Fr. Z's Blog

Some time ago I issued a serious rant.  HERE  I think you should take it to heart.

From Sandro Magister:

A Firing, a Demolition: Behold the New Curia

The reform of the Vatican curia that Pope Francis is carrying out is being done partly in sunshine and partly in shadow. [Mostly shadow.  There is a lot that doesn’t reach the light.]

Among the provisions recently adopted in shadow, there are two that are emblematic.

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The veil was lifted on the first by the vaticanista Marco Tosatti, when on December 26 he broke the news of an order the pope had given to a dicastery [CDF] head to summarily fire three of his officials, an order given without explanations and without accepting objections. [He has the power to do that.]

It is now known that the dicastery in question is not second-tier, it is the congregation for the doctrine of the faith. [CDF] And the three officials fired enjoyed the full approval of their prefect, Cardinal Gerhard L. Müller, in his turn made the target of repeated acts of humiliation, in public, on the part of the pope.

But which of the three rejects is the official whom Francis personally – as Tosatti has reported – reprimanded harshly by telephone for having expressed criticisms against him, which had come to the pope’s ear through an informant? [True.  One of them was called personally.]

It is the Dutch priest Christophe J. Kruijen, 46, in service at the congregation for the doctrine of the faith since 2009, a theologian of acknowledged expertise, awarded with the prestigious Prix Henri De Lubac in 2010 by the French embassy to the Holy See, unanimously bestowed upon him by a jury made up of the cardinals Georges Cottier, Albert Vanhoye, and Paul Poupard,…

[… read about him there…]

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The second measure taken in shadow concerns the congregation for divine worship, [CDW] the prefect of which is Cardinal Robert Sarah, he too the object of repeated public humiliations on the part of the pope, and now condemned to preside over offices and men who are pulling against him.

Directed by the secretary of the congregation, the English archbishop Arthur Roche, [NB:] a commission has been set up within the dicastery at the behest of Francis, the objective of which is not the correction of the degenerations of the postconciliar liturgical reform – meaning that “reform of the reform” which is Cardinal Sarah’s dream – but the exact opposite: the demolition of one of the walls of resistance against the excesses of the postconciliar liturgists, the instruction “Liturgiam Authenticam” issued in 2001, which sets the criteria for the translation of liturgical texts from Latin into the modern languages.

With Benedict XVI these criteria had been further reinforced, in particular through the pope’s intention to hold firm the “pro multis” of the Gospel and the Latin missal in the words of consecration of the blood of Christ, against the “for all” of many current translations.

But Francis immediately made it understood that this matter left him indifferent. And now, with the institution of this commission, he is meeting the expectations for a modernization of liturgical language championed, for example, by the liturgist Andrea Grillo, a professor at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm [This fellow is Bad News™.] and in great esteem at Casa Santa Marta:

> La traduzione/tradizione impossibile: i punti ciechi di “Liturgiam authenticam”

There are those who fear that after the demolition of “Liturgiam Authenticam,” the next objective, of this or another commission, will be the correction of “Summorum Pontificum,” the document with which Benedict XVI liberalized the celebration of the Mass in the ancient rite.

What is there to say about this?   Not much.  And what can be said, really can’t be said at this time.

Could the Pope roll back the 2011 translation of the Novus Ordo in English?  Unlikely.  However, he could provide options.   So far we have seen sharp and growing polarization.  Those who were already inclined to doctrinal and canonical fidelity continue to choose to be faithful.  Those who were already antinomian and untroubled by doctrine, continue to choose to be dissidents.  The ambiguities of documents today leave both sides free to choose… and they are choosing.  The liberal side, however, now has far greater cover, so that they are freer to pursue their agenda even more aggressively than before.  Options don’t bring much unity, when you reach the bottom line.

We are our rites.  If we pray a certain way, our belief is shaped.  From our belief, our prayer is brought forth.  There is a reciprocal and dynamic relationship between how we pray and what we believe.  While many factors are at play, there seems to be a strong corollary between the state of many of the Church’s institutions and how our sacred liturgical worship was altered.

Traditional liturgy and sound translations do not on their own preserve us from error.  However, hatred for traditional liturgy and sound translations it is unfailingly a signal of heterodoxy, and heterodoxy is always predictive of hostility toward sound liturgy.

Lex Orandi Lex Credendi … and vice versa

Perhaps this will galvanize some Catholics to get off their backsides and do something in favor of the liturgical revival we so desperately need.  

Card. Sarah sent out a clarion call to priests.  Fathers!  Let’s get going!  Benedict XVI gave us clear and sound liturgical teaching and direction. He gave us the stupendously important tool of the aforementioned Motu Proprio, the “emancipation proclamation” for all the priests of the Roman Rite.  It has been almost 10 years since SP went into force.  Take off the training wheels and ride the damn bike!

Do not be flustered.  Do not be paralyzed with anxiety.  Do not run in circles, panting and tearing at your clothing.  Pontiffs come and pontiffs go.  You, on the other hand, are called to influence your corner of the world according to your vocations, God’s plan for you.  So, form alliances, create a solid group with a vision and goal, discern your tactics to carry out your strategy.  Examine your consciences.  GO TO CONFESSION!  Get to work.  Don’t sit around in your wilted flower bed and wring your hands, waiting for priests to do everything for you.  Not. Gonna. Happen.  YOU have to make things happen.

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