AmericanPapist Comments
I have a novel American idea, why not voted on it? Or just let whoever wants to do it, do it?
That's right, you god has apparently decided to have his religion ran by a dictatorship
Truth is not determined by a majority vote.
In the words of Karl Rahner "If the world gathered together and declared unanimously that Christ was not divine, Christ would still be divine."
I think this is a good thing. The only problem I see is that this may cause "two churches within one."
The KINGDOM of Heaven, no "Re-elect God in 2008 stickers".
Clearly, the biggest practical problem with this is that there are hardly any priests left who would know how to do this mass. I asked one of my local parish priests if he would want to do this mass and he admitted he would have no idea how.
Will there be some sort of training made available for interested priests?
The next problem may be the problem we have now: celebrants playing fast and loose with the order of the Mass.
I think those would play a bigger role than the "two churches in one" problem.
As for Hoodlum, allow me to talk to him as I understand how the youths these days talk:
I haf it in it the America. Is it what? For the little hours, too much! benig a robots can, you, for known, addition in it forever. I goes. Explaining it the foreva.
I will also answer Hoodlum (knowing well that it is futile). NEWS FLASH!!! The Catholic Church is not American. Many other people (most) in the world are also not American. I wouldn't presume to speak for the Holy Father, but my response would be "We don't care what you people think." This is not intended to be harsh; but we Americans do not determine Church doctrine or policy. I must concur with then Cardinal Ratzinger--Truth is not determined by majority vote. Hoodlum, none of us gets a vote on truth, doctrine, or Church norms. (Thank God!)
Honestly, I would be taken completely by suprise if this actually turned out to be true. I can't imagine the pope would do it given the catechetical nightmare (and further liturgical abuses) that would result.
Didn't we go through this hype back during Holy Week? I'm certainly not holding my breath.
StubbleSpark,
no need to worry about celebrants - many of the older priests who may have once celebrated according to the 1962 Missal may not remember how to do it, or may not be interested in doing it, but there are significant numbers of young priests and seminarians who have eagerly anticipated this, are quick to learn, and, in many cases, have been practicing for some time for just such an eventuality.
Stubblestark, I wouldn't be worrying. I know of a number of priest both in orders and dioceses that are the designated Latin Mass chaplains that tell me that their brothers "have rubric envy"... that they'd just love to have the opportunity.
But, on the otherhand, if the Reform of the Reform continues or infact speeds up, people attending the Tridentine Rite WON'T increase dramatically. You look at diocese where the NO is celebrated well -- the Latin Mass is not so big.
And this comes from the MC of a Trad Parish!
I may be wrong on this, but my perception is that young men who want to be priets today are far more traditional and respectful of tradition than the 55+ clergy. Given that, I think that Latin and chant may indeed experience a strong resurgence. I have the good fortune of being near St. John Cantius in Chicago where both the Novus Ordo and Tridentine Rite are celebrated and all of their services are packed, with young people who were not even born when the "reform" (I call it destruction) took place. And the clergy there is overwelmingly young. I think Benedict XVI is tapping into that. Tom
Maybe I should clarify my point.
I live in Hawaii. Here, the 50+ priests do things like organize pro-homosexual groups like Dignity and openly proclaim their defiant goal to change the Church and change Church teaching.
Because the local seminary is where older priests go to hit on young seminarians, many of them quit or just up and go the mainland.
We have no young vocations and haven't had any for years!
Some of our priests are over 80 and were pulled out of retirement to fill in the empty slots.
Then there is the little issue of the Pacific Ocean.
And the fact that we share an archdiocese with California.
If a young, orthodox, chaste, heterosexual priest were to wash up on our shores, I would kiss his feet, give him 20% of my salary, and follow him to the very gates of Hell if need be.
As it is, however, we haven't a snowball's chance in the tropics.
Sometimes the orthodox-minded priests are hard to find. People in progressive dioceses, may have luck by hunting down any parish doing a Tridentine, should it be liberated.
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