Arthur Cardinal Roche, formerly Bishop of Leeds, but now Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, has today issued a statement concerning two aspects of the "implementation of the motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes" of July 16 2021. He states that two specific dispensations are reserved ti the Apostolic See.
The two dispensations are:-
- the use of a parish church or the erection of a personal parish for the celebration of the Eucharist using the Missale Romanum of 1962 (cf. Traditionis custodes art. 3 §2);
- the granting of license to presbyters ordained after the publication of Motu proprio Traditionis custodes to celebrate using the Missale Romanum of 1962 (cf. Traditionis custodes art. 4).
In the original document, it is not completely clear whether individual bishops have the authority to grant these dispensations, and many have argued that, since the purported intention was to give bishops greater control over the celebration of the older form of the Mass, it would be logical for these two issues to be within the competence of local bishops.
It is clear that the intention of this latest instruction is to further limit the availability of the Latin Mass, but it is much less clear how things will work out. In the Diocese of Middlesbrough, Latin Masses are offered publicly and regularly in three parish churches. This is done with the full approval, and indeed the encouragement, of Bishop Drainey. The new instruction would seem to require that application must be made to Rome to seek permission for these to continue. I cannot see this happening any time soon.
1 comment:
Back in 1962 Pope John XXIII issued an Encyclical Veterum Sapientiae, urging that seminary teaching be given in Latin. It turned out to be a dead letter and was quietly dropped.
The latest Batley Boy's document is also an embarrassment to the Church, and needs to be quietly shunted into a siding and forgotten about.
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