Amid much speculation

You will forgive a momentary sidestep from the commentary which is currently being provided on the subject of George Weigel's book The Courage to Be Catholic. In a sense this post also speaks about what it means to be Catholic but from a slightly different perspective.

On Saturday, July 7, 2007, just two days before he left for his annual vacation, His Holiness Benedict XVI issued an Apostolic letter Motu proprio (on its own authority) on the 'Roman liturgy prior to 1970'.

For days if not weeks or months prior to its publication, public speculation about Sumorum Pontificum was that it would insist upon the reinstatement of the use of Latin as the preferred language for the celebration of the Eucharist. Even after its publication, some would believe that this is more of a step backward rather than a progression for the Church in the modern world.

In truth, the aim of this document is to promote a clearer understanding of the liturgy of the Catholic Church and to make steps at healing some of the injury which may have been inflicted through eroneous belief that the Latin tradition of the Church was supressed in favour of the vernacular (language of the people) for the celebration of the Eucharist.

In an explanatory letter about the intent of the Motu Proprio addressed to the bishops of the world, the Holy Father explains that 'it is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church. Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew.'

Contrary to the belief that the revision of the liturgy proposed by Pope Paul VI, which we commonly refer to as the Novus Ordo liturgy is meant to replace the earlier liturgy proposed in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, Benedict XVI clarifies that 'There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.'

As with all other issues of administration of particular dioceses, each bishop, as Shepherd of the local Church entrusted to his pastoral care has the authority to oversee the implementation of this directive which takes effect on September 14, 2007, Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.

Although the Roman Missal (the liturgy used for the celebration of the Eucharist) proulgated by Pope Paul VI remains the ordinary expression of the Law of Prayer of the Church of the Latin rite, the earlier version promulgated by Pope Saint Pius V and reissued by Blessed John XXIII is from now on to be regarded as an extraordinary expression of the same Law of Prayer. Since the liturgy promulgated by Blessed John XXIII was never abrogated, it remains a viable option for communities who wish to celebrate according to this ritual.

An unofficial English translation of the Motu Proprio was published by ZENIT on Saturday, July 8, 2007.

Like his fifth-century namesake, Benedict XVI has hoped that this document will help to promote peace and reconciliation in the Church which has experienced division because of misunderstanding about these versions of the Roman Missal. This hope seems to already be bearing fruit. In a statement issued on Saturday, Bishop Bernard Fellay, who succeeded Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X thanked the Holy Father for this gesture of reconciliation, and expressed 'deep gratitude to the Sovereign Pontiff for this great spiritual benefit'.

Various commentaries on this text have also been issued in the past few days.