Saturday, July 07, 2007

The Motu--Vatican Translation w/USCC Q&A Link

Courtesy of Fr. Z., here are some excerpts from the Vatican translation of the Motu, which becomes effective September 14th, the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Art. 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is to be regarded as the ordinary expression of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Catholic Church of Latin Rite, while the Roman Missal promulgated by St Pius V and published again by Blessed John XXIII as the extraordinary expression of the law of prayer (lex orandi) and on account of its venerable and ancient use let it enjoy due honor.

These two expressions of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church in no way lead to a division in the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church, for they are two uses of the one Roman Rite.

Hence it is licit to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass in accordance with the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as the extraordinary [as used here, the term 'extraodinary' does NOT mean 'rare'] form of the Liturgy of the Church. The conditions laid down by the previous documents Quattuor abhinc annos and Ecclesia Dei for the use of this Missal are replaced by what follows:

[You will notice that the Pope specifically stated that the 1962 Mass "was never abrogated." While informed Catholics knew that, many people in the Liturgical Establishment, ...ah, ....contradicted this fact if someone inquired about the Old Rite.]

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, any priest of Latin rite, whether secular or religious, can use the Roman Missal published by Pope Blessed John XXIII in 1962 or the Roman Missal promulgated by the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI in 1970, on any day except in the Sacred Triduum. For celebration in accordance with one or the other Missal, a priest does not require any permission, neither from the Apostolic See nor his own Ordinary.

[This is not really a big change--"private Masses" in the Old Rite were always acceptable, although there was no formal allowance for Old Rite 'private Masses' celebrated in the presence of the Faithful.]

[Article 3 pertains to religious Orders]

Art. 4. With due observance of law, even Christ’s faithful who spontaneously request it, may be admitted to celebrations of Holy Mass mentioned in art. 2 above.

[That is to distinguish "private Masses" from "public Masses," treated below.]

Art. 5, § 1. In parishes where a group of faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition exists stably, let the pastor willingly accede to their requests for the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962. Let him see to it that the good of these faithful be harmoniously reconciled with ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the governance of the Bishop according to canon 392, avoiding discord and fostering the unity of the whole Church.

§ 2. Celebration according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII can take place on weekdays,while on Sundays and on feast days there may be one such celebration.

[That is a limitation applied to "public Masses," (those scheduled in the Parish bulletin.)]

§ 3. Let the pastor permit celebrations in this extraordinary form for faithful or priests who request it, even in particular circumstances such as weddings, funerals or occasional celebrations, for example pilgrimages.

[An expansion; the Old Rite was not allowed for weddings/funerals in many places, even if there was an Indult Mass. In Milwaukee, Abp. Weakland gave permission for weddings/funerals in the Old Rite prior to his retirement.]

Art. 6. In Masses celebrated with the people according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, the Readings can be proclaimed even in the vernacular, using editions that have received the recognitio of the Apostolic See.

[This is a significant change, still in the making. He allows for the use of the Pauline Rite's 3-year readings-cycle which uses quite a bit more of the Bible than did the 1962 Rite. He later suggests that the Ecclesia Dei Commission will be looking at adding some Canons as well.]

Art. 7. Where some group of lay faithful, mentioned in art. 5§1 does not obtain what it requests from the pastor, it should inform the diocesan Bishop of the fact. The Bishop is earnestly requested to grant their desire. If he cannot provide for this kind of celebration, let the matter be referred to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Art. 8. A Bishop who desires to make provision for requests of lay faithful of this kind, but is for various reasons prevented from doing so, may refer the matter to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, which should give him advice and help.

[AKA the "escape clause']

Art. 9, § 1. Likewise a pastor may, all things duly considered, grant permission to use the older ritual in administering the Sacraments of Baptism, Matrimony, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, as the good of souls may suggest.




§ 2. Ordinaries are granted the faculty to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation using the former Roman Pontifical, as the good of souls may suggest.

§ 3. It is lawful for clerics in holy orders to use even the Roman Breviary promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962.

[The old Office!]

Art 10. It is lawful for the local Ordinary, if he judges it opportune, to erect a personal parish according to the norm of canon 518 for celebrations according to the older form of the Roman rite or appoint a rector or chaplain, with due observance of the requirements of law.

[This provision may be applied in Milwaukee in the very near future.]

[It is also notable that the USCC translation does not mention 'rector' in this Article.]

Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, erected in 1988 by John Paul II, continues to carry out its function. This Commission is to have the form, duties and norm for action that the Roman Pontiff may wish to assign to it.

Art. 12. The same Commission, in addition to the faculties it already enjoys, will exercise the authority of the Holy See by maintaining vigilance over the observance and application of these dispositions.

[Of course, such 'vigilance over the observance and application' will depend on the person who runs Ecclesia Dei.]

Some commentary from Fr. Z which is pertinent [exceprts]:

In places where the older form is established in a parish for the older use, the Triduum CAN be celebrated with the older books. However, in parishes where the newer forms are the usual fare, and there is a regularly scheduled Mass with the older form, when the Triduum arrives, the older, extraordinary liturgy must give way to the ordinary. That is logical. In the Novus Ordo, as in the older days, there cannot be two Masses of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, two Good Friday liturgies, or two Vigils. So, in this case, the ordinary takes precedence.

...the 1962 Missale, the Missal of Bl. John XXIII is to be used, and NOT some earlier edition. Priests who are not adhering to the 1962 rubrics should be now ready and willing to adjust what they are doing. Lay people must be ready and willing to adjust their expectations

[I have seen an older version used, in a Wisconsin Diocese. It's easy to tell--the priest included the Indulgentiam and extra Confiteor just before the Communion of the Faithful.]


The USCC has published their translation and "20 Questions/Answers" here.

One particularly interesting Q/A:


Q) 3. How does participation of the faithful in the Missale Romanum of Blessed John XXIII differ from the Missale Romanum of the Servant of God, John Paul II?

A) In both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Missale Romanum, full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful is to be desired above all else.30 In both forms, this begins with an interior participation in the sacrifice of Christ, to which the gathered assembly is joined by the prayers and rites of the Mass. The ordinary form of the rite customarily accomplishes this participation through listening and responding to the prayers of the Mass in the vernacular, and by taking part in forms of exterior communal action. The extraordinary form accomplishes this participation largely through listening to the prayers in Latin and following the words and
actions of the Priest and joining our hearts to .what is said by him in the Name of Christ and [what] Christ says [to] him..31




Sorta, kinda.

Those of us who were (happily) acquainted with orthodox AND licit liturgical practice prior to 1963 were acquainted with the "Dialogue Mass" during which the laity/faithful responded (spoken or sung, or both) to the priest. This included the responses for the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar as well as the short responses (Amen, Et Cum Spiritu Tuo, etc.). Of course, the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei were sung (or spoken) as well, the Pater Noster was said or sung with the priest, and the triple Domine, non sum dignus before Communion was said. This was made explicit in the 1958 Instruction on the Liturgy, but had been more-or-less in the works since 1947 and again 1955.

It wasn't just 'listening and following', although such active participation was certainly acceptable and laudable.

Q. 5 (P. 11 of the document) includes the following:

Q) What other major differences characterize the extraordinary and ordinary forms of the Missale Romanum?


(Old Rite): Preserves prayers and rites of 1570 with some changes


(New Rite) Simplifies prayers and rites in the light of contemporary research and understanding

You see, the Liturgeist Establishment is enlightened and has 'understanding.'

Nobody else does.

It is worth noting that the "research and understanding" utilized by the implementing Commission in the 1960's has been subsequently demonstrated to be....ah....inadequate or, in some cases, simply fabricated outright. One clear example is the "research and understanding" which led the USCC's Liturgy Commissariat to direct that the priest will "face the people" during the Mass.

And that's not the end of the snarkiness:



(Old Rite) Only clerics or .altar boys. perform liturgical ministry


(New Rite) Restores lay liturgical ministries and encourages careful differentiation of roles

Anyone who actually READ Pius XII's letter of Christmas, 1955 understands that this is fallacious. The men and boys who sang in choir were liturgical ministers, according to that letter, either directly or by deputation.

Another useful quotation from B-16, this on February 22, 2007:

#62. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.

So the Motu Proprio should not have been a surprise to the Bishops of the world--nor the laity.

(HT: LACatholic)




2 comments:

Unknown said...

You spelled USCCB incorrectly. Not that it matters or anything, they mistranslated the MP as well.

Dad29 said...

NCWC, USCC, USCCB, Bishops' Conference, ---

who the Hell can keep it straight?