Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce recently presented Pope Benedict with a report on the 2 year anniversary of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (more on the motu proprio here). Even more recently, an abridged version of this report was reported on by the Rorate-Caeli blog. The abridged version of this report is available here. Some highlights appear below... (Note: Italics & an instance of extra punctuation appearing in the original have been omitted below)
* "Perhaps the greatest reason for the current crisis in the Church is that too many people in the Church, particularly in senior positions, no longer accept the authority of the Pope. Where there is dissent, and where personality and self-interest are uppermost, there is decay and lapsation. Where Christ and obedience are to the fore the traditional life of the Church is allowed to flourish unhindered and the spiritual life of the Church flourishes, parish life flourishes, priestly and religious vocations flourish, and the vitality of the faith flourishes. The evidence for this is becoming more clear as each year passes. Those who refuse to recognise this are allowing their own human rationale and agenda to blind them to the undeniable growth that is taking place before their very eyes. They wilfully refuse to see what is becoming incontrovertible."
* "Since the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum the signs, increasingly, are encouraging; tradition is no longer fighting a losing battle, it has been restored to its rightful place in the Church and is now making quite clear progress. It may not be evident in some places but the positive and confident public statements by an increasing number of senior prelates on the Missal of 1962, on a return to the celebration of Mass ad orientem, and on reception of Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling are becoming more widespread."
* "The iron grip of Modernism is finally being loosened. It is a movement that has no past and no future. It is of the present, selfish and self-centred, with a blinkered vision that does does not extend beyond the minds of its adherents. On the other hand, tradition has a secure foundation, a history, a present, and a future; a continuity."
* "We refuse to loosen our grip and abandon the faith and traditions so dear to our parents and grandparents, our great saints and humble sinners. We are adamant that we will not consign their lives, their faith, their liturgy, their fortitude and sacrifice in times of adversity to the fading memory of history. Tradition is a living thing and cannot be cast aside; it is impossible. Tradition is the lifeblood that flows through the veins of the Church and without it the Church will die. Our faith lives in the vibrancy of tradition as it has lived for 2,000 years and we will not dishonour the memory and steadfastness of our forebears by casting it aside in favour of an experimental modern creation; no matter how many times we are told that the new model is better for us."
* "By his courageous action in promulgating Summorum Pontificum, our Holy Father has now generated a debate at all levels in the Church about what was actually authorised by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. For forty years it has been taboo to discuss any aspect of the liturgical reform as though it were to be seen as a sign of disloyalty to Blessed Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI; as an act of disobedience to the Council, and a desire to turn back the great progress we are told, ad nauseam, supposedly has been made under the revised liturgy. Debate has been ruthlessly stifled and the liturgy has deteriorated as the nebulous ‘spirit’ of Vatican II has permeated every aspect of liturgical life."
* "It can be said, with some justification, that a desire for a critical examination of the liturgical reform has been driven, in great part, by the laity. Countless millions of the faithful have given their opinion of the liturgical reforms by abandoning the practice of their faith. This fact is incontrovertible."
* "Since the end of the Second Vatican Council the essential truths of the Catholic faith have been jeopardised in the headlong pursuit of ecumenism; a pursuit, for some, that desired unity at almost any cost. It is the leaders in pursuit of this all-consuming objective that resist any countenance of a restoration of such clearly identifiable ‘Catholic’ Latin liturgy as enshrined in the traditional Mass."
* "The members of the International Federation Una Voce all over the world have provided, once again, their observations on how the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum is being implemented in their own countries during the second year following promulgation... What is clear from these new reports is that there has been a mixed reception of Summorum Pontificum which includes a serious level of episcopal disapproval in many countries. The good will displayed by many bishops has been offset by concerted and continual attempts by many other bishops to thwart the will of the Holy Father. The individual reports from the members of the International Federation Una Voce indicate quite clearly that the motu proprio, a legal document issued with all the authority of the Supreme Legislator, the Successor of Peter, in his attempts to heal divisions and "come to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church", is being ignored, and, even worse, is being publicly disobeyed on a scale that can only be described as scandalous."
* "The general picture, despite many areas of concern, does reveal many positive aspects. It must be said quite clearly that the malaise concerning the reluctant implementation of Summorum Pontificum exists primarily within the ranks of the episcopate."
* "...there are many within the Church, both clergy and lay, who have welcomed the motu proprio and are working energetically towards its success, despite the sanctions being taken against them. Particularly heroic are those priests who are suffering the opprobrium of their confreres in their determination to provide the Mass in its Extraordinary form in obedience to the Holy Father, and in their untiring quest for the salvation of souls. And this number is growing as more and more people, both clergy and lay, are being exposed to the beauty, reverence, and spirituality of the Extraordinary form of Holy Mass. "
* "... the internet that is the route by which many Catholics are becoming aware of the motu proprio. This is becoming the predominant means of informing the laity about the initiative of Pope Benedict XVI in making the traditional Mass available once again to priests and lay faithful. The faithful who remember the older form of Mass, and younger people who are discovering the beauty and spirituality of the ancient liturgy, are coming together to form groups and to petition their priests and bishops for Masses in the Extraordinary form. In most places, generally speaking, it is the younger laity and priests who are showing the most interest. And also, generally speaking, it is the older clergy who are most opposed to the restoration of the ancient liturgy."
* "The demand for the traditional liturgy is a movement that is growing and which cannot be stopped, despite the best efforts of bishops and clergy to do so. The form of Mass described by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as Extraordinary has a pedigree of more than 1,500 years and an imprimatur not only of the present Pope but also, it can be said with complete justification, by the Holy Spirit. With such a measure of support the resistance of some bishops will inevitably fail."
* "Whereas in some places the situation has shown a gradual improvement, it cannot be denied that in many places there has been no progress and there has even been deterioration. In some countries, notably Poland, South Africa, and the USA, there has been a noticeable improvement with more Masses being celebrated and in different locations. In some places, such as Nigeria, the situation has deteriorated; and in most others the situation is relatively unchanged. "
* "There is clear evidence that many in the episcopacy were caught off-guard with the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum and were taken by surprise by the interest in the Extraordinary form, particularly from their priests and by the number of Masses being celebrated. Regretfully, this surprise has now been replaced by a determination to exercise a control that is not within their power to do. It is not too strong to say that many priests are being threatened by their ordinaries and fellow clergy not to celebrate the Extraordinary form of Mass."
* "In the USA, traditional Masses are now being celebrated in 151 dioceses out of 178 and there has been an increase in locations and the number of Masses."
* "FIUV members have provided a great deal of factual information about a lack of cooperation and this information will be provided to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei."
* "...there is much factual evidence now available about the negative and unhelpful attitudes of many bishops towards their priests and their flocks. Many bishops and priests simply dismiss requests from their flocks or simply ignore them and do not reply. Bishops have removed priests from their parishes for celebrating, or indicating their desire to celebrate the Extraordinary form, but it is usually enough for the ordinary to indicate his hostility to the traditional Mass to deter priests. There is also evidence about the hostile attitudes of priests, in particular older clergy, towards their fellow priests that is dissuading younger priests from celebrating or learning the Extraordinary form. For this reason many priests are now learning and celebrating the traditional Mass in secret."
* "There are many priests who have responded charitably to requests from their laity, or have embraced the opportunity provided by Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the traditional Mass, but many of these have asked that their names be not made public. It is truly a sad state of affairs in the Catholic Church when a priest is afraid to be named for celebrating the Mass of antiquity; the form of Mass that sustained the Church through centuries and formed countless saints. It is reminiscent of penal times."
* "The problem with Summorum Pontificum, like many documents emanating from Rome in recent years, is that it has not been brought to the attention of the great mass of the faithful. Whereas it has promoted much debate among the clergy and those within the traditional movement, it is a fact that at parish level around the world most of the faithful are unaware of the motu proprio. In many countries there has been a deliberate policy of silence and containment which has proved an effective strategy."
* "While the older generations express an inner contentment after attending the traditional Mass it is the reaction of younger people that is quite dramatic. They are astonished that such a beautiful liturgy was ever replaced and marginalised."
* "Many priests who have expressed an interest in the traditional liturgy to the members of the FIUV have asked for absolute confidentiality. Most are courageous young priests but who are afraid of retribution from their bishops, fellow clergy, and even their parishioners if their interest becomes public. Some are celebrating the Extraordinary form in private until they are able to do so publicly."
* "Despite the obstacles being placed in their way it is an undeniable fact that the numbers of priests (and seminarians) who are expressing an interest in the traditional liturgy is growing inexorably."
[Related: Latin Mass Facts | Why the Latin Mass? | The Traditional Latin Mass vs. the Novus Ordo (New) Mass]
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