Pope To Restore Traditional Latin Mass
The Press Office of the Holy See announced on Thursday, June 28, 2007, that Pope Benedict XVI will issue, within a few days, a motu proprio restoring the Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated in Latin Rite Catholic churches until 1969, as one of two approved forms of the Mass. The Mass of Pope Paul VI, commonly known as the Novus Ordo and currently celebrated throughout the world, will be the "ordinary" form; the Traditional Latin Mass, said according to the version of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962, will be the "extraordinary" form.
The action has been rumored for almost two years. Pope Benedict, even before his election to the papacy, has long expressed concern over the way that the Novus Ordo was introduced and implemented, and he has spoken of the need for a "dialogue" between the New Mass and the Old, from which both forms of the Mass might benefit.
The Traditional Latin Mass, commonly called the Tridentine Mass (after the Council of Trent, which directed Pope St. Pius V to publish a standardized missal) or simply the Latin Mass, was replaced in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. In 1988, however, Pope John Paul II, in part in response to the schism of the Society of St. Pius X (who had continued to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass), issued a motu proprio entitled "Ecclesia Dei," which urged individual bishops to allow "a wide and generous" celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in their dioceses.
In many parts of the world, however, the response of bishops was less than enthusiastic, and Pope Benedict's own motu proprio is intended to rectify that situation. It is rumored that, under the new document, the decision to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass publicly is left up to the individual priest, provided that at least 30 people have requested that he celebrate it. (A priest can always celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass privately.)
While the release of the motu proprio is the most significant liturgical development in the Catholic Church since 1969, in the short run, it is unlikely to cause significant change. A number of religious institutes, such as the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, already celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively, and the number of people attending the Traditional Latin Mass each Sunday has been increasing steadily since 1988. In the long run, however, Pope Benedict hopes that the increased use of the Traditional Latin Mass, with its strict adherence to liturgical norms, will change the way that the Novus Ordo is celebrated. In his recent apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis and elsewhere, the Holy Father has expressed his desire to see the use of Latin and Gregorian chant in the celebration of the New Mass, and has even pointed out that the celebration of the Mass facing the people (versus populum) was only meant to be an option; the traditional ad orientem ("to the East") celebration, in which the priest and the people face the same direction, was meant to be the norm even for the Novus Ordo.
(Photo Credit: Franco Origlia / Getty Images)UPDATE: The Vatican Information Service has issued an English translation of the announcement:
"Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican, a meeting was held under the presidency of the Cardinal Secretary of State in which the content and spirit of the Holy Father's forthcoming 'Motu Proprio' on the use of the Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962 was explained to representatives from various episcopal conferences. The Holy Father also arrived to greet those present, spending nearly an hour in deep conversation with them."The publication of the document - which will be accompanied by an extensive personal letter from the Holy Father to individual bishops - is expected within a few days, once the document itself has been sent to all the bishops with an indication of when it will come into effect."
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I am pleased to hear that the traditional Latin Mass will be heard. After the changes in the mass, I stopped attending church as I could not stand the “hippi” comercial movement in the church.Music that could be heard in any bar or pub,but poorly played made me leave my church feeling angry at the colossal destruction of beauty and world-wide unity. Also, I could attend mass and feel at home in any country in the world…unified Catholics. Be wonderful to attend a High Mass filled with beauty and elegance of sight and sound that created a feeling of the holiness and oneness of being a Catholic anywhere in the world…a home away from home. God bless the Pope in his wisdom.
Welcome back, Carla. There were a lot of people who felt the same way. We’ve missed you.
Good to have the latin mass back. Missed it.
I cannot believe this is actually happening! Is it true? will my parish then have to say Mass in Latin? Oh I cannot wait. I miss the beauty of it all…the sounds of the bells at the altar, the music, the scent…this is how we grew up, its what I loved most..it always was a great feeling walking out of Church. Still is but not like this….
well there goes any kind of out of step way the church of Rome has been in the last 10yrs. will there be anybody left after this stoneage decision
I am a recent convert to the Church – I was baptised and confirmed simultaniously last Easter. Three years ago, I received my ‘calling’ as it were, and hence had to decide which denomination of Christianity I should follow. I can tell you now, if the Mass was said in Latin, my immediate reaction would have been to disregard Catholicism as an option. I didn’t (and still don’t) have time to learn another language, even partially!
Hearing the Mass in English not only allows me to understand what is going on and to connect with God, but also means that I am involved in the Mass. I think that that is crucial for everybody, otherwise what is the point of going to Mass? Mass will simply be redefined as an hour long wait before you meet with our Lord through Holy Communion. Even then, once you have received Holy Communion, you say “Thank you” IN YOUR OWN LANGUAGE!
We live in an age where people like to be able to understand things (me inclusive). If people have no idea what’s going on without doing tonnes of research, it’s obvious what they’ll do – they’ll pass and go elsewhere.
I went to confession last Saturday. My penance was to say an Our Father, slowly, thinking about what each line of it meant. If it was in Latin, I would have been pretty stuck!
An interesting thought: ‘Being inattentive at Mass’ is something common to see on material about things to confess at confession. If all people are doing at Mass is sitting there doing nothing (hey, if sombody is rambling at you in a foreign language, what else can you do?), and only reciting the Latin prayers by rote, not with feeling, are they doing something wrong? Remember – it wan’t their choice to hear the Mass in Latin…
Vatican II released us from all the traditions and pomp and circumstance that was so prevalent in the Church at the time. In doing so, however, it also gave us no direction or even bearing on where to go or what to do with this new freedom of expression. The result was to leave the average catholic with no sense or meaning about what it means to be Catholic and definately no perspective about our beliefs. Returning to the Latin Mass won’t restore that either although it may bring back some personal meaning to those who have missed the format these many years.
Latin was used by the Church as a means to allow people to attend and understand Mass no matter where in the world they were attending. In a time where languages literally were formed and lost overnight, Latin offered a stability in communication. It was a useful way in its time but its time has long since past.
I believe what is needed is for the congregation to fully understand the Mass and to approach in in reverence. The Latin format can certainly lend itself to that kind of reverence. However, it should be done in the language the congregation understands and not some dead language that is no longer needed. The chants, the bells, the prayers from the altar servers, etc. can invoke the same type of reverence in the language of the congregation as well as with Latin. It is the meaning and the reverence that is important and not the pomp and circumstance.
Take care
Dennis
Thomas, Justin, and Lisa–I’ve addressed some of the issues you raised in a later post, which you can find here: “How Will the Return of the Latin Mass Affect You?“
Am ever so thankful that the Latin Mass will be restored. This is the mass as I learned it when I was a young girl and must admit that I have missed the Latin Mass and stopped going to mass as I could not stand the so-called modernization of everything.