(continued from page 8)
The juridic norms
There are 12 specific norms in the apostolic letter. Some of them deal with the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei ,and others with religious institutes. I have summarized below the norms that apply to priests and to parishes in the Archdiocese. Since it is a summary, the numbers do not correspond to the numbers in the apostolic letter:
1) The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the "law of prayer'" of the Latin Rite. The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Pius V and reissued by Pope John XXIII in 1962 is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of the same law of prayer.
2) In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the Latin Rite may use either Missal on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. There is no need for permission from the Apostolic See or the Ordinary.
3) In parishes where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonizes with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish.
4) Celebrations in accordance with the 1962 Missal may take place on weekdays and also on Sundays at one of the parish Masses. Pastors may also use the extraordinary form of the law of prayer for special circumstances e.g. marriages, funerals and occasional celebrations such as pilgrimages.
5) In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people according to the 1962 Missal, the readings may be in the vernacular.
6) If a pastor or bishop who is desirous of satisfying the requests of the people for the 1962 Mass but is unable to do so (for example because of a lack of priests who have been trained in the Latin language), the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei.
For those who are interested in reading the full text of the juridic norms, I refer them to the Vatican website or Zenit where English translations of the documents can be found.
Conclusion
It is my hope that this column will help those who have heard or read inaccurate observations and have become concerned or even upset about the apostolic letter. It was intended to:
1) help people to respect a part of the Catholic liturgical tradition that lasted for almost four hundred years;
2) respect the stable communities which have adhered to that tradition;
3) facilitate reconciliation and unity in the Church.
It is always a good idea to read the official text before making a judgment. As the Holy Father stated in the covering letter to the bishops, the new Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI containing the reforms of the Second Vatican Council will remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, and the conditions of liturgical formation in the prior tradition along with some knowledge of the Latin language will not be found very often.
The U.S. bishops will meet with Catholic House Democrats to discuss a "responsible transition" to end the war in Iraq. The bishops reiterated their call for members of Congress and the Administration to break the political stalemate in Washington and to pursue a bipartisan policy to end the war as soon as possible.
The Catholic Church in the United States will give $628,000 to 51 programs in Africa, the first ever grants from the bishops' Pastoral Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa. The awards will support pastoral activities including pastoral care, formation of seminarians and clergy, Catholic education, youth ministry, catechesis and social communications.
The U.S. bishops have joined persons urging Amnesty International to restore its neutral position on abortion and to reverse a recent decision by its executive council to take a pro-abortion stand.
The bishops' position was outlined in a July 2 statement from Bishop William Skylstad, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He urged Amnesty International to reverse the decision when its International Council meets in Mexico in August.