The newsflash yesterday from Inside the Vatican (ITV) presented the response - letter from Bishop Bernard Fellay, the head of the Society of St. Pius X, - to the motu proprio published by Pope Benedict XVI on the 7th of July. ITV noted that Fellay's remarks are marked by caution, opening his message with thanks to the Holy Father, but then immediately making this main point: that he is cautious about this document because he feels the great battle over the liturgy still lies ahead, and depends in considerable measure on the attitude and decisions of many bishops around the world who have not yet made clear their own positions. Here is an excerpt of the letter, which you could find in its entirety here.
The letter accompanying the Motu Proprio gives the pope’s reasons. The affirmation of the existence of one single rite under two forms -- the ordinary and the extraordinary forms -- of equal right, and especially the rejection of the exclusive celebration of the traditional liturgy, may, it is true, be interpreted as the expression of a political desire not to confront the Bishops’ Conferences which are openly opposed to any liberalization of the Tridentine Mass. But we may also see in this an expression of the "reform of the reform" desired by the pope himself, and in which, as he himself writes in this letter, the Mass of Saint Pius V and that of Paul VI would mutually enrich one another.
In any event, there is in Benedict XVI the clear desire to re-affirm the continuity of Vatican II and the Mass which issued from it, with the bi-millennial Tradition. This denial of a rupture caused by the last council -- already shown in his address to the Curia on December 22, 2005 -- shows that what is at stake in the debate between Rome and the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X is essentially doctrinal. For this reason, the undeniable step forward made by the Motu Proprio in the liturgical domain must be followed -- after the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication -- by theological discussions.
The reference to Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X made in the accompanying letter, as well as the acknowledgment of the testimony given by the young generations which are taking up the torch of Tradition, clearly show that our constancy to defend the lex orandi has been taken into account. With God’s help, we must continue the combat for the lex credendi, the combat for the faith, with the same firmness.
The letter accompanying the Motu Proprio gives the pope’s reasons. The affirmation of the existence of one single rite under two forms -- the ordinary and the extraordinary forms -- of equal right, and especially the rejection of the exclusive celebration of the traditional liturgy, may, it is true, be interpreted as the expression of a political desire not to confront the Bishops’ Conferences which are openly opposed to any liberalization of the Tridentine Mass. But we may also see in this an expression of the "reform of the reform" desired by the pope himself, and in which, as he himself writes in this letter, the Mass of Saint Pius V and that of Paul VI would mutually enrich one another.
In any event, there is in Benedict XVI the clear desire to re-affirm the continuity of Vatican II and the Mass which issued from it, with the bi-millennial Tradition. This denial of a rupture caused by the last council -- already shown in his address to the Curia on December 22, 2005 -- shows that what is at stake in the debate between Rome and the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X is essentially doctrinal. For this reason, the undeniable step forward made by the Motu Proprio in the liturgical domain must be followed -- after the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication -- by theological discussions.
The reference to Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X made in the accompanying letter, as well as the acknowledgment of the testimony given by the young generations which are taking up the torch of Tradition, clearly show that our constancy to defend the lex orandi has been taken into account. With God’s help, we must continue the combat for the lex credendi, the combat for the faith, with the same firmness.
