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Inside the Vatican – Summer 2003

LEAD STORY

HISTORIC LATIN MASS CELEBRATED IN ROME
Inside the Vatican Staff

A Tridentine rite Latin Mass was celebrated in one of Rome's major basilicas today for the first time in decades. A turning point for the Church's liturgy?

In what may in the future be seen as an important turning point in the history of the Catholic Church's liturgy and worship, today, for the first time in decades, a traditional Latin Mass was celebrated in a major Roman basilica.

The solemn 2-hour liturgy, which began in the Basilica of St. Mary Major with a rosary at 3:30 p.m. and ended a little before 6 p.m., moved some of the approximately 2,000 present to tears.

Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, celebrated the Mass according to the pre-Vatican II 1962 missal - also called the Mass of St. Pius V or the Tridentine Mass -with Pope John Paul II's explicit permission and blessing.

"The rite of St. Pius V cannot be considered extinct," Castrillon Hoyos said in his homily, which was the only part of the Mass not in Latin (he spoke in Italian).

At Communion, those present were instructed to receive the Host according to the traditional rite, kneeling and on the tongue, not in the hand.

Castrillon Hoyos celebrated the Mass turned toward the people, facing east.

The "Latin Mass" is not entirely in Latin; it contains Greek phrases ("Kyrie eleison" or "Lord, have mercy"

and Aramaic words ("Amen," "Alleluia"

which would have been spoken by Jesus himself. It thus represents a fusion of the liturgies of the primitive Christian communities in the GrecoRoman world of antiquity.

Many present commented on the solemnity with which the celebration was conducted, calling it "beautiful" and inspiring.

Marygold Turner, from Kent, England, said: "This Mass is very, very significant. The Tridentine Mass has been banned in England This is the rapprochement (between Rome and those who desire the restoration of the old Mass) the Pope calls for. The Pope wants it. Our Lady wants it."

But one Irish Catholic tourist, present by chance at the Mass, expressed a view shared by many "progressives" in the Church. He said he feared the Mass represented a Roman shift toward a more "clerical" and "rigid" Church. "l'm worried that this is a step backwards," he said.

Today's Mass came amid other signs that Rome will soon be pressing for wider celebration of the "old Mass" around the world. Indeed, just yesterday, a group of Catholics from England received permission to celebrate Mass according to the old rite in the Hungarian chapel in the grotto beneath the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica itself. The Mass was celebrated at 7:45 a.m. on May 23 and attended by about 25 people associated with the Latin Mass Society in Great Britain. And two weeks ago, as we reported at the time, Cardinal Francis Arinze revealed to Inside the Vatican that Rome expects to publish a document this fall mandating the celebration of the old Latin Mass in parishes around the world wherever groups of parishioners petition their bishop to allow it.

LAW'S PRESENCE
At today's Mass, American Cardinal Bernard Law, who has kept mostly out of sight since resigning six months ago over US Catholic Church pedophile scandal allegations, resurfaced in the front row of those attending. After the Mass ended, the former archbishop of Boston Massachusetts declined to discuss the scandal in which his old archdiocese faces legal suits from hundreds of alleged victims. "I have come to Rome for meetings," Law told reporters. It was believed to be the first time that Law has been in Rome since December 14, the day after he resigned over the scandal that first erupted in January 2002. Law said he had found the old-style Latin Mass "very moving." Also present were Cardinals Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez of Chile, Alfons Maria Stickler of Austria, Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra of Madagascar, and William Baum, an American cardinal who lives in Rome. Though it was the first time this Pope had allowed the old Mass to be celebrated in a major Roman basilica, it is unclear if the celebration will spark any movement toward a reconciliation between Rome and the followers of the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

Lefebvre opposed many of the liturgical and doctrinal changes that came after the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council. The Vatican excommunicated Lefebvre for ordaining bishops without papal permission in 1988. He died in 1991, leaving a movement of several hundred thousand whose leaders still reject some Vatican policies.

But no senior leaders of the Lefebvrist movement were present at today's Mass.

May 24, 2003, is bound to go down in the history of the Catholic Church for two markedly "ecumenical" events in Rome: the solemn traditional pontifical Mass by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the official inauguration of the Church of Sts. Vincent and Anastasius for liturgical use by the Bulgarian Orthodox community.

Whereas the latter, a follow-up to the Pope's offer to the patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church last year during his apostolic trip to Bulgaria went almost unnoticed the former was widely covered by printed and electronic media, including a lengthy report the same evening by Italy's state national TV network RAI 3, and Vatican Radio the following day. (A notable exception was the major Rome daily Il Messaggero, May 25, which ran a report on the old rite Mass alongside a shorter report on the donated church, in a juxtaposition implying similitude between the two stories.)

An intriguing difference was in their ecumenical dimension: ecumenism "ad extra" in the handing over of a Catholic church to non-Catholic faithful, and ecumenism "ad intra" with regard to the traditional Mass. Those who attended the Latin Mass came ranged from some on the extreme left (in religious terms) like members of the "We are Church" movement to some on the extreme right, whose opinions often border on "sedevacantism" (the belief that the see of Peter is currently vacant, that the present Pope is not legitimate).

This broad interest was motivated by the worry of many Catholic progressives that the Mass may signlfy a decision by Rome to 'return to tradition of many traditional-minded Catholics, who hoped that was the case.

If one considers the following recent developments in favor of the pre-Vatican II liturgy, the progressives' concern -that Rome is engaged m a slow but clear movement toward more traditional forms of liturgy and catechesis - appears amply justified (to the delight of traditional Catholics):

(1) In February 2002, John Paul II strongly recommended the study of Latin in seminaries and its use in the liturgy. He emphasized also that Latin remains the official language of the Church and expressed his desire that "love of the language would grow even stronger among candidates for the priesthood," so much so that again this year on February 26th he called for greater "reverence" and"beauty', in the liturgy, saying that Catholics must pray to God not only with theologically precise words, but also with beauty and dignity. "It is necessary to purify worship of deformations, of careless forms of expression, of ill-prepared music and texts, which are not very suited to the grandeur of the act being celebrated," the Pope said. But the immemorial Mass is characterized by "beauty," "reverence" and "theologically precise words" - features of the Tridentine Mass praised by the Pope on previous occasions.

(2) In May, the Pope set up a new Vatican comrnission to restore Latin to its proer place in the Church. The new cornmission will be headed by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education. According to Vatican insiders, he is more fluent in Latin than in his native Polish(!).

(3) On April 17, John Paul 11 published his 14th encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia. ln it, traditional devotional practices are restated, so much so that even Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the Society of St Pius X (the group which followed Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre into schism in 1988) was enthusiastic. I am much delighted by the fact that in this document essential truths on the Eucharist are confirmed, which are often called into question today, Fellay told Il Giornale (April 25, 2003) My judgment is very positive, it was a necessary encyclical It reaffirmed the sacrificial value of the Mass, even if I note it lacks some clarification that would have been definitive, as, for example, specifying that the sacrifice of the Mass is offered in reparation for our sins. In any event, I repeat, my judgment (on the new encyclicai) is positive: let us hope that it will be followed in an efficacious and full manner." Besides strongly reminding Catholics to confess all mortal sins before approaching to receive the Eucharist, the devotional character of the Eucharist is considered and especially devotion outside the Mass. This is one of the aspects of the encyclical that have surprised (and perhaps angered) many modernist liturgists.

(4) As the British Daily Telegraph reported (May 21, 2003) on Friday. May 23, an English priest celebrated "what is believed to be the first Tridentine Rite Mass for 20 years in St. Peter's in Rome. the heart of the Roman Catholic Church." This Mass was celebrated a month after the Pope issued a command permitting the use of the old Latin rite in St. Peter's, the paper reported, thus lifting a long-standing ban on the "Old Rite" in the "world's most famous church." Father Andrew Southwell, a Benedictine monk based at St. Bede's Church in Clapham Park, south London, presided at the morning service in the crypt of Our Lady of Hungary Chapel before a congregation of about 60 or 70 pilgrims, who the following day also attended the Mass celebrated by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. The St. Peter's service is the latest in a series of concessions to traditionalists, the paper said, which suggest the Pope is relaxing the Vatican's opposition to the old rite and seeking a rapprochement with the Society of St. Pius X. "As a priest, to be able to offer the traditional Roman rite of the Mass at the tomb of St. Peter is an immense privilege," Father Southwell was quoted as saying. "It represents a great breakthrough for traditionalists and a sign of hope. Not only is our existence being acknowledged, but we are being encouraged."

(5) Cardinal Francis Arinze revealed to Inside the Vatican that Rome expects to publish a document this fall encouraging the celebration of the old Latin Mass in parishes around the world wherever groups of parishioners petition their bishop to allow it.

(6) Outside the Vatican's direct sphere of action, it is worth mentioning that on May 10 in London, Msgr. Fernando Rifan, besides olfering a pontifical High Mass, administered Confirmation in the old rite for the first time in many years in the UK, as reported in the Latin Mass Society magazine (May 2003). A further proof of the truly universal character of the Tridentine Mass is shown by the fact that it is making inroads in places which could not be more poles apart, in African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, and in Scandinavia.

(7) The journal Fides, official organ of the diocese of Helsinki in Finland, reported that the bishop of Stockholm, Anders Arborelius, has, as part of the celebrations of his diocese's 50th anniversary, preached at the celebration of a solemn Tridentine Mass in the Roman Catholic cathedral in Stockholm.

(8) This Scandinavian influence was also felt in Rome at Easter time this year when various traditional congregations usually join efforts to celebrate the Tridium Sacrum according to the pre-Vatican II books, this year in the Church of Ss. Trinita dei Pellegrini. An unprecedented plus was that this time the master of ceremonies, Carsten Gunther, his assistant, and the choir Schola Caeciliana had come all the way from Denmark to assist at the celebrations, making them truly remarkable. The musical assistance provided was rooted in the Gregorian chant as prescribed in Roman liturgy of 1962, but also included polyphonic works such as Allegri's Miserere, and a Mass setting by William Byrd sung at the Easter Vigil. These Danish Catholics are members of the "St. Charles Borromeo Group," established to favor the celebration of the old Latin Mass in Denmark on a regular basis. Remarkably, many of the members of the Schola Caeciliana choir are actually not even Catholic, but none the less attracted to the old rite.

Why this Mass?
Regarding the May 24 Mass in Santa Maria Maggiore, speculation was rife as to the real motivation of its celebration. Certainly it attracted thousands of faithful from Italy and abroad, including the United States, France, England, Germany, Switzerland and Australia. Among the many clergy, besides the celebrant, five cardinals stood out: controversial former Archbishop of Boston Bernard Law, Chilean Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez (prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments), the Austrian-born Alfons Maria Stickler, Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra of Madagascar, and William Baum, an American cardinal who lives in Rome. Archbishops, bishops and heads of religious orders were also present, including Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, and Archbishop Luigi De Magistris, head of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary.

But the spiritual presence of other far more important figures was brought out by Castrillon's homily: Our Lady, who in St. Mary Major is venerated under the title of Auxilium Christianorum (Help of Christians), and whose feast is precisely May 24, St. Pius V, whose mortal remains are conserved in the basilica; and John Paul II himself, whose childhood and youth, in the cardinal's words, were marked by "such venerable liturgical forms."

Why is St. Pius V important in this context? A canonized Pope, St. Pius V (1566- 1572), codified in its present form the Tridentine Mass following the Council of Trent (hence the name Tridentine Mass); thus the Mass is also referred to as the Mass of St. Pius V. Pius also inserted into the Church's litanies the invocation "Auxilium Christianorum" in honor of Mary's intercession in the defeat of the Turks in the battle of Lepanto (1571). In his homily, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos made it clear that "the old Roman rite preserves its right of citizenship in the Church and cannot be considered extinguished." Therefore, he said, this rite is entitled to its rightful place in "the multiplicity of Catholic rites, both Latin and Eastern." "What unites the variety of rites is the same faith in the Eucharistic mystery, whose profession has always secured unity in the holy, Catholic and apostolic Church," he said. The St. Pius V rite was used for 400 years before the liturgical reform introduced by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The May 24 Mass was evidently the idea of the Turin-based group Una Vox (a splinter group from the International Una Voce Federation although retaining the same ideal in favor of the traditional liturgy) in conjunction with the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei Commission, headed by Castrillon Hoyos. The purpose, as stated by the organizers in a communique issued by the Ecclesia Dei Commission and aired by Radio Vatican in its May 25 newscast: an act of thanks and filial devotion to John Paul II for having promulgated the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei Adilicta in 1984, leading to the indulted Mass, at the same time joining in prayer in the 25th year of his pontificate, in the most ancient Marian basilica in Rome. There was considerable media speculation that some major announcement would be made in connection with the Mass regarding an imminent settlement with the Society of St. Pius X, or at least an easing on the restrictions which are hampering the free celebration of the old Roman liturgy. This was not the case, but nevertheless the far reaching significance of what happened on May 24 should not be underestimated. For the first time since Vatican II, a cardinal of the Roman Curia, still in office, or better in double office (prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei Adflticta) and even reputed to be among the "papabili" (candidates to the papacy), celebrated the most solemn traditional Latin liturgy in one of the four major basilicas in Rome amid Gregorian plain chants and thick whiffs of incense, thus stirring deep emotions that moved some faithful even to tears, but, more importantly, set a precedent which many bishops in the world might find increasingly difficult to ignore. In the Pope's message to those present, signed by his Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano and read aloud after the initial rosary (following the traditional pattern for a Saturday, the congregation prayed the Glorious Mysteries), John Paul II conveyed his thanks and blessing to those present and in general to all those faithful still attached to the old liturgy, wholeheartedly joining them in their homage to Mary.

There were discrepancies as to the exact number of faithful present. Whereas the Corriere della Sera in its national edition (May 25) spoke of 3,000 people, il Giornale (May 25) gave a more conservative figure, 2,000 people. But the fact remains that the church was virtually full, with many faithful standing along the side naves. If a success should be gauged against this yardstick, the event was indeed successful. But this success may also be measured against what Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos said in his sermon, when he referred to the fact that many more people were actually present, albeit only spiritually. On the eve of the Mass, Castrillon Hoyos had explained that with this gesture, he was responding to the requests of faithful to make use of the indult to celebrate the Mass and so honor John Paul II for his 25 years in the papacy. (This shows also how true the Gospel is when it urges people "to knock and it will be opened to you."

Il Corriere della Sera (May 25) reported in its local news section on some faithful having almost started to "cry foul" once they realized that the rite would be celebrated "versum populum," with the priest turned toward the people. But this was inevitable, as aptly pointed out in Avvenire (May 25, online edition) and Il Messaggero (May 25), for St. Mary Major is an ancient basilica with a different building criterion, where it is the main entrance and not the altar that is eastward oriented. Since, according to the traditional rite, the celebrant must face east, Castrillon Hoyos celebrated the Mass turned towards the people, but facing east. This is how the services, including papal Masses, were celebrated there also in preVatican II times.

While there was no way for the celebrants to avoid facing the faithful, other arrangements showed how zealous were the organizers in respecting other traditionalist concerns. Dozens of blacks veils were placed in a basket at the entrance, so women could cover their heads the way they did before the Second Vatican Council reforms: eventually, most of the women complied with this prescription.

At Communion, the communicants were instructed to receive the Host according to the traditional rite, kneeling and on the tongue, not in the hand.

Though the initial idea was not to directly involve any of the officially-recognized traditional congregations, to avoid possible frictions, three members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter assisted Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos with the celebration: former Fraternity superior Father Joseph Bisig, the rector of the Fraternity church in Rome, Father Sven Conrad, and Deacon Joseph Kramer from Australia. A fourth assistant was Father Lochner, chaplain and parish priest in the cathedral of the military ordinary in Vienna, Austria.

Among other clergy participating in the Mass was Father Jean Belleville, a Benedictine monk from the officially-recognized traditional monastery of Le Barroux in France, who is presently continuing his studies in Rome and acted as choir master during the celebration. He regularly celebrates the traditional liturgy each morning very early in a small church in the heart of Rome, and was one of the first religious involved in the preparation of the May 24 Mass in St. Mary Major. He was asked to lead one of the two choirs, the one singing the Gregorian chant. What were his feelings during the celebration?

"I was overwhelmed by a three-fold sense of joy, gratitude and hope," Belleville told Inside the Vatican. "Joy because the mystery of our salvation was appearing in such beauty and holiness through the everlasting rite of the traditional Mass celebrated for the first time after some 40 years in a papal basilica. Gratitude for the Holy Father because through his public acknowledgement of the citizenship right for this Mass, I myself felt recognized, esteemed and encouraged in what profoundly affects my soul's union to God."

And what about the hope?
"A sense of hope in that this first step manifests the will to restore the Church's most powerful missionary tool," he went on. "As a matter of fact, the holy liturgy 'is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows"' (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10).

The way for such a solemn rite to be celebrated in St. Mary Major was paved by another Tridentine Mass regularly celebrated there. Father Giuseppe Vallauri, an Italian priest of the congregation of Don Orione who served for over 20 years in parishes in Ireland and the UK, has been saying the old Latin Mass in a side chapel for more than a year now, on a regular basis, once a month. He was obviously very happy with the Mass by the cardinal, but damped excessive enthusiasm. "In my opinion, its fruits should be expected only in the long run," he said.

Among the regular attendees of Father Vallauri's traditional Mass is the Marquis Luigi Coda Nunziante, secretary of the international Catholic association of nobility called "Noblesse et Tradition." The association is headed by the dean of the Roman "black" aristocracy, Princess Elvina Pallavicini; in her stately mansion, she hosted a memorable press conference by Archbishop Lefebvre more than 20 years ago. Both were present at the Mass in St. Mary Major along with a significant contingent of aristocrats, including Prince "Lilio" Sforza Ruspoli, Prince Carlo Massimo, the Duchess of Segovia and Baron Roberto de Mattei.

"A spell has finally been broken, a veil has been torn aside," de Mattei said. "Many believe the myth that this rite in force till 1969 was created by St. Pius V and abolished by Paul Vl. But neither of the two is true. St. Pius V simply restored and purified a rite dating back to Apostle's time. Likewise, it was not abolished by Paul Vl, but continued to coexist with thc Novus Ordo, the new reformed rite, though marginalized and left to fall into oblivion."

He went on noting that despite the Pope's appeal with his Motu Propriu Ecclesia Dei, too many bishops persisted in prohibiting the old rite in their dioceses. Unless a full freedom of celebrating the Mass is conceded, he said, the risk is for the traditionalists to be confined into some sort of a "ghetto," albeit canonically erected as a personal prelature like Opus Dei. "Another ceremony like this, and the British Empire will be resurrected," was the astonishing conclusion of some commentators after the burial service of the late Princess Diana. In much the same way, one might venture: "Another ceremony like this, and the traditional liturgy will soon be reinstated in the churches throughout the world."

CASTRILLON ENDS DOUBT ABOUT OLD MASS
By Farley Clinton

It was a landmark in modern Church history when Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos proclaimed that the Tridentine Mass is not banned and never has been banned. It is wrong he explained, to suggest that the last Ecumenical Council (Vatican II placed such a ban. Such ideas involve a misreading of that Council, he argued. The Council explicitly gave approval to all the traditional liturgical rites of the Church. Castrillon Hoyos implied, but stopped short of saying, that a war on the Tridentine Mass amounts to a war against Vatican II. Before the Mass, a large congregation, many from France, listened to a letter from Cardinal Sodano, written to assure the cardinal of the approval the Pope feels for his work. This ceremony at St. Mary Major did away with the idea that the Tridentine Mass is scarcely legitimate or was radically eliminated from the Church. The cardinal's address provoked earthquakes of emotion as French newspapers made clear. Le Monde and Le Figaro spiced their reports with a hardly veiled appeal to Frenchmen, including ecclesiastics, to rebel against a tyrannical intervention by the Pope. The Pope has committed himself, by the accord with the traditionalist in Brazil, promulgated last year, to the position that no Catholic needs to adopt a liberal view of any conciliar text. In the Brazil case, the Society of St. John Vianney, an identical twin to the Society of St. Pius X, was not required to say anything at all concerning Vatican II except that an ecumenical council did take place. The negative position taken up at the Council by Siri, Lefebvre, Ottaviani and McIntyre, is tacitly recognized as Catholic. The Council did not impose a leftist view of any question as a condition for Church membership.

Though the French Left was furious, it is no news that the Council really did not intend to impose any new doctrine in any area whatsoever. Even the actual texts of the Council bind no one on any point of faith except when they were repeating what was taught everywhere in the past. And all the bishops present had sworn, anyway, long before, and perhaps on many occasions, that there was no possibility of imposing a new and different meaning on doctrine, or understanding it in a new sense unknown to the Church of past ages. During the two hours of the Mass, at least two and sometimes five confessionals in the basilica were in use.

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