Please demonstrate your support for the Mass of Ages by attending the Solemn Mass which will be offered at Westminster Cathedral at 2.30pm on Saturday 14th August. This Mass will follow the AGM of the Latin Mass Society which will occur in the morning of the same day.
The scale of support for the Latin Mass needs to be made public and visible in these times of persecution.
Nearly two weeks after the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, it is perhaps a suitable time to look at the consequences here in England and Wales. So far as I can discover, the only bishop to have made a public statement about the implementation of the motu proprio is Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster (reported below).
The reactions of all other bishops have to be found from private conversations or from second hand sources. With one exception, the Bishop of Clifton, it seems that their response is similar to that of Cardinal Nichols. That is carry on as you have been doing, at least for the time being.
In the case of the Bishop of Clifton, the only regular every Sunday Mass Latin Mass in the diocese, -that offered by the Benedictine community at Glastonbury - has been banned. The future of Latin Masses at other locations in the diocese is unclear. Bishop Lang has declined to make any declaration concerning these. This silence could be interpreted as indecision, and indicate some misgivings about his earlier decision concerning Glastonbury.
So, what does the future hold? It seems that the bishops of England and Wales are in no hurry to do anything other than maintain a holding position. They would, no doubt, argue that, with August approaching, it is holiday time, and no time to rush into decisions - far better to let the emotion die down and return to the matter when any decisions might be received more calmly. It is also probable that most bishops favour a collective statement rather than individual ones. This could come with the next meeting of the bishops conference in the autumn.
It would seem to me that with every week that passes, the bishops will find it more and more difficult to implement Traditionis Custodes with rigour. Any ban or restrictive measure imposed in the autumn will be interpreted as the action of the bishops rather that that of the pope, and few of the bishops would want to bring down opprobrium on themselves. It is likely that the bishops will want to apply as light as touch as they feel that they can get away with.
Furthermore, the statement by Cardinal Nichols includes this very clear passage:
My intention is to grant faculties for these requests, as long as it is clear that the conditions of the Motu Proprio are fulfilled and the intentions of the Holy Father fully accepted.'
I suspect that most if not all the bishops will fall in behind this approach.
Cardinal Nichols has made a full statement about the implementation of Traditio Custodes in the Archdiocese of Westminster. It can be read in the Archdiocese website. In essence it invites priests of the diocese to to apply for consent to offer the older form of the Mass, and indicates that, subject to some conditions, consent will be granted. The indications are that all existing Latin Masses in the Diocese will continue.
This is good news, as it is likely that similar policies will be adopted by other bishops in England and Wales. Indeed, some have already done so with varying degrees of formality.
However, there is one point that still needs addressing. This is the parts of the Westminster Diocese (and other dioceses) where there is little or no Latin Mass provision. The campaign goes on.
I would like to draw readers' attention to the following, which has been extracted from Fr Zulsdorf's blog.
Can. 87 §1. A diocesan bishop, whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good, is able to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws issued for his territory or his subjects by the supreme authority of the Church. He is not able to dispense, however, from procedural or penal laws nor from those whose dispensation is specially reserved to the Apostolic See or some other authority.
§2. If recourse to the Holy See is difficult and, at the same time, there is danger of grave harm in delay, any ordinary is able to dispense from these same laws even if dispensation is reserved to the Holy See, provided that it concerns a dispensation which the Holy See is accustomed to grant under the same circumstances, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 291.
Hence, a diocesan bishop can dispense from disciplinary laws, both universal laws and those particular laws made by the supreme ecclesiastical authority (read: Supreme Pontiff) for his territory and his subjects provided they are not reserved to the Apostolic See or deal with procedure or with penal law. Since the provisions of TC is disciplinary law, and has not been reserved to the Apostolic See, the diocesan bishop is free to dispense from the norms.
Can. 87, my friends.
It is still early days to draw conclusions, but there does seem to be evidence from America that since the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, there has been an upsurge in interest in the older form of the Mass. Unlike here, the USA's secular press has taken an interest in the subject, and it seems that people who have not been supporters of the Latin Mass have suddenly become advocates of tradition. Even the liberal leaning Jesuit magazine, America, is warning against a backlash.
Here in England and Wales, one measurable reaction is the number of people joining the Latin Mass society. I understand that the office cannot cope with the number of applications that it is receiving.
The Annual General Meeting of the Latin Mass Society will take place in the hall of Westminster Cathedral at 11.30am on Saturday 14th August. It will be followed by a buffet lunch which must be booked in advance. There will be a Solemn Mass in the Cathedral at 2.30pm.
I would urge all members of the LMS to consider attending the AGM, and more importantly to attend the Solemn Mass in the afternoon. Following the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, attending the Mass would be an excellent way of demonstrating fidelity to the Mass of Ages.
The afternoon Mass is, of course, open to everyone, so you do not have to be a member to attend. I am hoping that the Cathedral will be packed.
It was announced at today's Latin Mass at St Wilfrid's Church (the York Oratory) that Bishop Drainey had contacted the York Oratory to say that Latin Masses can continue as in the past. That is an 8.15am Low Mass Mondays to Fridays, a 9.15am Low Mass on Saturdays and a Sung Mass at noon on Sundays. I also understand that the bishop urged calm following the announcement of Traditionis Custodes.
Today Pope Francis promulgated legislation expressly designed to negate the provisions made by Pope Benedict in 2007, which made the Latin Mass more widely available. We shall have to wait to see how this new initiative works out, but I predict that, at least in England and Wales, it will have little impact.
Pope Francis is putting the onus on bishops to implement measures that will be deeply resented by the traditionalist community, and be seen as deeply divisive by mainstream Catholics. No doubt it will be applauded by some in the Church, but in numerical terms, these are few. Supporters of Stand Up For Vatican II and We Are Church, are now mostly octogenarians or have departed this world. I suspect that the majority of bishops will not be too keen to court the inevitable unpopularity. Probably, arrangements will continue much as they are, at least for the time being. Nevertheless, this is an attack on the Mass of Ages, and very unwelcome.
The text of the motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, can be found elsewhere, and I a few points:
1. Priests will have to have the permission of their bishop to celebrate the Latin Mass.
2. Latin Masses should not take place in parochial churches.
3. No new groups (locations) are to be set up.
It seems that the need for a strong Latin Mass So it seems that the need for a Latin Mass Society is as great as ever. Please consider joining. This can be done via the LMS main website.
As each day passes, more evidence emerges that Pope Francis is about to issue a new motu proprio that will curtail the right of priests to choose which Form of the Mass to celebrate. Rorate Caeli has reported that the document may be promulgated as early as this coming Friday.
Although many commentators on Vatican affairs have reported on the existence of such a document, very little information is known about its content. It is widely believed that it has been through many drafts, and that its content has been toned down at each drafting. It seems that Vatican officials have warned that any measures that seriously curtail the availability of the Latin Mass would cause uproar on a scale not seen for decades.
Expert commentators have said that the traditional Orders of Priests, such as the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, the Institute of Christ the King and the Institute of the Good Shepherd are unlikely to be targeted directly. However, the FSSP has already been given notice to quit the Archdiocese of Dijon in France, on the grounds that their priests are unwilling to concelebrate at public Masses in the diocese. This could be a clue to the type of restriction that is envisaged. One possibility is that bishops will be given greater powers to intervene if they feel that too many of their priests favour the Latin Mass.
Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum gave individual priests the right to choose which Form of the Mass to celebrate, although, in practice, bishops continued to have many ways of ensuring that their wishes were complied with. It is possible that, under new rules, bishops will be more confident in exercising their will.
In England and Wales,the majority of bishops have up til now been reasonably supportive of the Latin Mass. I would not expect this to change in any major way. However, some bishops might their position in a minor way that affects future provision. This has already been seen in France.
Supporters of the Latin Mass need to be on the look out for any restrictive measures that may emerge, and be prepared to increase the pressure for greater Latin Mass provision.