I received this interesting press release…
TRADITIONAL FAITHFUL CELEBRATE SUPPORT OF THE CARDINAL
December 6, 2021
Press release
Children and adults pray for more parishioners to be heard.
Guadalajara, Jalisco. – The days of uncertainty lived by the parishioners of San Pedro en Cadenas quasi-parish are now gone. His Eminence Francisco Cardinal Robles, Archbishop of Guadalajara, decided to reverse his decree of suppressing this quasi-parish.
In a recent visit to Casa Cristo Rey (the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s parsonage), the Cardinal stated that the next step will now be an adequate evaluation on the usefulness of the quasi-parish for the spiritual good of the faithful, as instructed by Pope Francis’ Motu Proprio Traditiones Custodes.
This evaluation might imply possible changes for the quasi-parish based in Nuestra Señora del Pilar church in downtown Guadalajara; however, the more than 150 families belonging to this community celebrate His Eminence having heard them. Thus, allowing them to receive the sacraments under the rites of the Roman Missal of 1962, continue with the multiple apostolates with which they seek to give greater glory to God and improve their spiritual life guided by the FSSP.
Currently, children and adults of the quasi-parish are still in prayer so that other communities worldwide would also be heard. The Pontifical Document Traditiones Custodes contains a list of guidelines for Eucharistic celebrations under the Roman Missal of 1962, giving diocesan Bishops exclusive competence to authorize—or deny, in their dioceses the use of the Missal mentioned above.
Gives his blessing
During his visit, Cardinal Robles erected under the traditional rite the new Via Crucis in Casa Cristo Rey’s Chapel and an image of the Sacred Heart, accompanied by the choir of the quasi- parish and some parishioners who were invited to attend.
Furthermore, the Archbishop agreed to celebrate a Pontifical Mass under the traditional rite, although he specified no date.
There are a few things to take away from this.
Firstly, nothing is set in stone. What is done can be undone.
Next, I have often pointed out that some of the bishops who jumped to apply the diktats of TC have no personal knowledge of the Vetus Ordo. I have mused about whether or not such bishops have ever made the attempt to celebrate the Vetus Ordo for the people who, under his pastoral care, are the most marginalized in the Church. The Cardinal in Guadalajara is going to celebrate Mass and he went to establish a Via Crucis.
Also, it is important to stay focused and prayerful. Determined. I invite everyone to commit to be a Custos Traditionis to counter the incoherent cruelty of Traditionis custodes. HERE
This is the tough part: we are in this together. Lately I have had news from various sources which are – and this is not rare, by the way – followed up with a panicky “Don’t tell anyone! Don’t put it on the blog!” or “Please leave my name / parish name / name of the city / diocese out of this!” “We are really afraid that if news gets out, we will lose what we have.”
Couple this with those who stop working because they have something comfortable for themselves and we have a wholly fragmented, atomized presence in the Church. Scatter the flock and the individuals are less safe than when they are together.
I warmly urge you who may be getting a little comfortable or complacent to get off your backsides and get back to work. Find something helpful to do.
I have a sense that if there was a constant, bold stream of news about what bishops are doing regarding TC and the Vetus Ordo, relentlessly holding them to account in the Catholic media, heralding the good and exposing the bad, it will be harder for them to apply cruel restrictions and more pleasant to be present and generous to those who desire traditional liturgical worship and doctrine.
Just a thought.
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This is very good news, indeed. It sounds like the cardinal-archbishop has had a change of mind and heart, perhaps inspired by *respectful* and sincere pleas from his faithful. I agree with Fr. Z that transparency in media about these happenings, especially apparent success stories (without getting carried away here, since this particular case is still in progress) is for the best.
The cardinal-archbishop has apparently done an about-face, and it looks like the proposed upcoming “evaluation” phase can serve as a fair face-saving move (i.e. “I have visited and evaluated the state of this community and have not in fact found any anti-V2 rhetoric or Novus Ordo bashing; therefore my previous judgment is set aside”). The offer to celebrate a pontifical mass seems an especially generous gesture. Any ordinary who turns back on a previously severe application of the recent Motu Proprio should be immediately showered with every act of gratitude, every opportunity for face-saving served up on a gilded platter, and official public amnesia on the part of the faithful about any regretted earlier decisions. Others will be paying attention.
I admit this is the thinking. We have a diocesan TLM. Our bishop recently came and celebrated Mass with us and it was really very nice to have him. He seemed to enjoy the TLM and spoke warmly about it. I’ve grown somewhat hard-hearted about bishops so was surprised when his blessing moved me as they processed out. It felt like a blessing and it is funny how that one thing touches your heart and reminds you of the relationship that is supposed to be there but has been so callously destroyed by destroyers.
I wanted to mention it as well as the incredibly beautiful Mass we have each week, but I don’t. I fear reprisals by Rome and other bishops against our bishop and our TLM. It is not at all to limit what we have, I long to tell others and I try to tell others about it so numbers will grow. But in these times it feels dangerous to tell Rome or the other bishops such things. This is where we are. You may be right, Fr. Z., maybe it’s better to say and let the chips fall where they may. These bizarre days when we must fear Rome moving in hostility against the Holy Mass of the Ages. God be with us.
While I don’t know anything about the cardinal from Guadalajara other than his implementations of TC, since the very beginning when he first issued his decree for his archdiocese, he never struck me as evil, in spite of the lack of generosity regarding TC. Instead, he struck me as anal retentive, a person who sees things black-and-white, like a robot, if you will. You could especially tell by his original implementation decree of TC, in which he seemed to be addressing and implementing every single item on that document to the letter…every single bit of it, no more, no less. For comparison purposes, most bishops only addressed some or most parts of TC, but ignored other details of it. Other bishops, like the cardinal-Vicar for the Diocese of Rome went a step further than what is stipulated in TC and “outlawed” the Triduum and most VO sacraments.
The fact that the cardinal of Guadalajara has been able to listen to his flock only confirms that he is not evil. If the cardinal had truly been evil, he would not have even spared aside 5 minutes to at least listen to the concerns of his flock…regardless of his ultimate decision. If anything, the fact that he reconsidered his original implementation goes on to show that at least the cardinal is not a total robot, and is ultimately a true pastor. The fact that he has agreed to celebrate a TLM is actually in line with Francis’ exhortation to the bishops about “smelling like their flock”.
I now look forward for when the cardinal celebrates the TLM. The TLM faithful need to follow this up with more outreach to the cardinal in order to keep things moving. Who knows, maybe with the grace of God, the cardinal might become the new Extraordinary Ordinary?
A Christmas miracle!
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Push will come to shove at the Triduum next year. If everyone keeps their powder dry and all celebrate the Triduum as normal, what is the worst that can happen. Will the Gendarmes be sent in guns blazing…???
How ridiculous would that be. Lets all keep calm and carry on.
Much gratitude and respect to Eminence Francisco Cardinal Robles, Archbishop of Guadalajara! It takes a lot of humility and virtue to reverse your previous stance. I’ll try to remember this going forward – that all leaders (especially our holy priests and bishops) should be given the benefit of the doubt and kindness, even in our disputes with them. We need to act like saints even under pressure of soft (or perhaps, someday, hard) persecution.
We’re not quite at the point where Catholics were in Elizabethan England… yet, anyway. The priest holes aren’t under construction. We’re not confined to home Masses. We don’t need code names. No one is heading for the rack in the Tower. But there’s little doubt that there are powerful people in the hierarchy who want the TLM banned, and if its adherents leave the Church over it, so much the better. After all, but for the off-putting, rigid little monsters who like things like the TLM and push stale old Catholic teachings on sexuality, all the freewheeling fallen away and ex- Catholics would be coming back in droves. Seriously, that’s what they think. It’s a delusional fantasy, but it’s their delusional fantasy, and they’re sticking to it. I go to a diocesan TLM in a diocese with a great bishop, but our TLM is only as safe as our bishop is. He already has a target on his back. If and when his head rolls and he’s replaced by a modernist yes-man, then we’re probably looking at TLM in the park. But, hey, fresh air can be nice too.
This is extraordinarily good news and not just for Guadalajara. It is a sign of the spiritual strenght of the movement to preserve the traditional Latin Mass. May God bless Cardinal Robles.
Deo Gratias! Genuine appreciation should also be given to the Cardinal Archbishop for his pastoral sensitivity as well as being open minded enough to celebrate a traditional Mass himself.
Very important to not be toxic to the bishops or Pope when something like this happens, though we should definitely be firm in our resolve and pray for them before, during and after. If it doesn’t go our way, we can express our distress and disagreement with tact and without rancor.
We probably can’t hope for the Holy Father to be more than he is at this point, though I continually beg in my Rosary for Our Lady to intercede and move his heart to be a friend to us and traditional liturgy.