McBrien urges priests to disobey and resist translation

That darling of the ever more elderly dissident set, NCR‘s Richard McBrien has a new whine about the new English translation of the Roman Missal… which is coming whether the liberals like it or not.

My emphases and comments.

The New Roman Missal
by Richard McBrien on Feb. 22, 2010

Fr. Michael Ryan has been pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle since 1988. [The reason he leads with this is because McBrien is trying to establish Ryan’s pastoral credentials.  What you, dear reader, have to remember is that they are both relics of the 60’s "spirit of Vatican II" crowd, purely and simply.] His recent article in America magazine, "What If We Said, ‘Wait’?: The case for a grass-roots review of the new Roman Missal" (December 14, 2009), has evoked a heavy and largely positive response.  [What would a "grass roots review" involve, pray tell?  I could understand a "grass roots movement in favor of a review".  But in McBrien’s view, who do do the reviewing?  Everyone?] By the latter part of January, well over 12,000 people had submitted signatures in support of Ryan’s efforts.  [And how many of those signatures were genuine, I wonder.  There are great many "anonymous" entries.  Fictitious names.  Someone even repeatedly put my name on that petition, which shows you how interested they really are in an honest gathering of signatures.]

In a letter dated Dec. 3, Ryan shared some of the background and motivation for his America article.  [What follows is old news, really.  But when it comes to a little history, McBrien is well-known for his representation of material.  We can skip that part.]

[…]

The reactions of both small and large groups of Catholics, when actually presented with samples of the new translations, run the gamut from laughter to outrage.  [This is simply mendacious.  McBrien doesn’t choose to give reasonable consideration to those who think that the translations are good: such as the conferences of bishops who approved them.] Ryan predicts that, when and if these new translations are eventually imposed upon parishes throughout the English-speaking world, there will be "an almost certain fiasco."  [That is what he hopes.   Which leads us to ask: What kind of man is this?]

What to do, therefore? Ryan urges pastors to mobilize and ask their bishops to hold off on the implementation of the new translations until they can be carefully road-tested. As of now, however, the bishops seem to be weary of the whole matter.

If the bishops have nearly given up, what about the priests? [And here we get to the meat of it.]  Does obedience to the bishops mean that priests must be complicit in something they are convinced is pastorally wrongheaded?  [READ: McBrien is trying to stir priests to be disobedient.  Big surprise.]

Ryan urges pastors, pastoral councils, liturgical commissions, and presbyteral councils to appeal to the bishops for a time of reflection and consultation, including some careful market-testing of the new translations in selected parishes and regions. Only after that should we move forward.

Ryan also asks those who agree with him to log on to the Web site www.whatifwejustsaidwait.org. "If our bishops know the depth of our concern," he writes, "perhaps they will not feel so alone."

One hopes that he is right.  ["One hopes"?  Pompous windbag.]