a news story.
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.
_____
UPDATE: Since the now famous quote from Archbishop Ranjith does not appear in the Dutch translation of his talk on the site I link below, a clarification was made by an eye-ear witness of the event who has posted in the comments (below):
Since I was in the audience, I can testify that the quote is from the talk by Mgr. Ranjith. The text on the website of the Vereniging voor Latijnse Liturgie is a translation from the text that Mgr. Ranjith send prior to his talk in order to have it translated and projected on a screen during his talk. He did however not follow this text completely and made some additions and omissions.
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Wow. Now how to tell the Bishops.
Talk about laying the smackdown!
Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?
THANK YOU SIR; MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!
The force of the Archbishop’s words actually made my eyes water. I cannot recall any curial prelate in my lifetime (63) speaking with such authority. I believe, without doubt, that the Archbishop is speaking the mind of the Pope.
I pray that the (rumored) forthcoming document to correct ‘some interpretive norms’ will have the same tone of force.
I’ll say “Wow.”
Between the death of John Paul and the conclave, every Mass I assisted, every Rosary or Office I prayed, and every mortification I endured, was offered for the intention that Joseph Ratzinger become pope.
On November 1st Cardinal Arinze turns 75. From now until the day his successor is named, I will offer the same that Archbishop Ranjith become prefect of CDWDS.
I respectfully suggest all of you out there do likewise.
Again, it’s always opportune to pray for priests– for the bad, that they become good, and for the good, that they become better.
Shkaboom!
Great stuff. And he’s right, time is short.
I hope he is made the head of the CDW.
Clear talk exactly when it is most needed. Thank God for this Archbishop!
This is huge and historic. Deo Gratias. At last, at long last, battle has been joined…
KABOOM!!
This really is huge and he is not beat around the bush at all. It seems that when Bishops speak they are often much more reserved. I very much wonder if this statement was directly planned by the Pope himself to be the tip of the ice burg. Give the more resistant Bishops of the world some time to “reconsider” their position on the M.P. before the bigger guns are loaded.
Truly great leaders know when a line has to be drawn in the sand.
This message needs to be sent “Return Receipt Requested, Restricted Delivery (Addressee’s Signature Only)” to every Ordinary in the world.
Some of us saw this as early as 25 June 2006
http://www.olfatima.com/changes.wma
I was impressed before by Msgr. Ranjith, and his interview on Summorum Pontificum (http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-with-archbishop-malcolm.html) was already great and very outspoken for the Curia, but this is simply amazing. I think we all agree that it would be perfect were he to succeed Card. Arinze as head of SRC. Also, it has been said that this is unlikely because it is “not done” in the Curia to let a secretary succeed as prefect. I don’t know, but at least that is exactly what happened 4 years ago when Archbishop Rylko, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, was appointed its President.
Oh, and last observation: This statement was made at the annual meeting of the Dutch Latin Liturgy Association – when all the Europe-bashers constantly tell us that there aren’t any Catholics left in the Netherlands ;-)
I think there’s a new home for the “Straight Talk Express.” Let the squirming begin!
Tommasso,
Who was the audience for that talk? What was the context? Thanks.
EVERYONE: Rule #2: Do not strut. Let us be gracious to those who have in the past not been gracious in regard to our “legitimate aspirations”.
We all (I assume) accept wholeheartedly your rules, Father Z, and would be shocked — shocked, I tell you — to see any unseemly strutting, but how can our joy be unrestrained when our daily prayer “Thy will be done” is finally answered?
Henry: I too, am shocked!… shocked!… by anyone here perhaps doing the strut thing in the wake of Archbp Ranjith’s
SUPER INCREDBILE FANTASTIC… er um… well-balanced discourse.Instead of being named Prefect of CDW Archbishop Ranjith could succeed Cardinal Hoyos in an elevated Ecclesia Dei commission.
Give the man a red hat!
Empty churches….no vocations….I was recently at St. Stephen first Martyr in Sacramento Ca., Staffed by the FSSP they produced two vocation to the fraternity and one to the diocese in jsut one year. On the 62 missal is used at St. Stephens, it’s a parish to watch.
“If this is what it takes to fill our churches, so be it!”
-His Excellency Salvatore Matano, Bishop of Burlington (Vermont, USA)
Let’s stay on our knees and keep those prayers rising …….
The next Cardinal Oddi ! (Do you remember him ? Remember his address: « the right of the catechized to the truth » ?
WOO-HOO (dancing around and doing a Homer Simpsonesque harlequenade)….
Reading all the various memos/rulings from various bishops of the world and Father Z’s comments I have come to the conclusion (I am sure that others have quicker than me) that we have three different types of bishops leading dioceses in the church. Those who fully and courageously accept the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and support what he is attempting to do with “Summorum Pontificum”, those who think they are equal to the Pope and try to spin “Summorum Pontificum” for their own agenda and lastly those who are afraid to lead in their diocese and play it safe hoping to ride it out without taking a stand either way. It goes without saying that the Holy Father, after much prayer and reflection expected all of the above and much more. How else can he, as the Vicar of Christ, the visible head of the church, guard and promote the faith unless he is sure who he can trust?
I pray that the bishops in the later two categories realize the errors of their ways and take the right course of action.
Yes indeed, Father. I keep telling myself what a breech of decorum strutting would be. Totally inappropriate. Inexcusable. Gaudy display of ill manners.
COCK-A-DOODLE DOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Mea culpa… (I couldn’t help myself.)
As I have always said the Tridentine Mass is the key to bringing the Church back to Her former glory and the salvation of many.
Archbishop Ranjith for Supreme Pontiff after many joyous and holy years of the reign of Benedict XVI.
God bless the Church.
Let us pray to St. Michael for this holy man, for such holiness calls the wiles of Satan into action.
It will be both a joyful and sad day when Bishops are brought down to their knees in obedience or last grasp of defiance. We should give praise for restorations now beginning to bloom. As Fr. Z says, we need to be humble. Many Bishops and Priests will ultimately fall from grace. Never a victory.PAX
Tommaso,
Thank you for the link: http://www.olfatima.com/changes.wma Everyone should listen to it, and pass it on.
Interesting times, indeed.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. Sr. Lucia and Blessed Jacinta & Francisco, pray for us and for our Holy Father! And for Archbiship Ranjith!
Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will triumph!
Martha
Tommaso,
Thank you for the link: http://www.olfatima.com/changes.wma Everyone should listen to it, and pass it on.
Interesting times, indeed.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. Sr. Lucia and Blessed Jacinta & Francisco, pray for us and for our Holy Father! And for Archbishop Ranjith!
Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will triumph!
Martha
Martha:
I’m glad you enjoyed the article. A remarkable sermon from a remarkable man. He did, however, make one very human error.
http://www.olfatima.com/October%2011%202007.html
Pray for him and the normalization of relations with all trads of good will.
@Fr. Z: Could you be so kind to publish the complete translation of the text that was sent to you by the person who translated the original Dutch to English? The current text which is on the website of the Dutch Latin Liturgy Association does not contain the part you have quoted above…
…but I would like to have it (as you would probably understand)
Are you sure HE said that?
I know some Dutch and can’t find any trace of these words here:
http://www.latijnseliturgie.nl/toespraak_ledendag_2007.pdf
It’s an essay about Holy Scripture, structure of the Church, college of Bishops, papal primacy etc. but no single word about Summorum… Maybe it was only a private statement in couloirs?
Would it be possible to track down the reason for this passage’s apparent non-inclusion in the text as published on the latijnseliturgie website?
Whatever the story behind their exclusion, these words are stunning.
No, Father – leave it! I’ve been saying for years that the “Trad thing” has nothing to do with “Trad” per se; that just wait ’till the liberals start to feel the heat, then we’ll see what crawls out of the woodwork…
Between here and Rorate Caeli’s combox, I’ve seen enough in the past couple of days to make TradWorld look like High Tea.
I think this text is an answer to a question. One can find the text in Dutch here:
http://www.katholieknieuwsblad.nl/actueel24/kn2441c.htm
So it is really true! The Catholic Newspaper that published it is absolutely trustworthy.
Father Marc
Would it violate the rules of engagement if I were to strut in the privacy of my living room? How about my back yard? How about if I “strut” by singing a Te Deum???
This is the Archbishop Ranjith called by Fr. Franz Schmidberg FSSPX, former First Assistant of the General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, “a friend of Tradition”. Ranjith told Schmidberger on their meeting in India, that he had bought the Missal of St. Pius V to say this Mass privately in his private chapel after his appointment in the Vatican. And here we see the fruits of this bishop and priest daily celebrating the ancient Roman Rite, and the strength and restoration which come from it. He is clear, and this even at a meeting of the Vereniging voor Latijnse Liturgie, which formerly was opposed to the Tridentine, traditional Roman Mass and only wanted to support the Novus Ordo form in Latin. Small miracles do happen, I think.
Shawn over at the NLM is also confirming (and explaining) it: http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/2007/10/archbishop-ranjith.html
I can only repeat how impressed I am by Msgr. Ranjith. And he’s only 59, so he’s here to stay.
Father Z.,
Please remove the racist and anti-Ranjith statements from the liturgical progressists who have invaded this forum. Normally they speak about tolerance, now they become racist intolerants, once they notice that this Indian archbishop has nót lost his Roman Catholic faith to their indifferentism and modernism.
Remove these posts of intoleranct liturgical revolutionary racists.
As to the context:
Archbishop Ranjith spoke to the Dutch Latin Liturgy Association (VLL) at its Jubilee Conference. Many diocesan priests are members. Until September the VLL was opposed to the Tridentine Mass and its spread, now suddenly they changed and vowed they will also support the “pre-conciliar liturgy”. They are what traditionalists would call “nostalgics”. They used to care only about the Latin chant, not about the rites, about liturgical abuses etc. Only about Latin being used frequently enough. Not against altar girl boys etc. Will they stand up now?
http://stmarysgvl.org/ourparish/2007-thirteenth-sunday-of-the-year
When this document is finally published, there will no doubt be a circus of media attention of the most sensational kind,
but please do not be confused or disturbed by what you read in the papers or see on television. Whatever else may be the case, there will certainly be no changes made in the present way we celebrate the Missal of 1970 in our scheduled liturgies, and pending a careful study of the document, I do not anticipate that a regularly scheduled Tridentine Mass will be celebrated here at St. Mary’s. For now, simply know that a document will probably appear this summer, and when it does, we will study it together.
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Father Newman
My mother a holy and devout woman is crying, my sister is crying , I am crying. We are so relieved and happy. The line is drawn, we can start rebuilding.
Dear Fr z,
I’m a Dutchman.
I ‘ve checked the Dutch text of Malcolm Ranjith’s speech at the website of the Vereniging voor Latijnse Liturgie.
I didn’t find anything in the text about Summorum Pontificum. I believe the ‘quote’ that another reader of this blog has sended to you wasn’t part of Malcolm Ranjith’s speech “Geloof, gehoorzaamheid en theologie”.
http://stmarysgvl.org/ourparish/2007-twenty-first-sunday-of-the-year
6. Mass according to Missal of 1962 (often called the Tridentine Mass) is offered at Prince of Peace Church in Taylors on most Sunday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. Those who want to attend the old Mass are welcome to do so at Prince of Peace, but please check the schedule to be certain of the day and time of each celebration.
Father Newman
WOW! That certainly was a quick study of the document “together.”
Very serious words. May His Excellency be blessed for his boldness and bravery during these times of confusion. He will be a beacon, I forsee.
I am becoming worried.
Is it possible that some “progressive” Karl Rove-type operative has fed us this story, and like Dan Rather we have leapt upon it because we WANT to believe it, but it is not true, and will somehow discredit the Traditionalists in the Church?
As Archbishop Ranjith, a very holy man, may or may not have said, we can inadvertantly allow ourselves to be used as the devil’s tools.
Pray for Holy Mother Church, and all Her bishops, those who please us and those who do not, that they all strive to please Him Whose judegment is all that matters.
Archibald de Ceuninck and Worried: Aren’t you reading what has been said here in the comments? Father Marc has cited the Dutch Katholiek Nieuwsblad (http://www.katholieknieuwsblad.nl/actueel24/kn2441c.htm), and I linked to the NLM (http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/2007/10/archbishop-ranjith.html). Both confirm that the Archbishop said what Fr. Z quoted. It was, as Shawn puts it, an aside at the end of his lecture, and so was obviously not included in his prepared lecture, which is the text given at the site of the Dutch Latin Liturgy Association. No reason to be worried.
there are no vocations, the seminaries are empty … young priests are scarce.
Not if the Mass of Blessed John XXIII is restored generously. Our tiny TLM community — less than two years old — has 3 young men starting in seminaries this fall, one of our original altar boys and two from an adjacent diocese who crossed diocesan borders to attend our Masses regularly. I believe that service at the traditional altar still guarantees (as it always had) a healthy and predictable percentage of vocations.
From today’s epistle from Joel:
Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!
& from today’s Gospel reading from Luke:
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Henry: I have often noted that the more tradition the liturgy is, in those places there are more vocations. There seems to be a direct correlation.
It is as plain as the nose some progressivists are cutting off to spite their faces.
Dear Fr. Z –
China is an interesting exception. The Novus Ordo is almost universal there, and the seminaries are full. Obviously, the situation is quite complicated on the Mainland, but it would be wrong to generalize without including what may very well be the source of Catholicism’s greatest numerical growth moving forward over the next fifty years.
AJM
Tommaso,
I do pray for the normalization of all Traditionalists of good will, but I will increase my fervour. One can cull information from so many sources. Some Catholics would be afraid to listen to anyone other than their own bishop’s teachings, and thus, they are the ones who have no clue to the seriousness of our times.
God bless.
i thought the chinese only said the Old Mass because they were seperated before the council
leo, the Chinese used the 1962 Mass until recently, the latter years of JPII. The ‘underground’ Church adopted the 1970 Mass much earlier, as a sign of loyalty to Rome. So the situation is barely comparable to ours in the west.
Since I was in the audience, I can testify that the quote is from the talk by Mgr. Ranjith. The text on the website of the Vereniging voor Latijnse Liturgie is a translation from the text that Mgr. Ranjith send prior to his talk in order to have it translated and projected on a screen during his talk. He did however not follow this text completely and made some additions and omissions.
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.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
“Instruments of the devil” can go both ways. Especially when groups such as the
FSSP and others are disobedient to the Motu Proprio in not celebrating the
Ordinary Form of the Mass.
‘“Instruments of the devil” can go both ways. Especially when groups such as the
FSSP and others are disobedient to the Motu Proprio in not celebrating the
Ordinary Form of the Mass.’
This has got to be one of the most outrageous and ludicrous comments I have yet read regarding the motu proprio. You should be ashamed of yourself
As to Mr. Mulholland’s comments- there was never a Motu Proprio authorizing the
Novus Ordo. It was an Apostolic Constitution which is different in essence from a
Motu Proprio.
The FSSP Priests are NOT in disobedience. I think you need to re-educate yourself
on this mater before spewing yor nonsense.
“Instruments of the devil” can go both ways. Especially when groups such as the FSSP and others are disobedient to the Motu Proprio in not celebrating the Ordinary Form of the Mass.
Let us assume that “John Miller” has not actually read the Motu Proprio and is therefore writing out of ignorance rather than malice. Then we can ask him to kindly quote the law requiring the FSSP to celebrate the Novus Ordo.
I can read thank you.
“priests of communities adhering to the former usage cannot as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness.”
Eleventh Paragraph
“Accompanying the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum.
John Miller,
The FSSP are one of the holiest societys of priests in the world.
Why woul you unduly criticize them?
John Miller: I can read thank you.
But surely it is also good to understand what you read. That a priest of “the former usage cannot as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books” may mean that he can abstain solely because he doubts the validity of the new usage.
Nor should — since the Pope has defined both forms to be valid — a priest of the new usage abstain from the older form solely because he doubts its validity.
But surely it is obvious that either might have other reasons than doubt of validity.
“Instruments of the devil” can go both ways. Especially when groups such as the
FSSP and others are disobedient to the Motu Proprio in not celebrating the
Ordinary Form of the Mass.
This is completely out of context. The Pope is saying that in current parishes, if a priest wants to start saying Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, he can’t just start only saying that Mass and force parishoners who are used to the Mass according to the 2002 Roman Missal to have the old Mass as their only option.
Certainly the question might arise if the FSSP is brought into a “Novus Ordo” parish to revive it, although I doubt that would happen, I think the precidence is that they just start a new 1962 Mass parish. But in their current context, their parishes have always had Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal. People go to their parishes and oratories to have the 1962 Mass. They have not displaced any “Novus Ordo” people.
John Miller: Thanks for proving my point. The letter accompanying the Motu Proprio is not law. There is no requirement placed on FSSP priests to say the Novus Ordo Mass.
Even if the sentence you quoted were law, the FSSP would still be exempt from Novus Ordo celebrations, because they do not refuse the Ordinary Form out of principle, but because dedication to and preservation of the Extraordinary Form is their charism.
I wonder why Filipino bishops doesnt hold the office on the congregation of divine worship and descipline of the liturgy? hahahaha! The answer is that to prevent the fall of the liturgy to the devil.. It will be the start of great change in the liturgy, change from goo to worst!
I wonder why Filipino bishops doesnt hold the office on the congregation of divine worship and descipline of the liturgy? hahahaha! The answer is that to prevent the fall of the liturgy to the devil.. It will be the start of great change in the liturgy, change from goo to worst!
Comment by pop
?????????????
The message of the Archbishop is obedience. Obedience to Peter will insure the success of the church in transforming the world. The handwriting is on the wall, so to speak. Do we hold onto our previous mistakes or do we move forward and change what obviously needs changing.?Now Our Lord will seperate goat from sheep. Or goat herdsman from shepherd. Those who stand with Peter are true shepherds those that oppose him are the herdsmen. BTW our FSSP Apostolate has 3 young men at the FSSP Seminary in Denton NE, all from one family.
Hurray for Archbishop Ranjith!! Now, what I would like someone to explain to me is this: WHY in the world doesn’t the Holy See FIRE those rebellious, insubordinate bishops who refuse to do as they are told?? It seems that there are a lot of “priests” and “bishops” who flagrantly disobey their superiors and, consequently, poison the minds of countless Catholics…and the Vatican does absolutely NOTHING about it. And, then they wonder why pews are emptying and vocations are drying up?? That really is pathetic.
I’ll remember your rules, Father Z., but right now I’m one happy camper.
May my patron St. Michael continue to protect us from those who would do the evil one’s work.
Pax,
Mike
Three cheers for someone speaking the true. I suspect the reality regarding why clery are ignoring the MP is that many of the clergy have become what we call in academia “faculty lounge lizards.” These people are those that stopped teaching long ago and phone in their lectures. They oppose any changes because they are too lazy to change anything and all they do is sit around trying to get others to follow their lead. I suspect that most oppose the Latin mass because they simply can not say it and do not have the courage to say it to admit it.
Bishops are NOT like CEOs. You do not “fire” them. They are spiritual fathers. It is a lot trickier to hand over the spiritual children to a new father. I am convinced though that it is fast approaching the time of a “cleaning of house” which will indeed involve the removal of such “deadbeat dads”. There will be sad losses when it happens.
Let us pray for a swift and total return to the sacred in liturgy and devotion to The Blessed Sacrament. That will curb the losses to come.
Keep in mind that any losses are losses for all of us, because they are losses to The Precious Blood. It is going to hurt.