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This letter of Pope Benedict XVI was issued 7 July 2007
together with his Apostolic Letter "Summorum Pontificum" on the
celebration of the Roman Rite according to the Missal of 1962. The
following is the Vatican's unofficial translation of the official Latin
text.
Apostolic
Letter Summorum Pontificum issued Motu Proprio
My dear Brother Bishops,
With great trust and hope, I am
consigning to you as Pastors the text of a new Apostolic Letter "Motu
Proprio data" on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970.
The document is the fruit of much reflection, numerous consultations and
prayer.
News reports and judgments made without sufficient
information have created no little confusion. There have been very
divergent reactions ranging from joyful acceptance to harsh opposition,
about a plan whose contents were in reality unknown.
This document
was most directly opposed on account of two fears, which I would like to
address somewhat more closely in this letter.
In the first place,
there is the fear that the document detracts from the authority of the
Second Vatican Council, one of whose essential decisions – the liturgical
reform – is being called into question. This fear is unfounded. In this
regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and
then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is
and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the
Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the
Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962
and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma
extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration. It is not appropriate to
speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were "two
Rites". Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same
rite.
As for the use of the 1962 Missal as a Forma extraordinaria
of the liturgy of the Mass, I would like to draw attention to the fact
that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in
principle, was always permitted. At the time of the introduction of the
new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for the
possible use of the earlier Missal. Probably it was thought that it would
be a matter of a few individual cases which would be resolved, case by
case, on the local level. Afterwards, however, it soon became apparent
that a good number of people remained strongly attached to this usage of
the Roman Rite, which had been familiar to them from childhood. This was
especially the case in countries where the liturgical movement had
provided many people with a notable liturgical formation and a deep,
personal familiarity with the earlier Form of the liturgical celebration.
We all know that, in the movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre, fidelity to
the old Missal became an external mark of identity; the reasons for the
break which arose over this, however, were at a deeper level. Many people
who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council,
and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to
recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them. This
occurred above all because in many places celebrations were not faithful
to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter actually was
understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently
led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear. I am speaking
from experience, since I too lived through that period with all its hopes
and its confusion. And I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the
liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the
Church.
Pope John Paul II thus felt obliged to provide, in his Motu
Proprio Ecclesia Dei (2 July 1988), guidelines for the use of the 1962
Missal; that document, however, did not contain detailed prescriptions but
appealed in a general way to the generous response of Bishops towards the
"legitimate aspirations" of those members of the faithful who requested
this usage of the Roman Rite. At the time, the Pope primarily wanted to
assist the Society of Saint Pius X to recover full unity with the
Successor of Peter, and sought to heal a wound experienced ever more
painfully. Unfortunately this reconciliation has not yet come about.
Nonetheless, a number of communities have gratefully made use of the
possibilities provided by the Motu Proprio. On the other hand,
difficulties remain concerning the use of the 1962 Missal outside of these
groups, because of the lack of precise juridical norms, particularly
because Bishops, in such cases, frequently feared that the authority of
the Council would be called into question. Immediately after the Second
Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of the 1962
Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with
it, but in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young
persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and
found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy
Eucharist, particularly suited to them. Thus the need has arisen for a
clearer juridical regulation which had not been foreseen at the time of
the 1988 Motu Proprio. The present Norms are also meant to free Bishops
from constantly having to evaluate anew how they are to respond to various
situations.
In the second place, the fear was expressed in
discussions about the awaited Motu Proprio, that the possibility of a
wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray or even divisions
within parish communities. This fear also strikes me as quite unfounded.
The use of the old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical
formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is
found very often. Already from these concrete presuppositions, it is
clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the ordinary Form
of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also
because of the actual situation of the communities of the
faithful.
It is true that there have been exaggerations and at
times social aspects unduly linked to the attitude of the faithful
attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition. Your charity and
pastoral prudence will be an incentive and guide for improving these. For
that matter, the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually
enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be
inserted in the old Missal. The "Ecclesia Dei" Commission, in contact with
various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior, will study the practical
possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according to the
Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has
been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the
former usage. The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite
parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated
with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will
bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this
Missal.
I now come to the positive reason which motivated my
decision to issue this Motu Proprio updating that of 1988. It is a matter
of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.
Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the
centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression
that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was
done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and
unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church
have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able
to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to
make every effort to unable for all those who truly desire unity to remain
in that unity or to attain it anew. I think of a sentence in the Second
Letter to the Corinthians, where Paul writes: "Our mouth is open to you,
Corinthians; our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us, but you are
restricted in your own affections. In return … widen your hearts also!" (2
Cor 6:11-13). Paul was certainly speaking in another context, but his
exhortation can and must touch us too, precisely on this subject. Let us
generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith
itself allows.
There is no contradiction between the two editions
of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and
progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains
sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely
forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve
the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to
give them their proper place. Needless to say, in order to experience full
communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage
cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new
books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent
with the recognition of its value and holiness.
In conclusion, dear
Brothers, I very much wish to stress that these new norms do not in any
way lessen your own authority and responsibility, either for the liturgy
or for the pastoral care of your faithful. Each Bishop, in fact, is the
moderator of the liturgy in his own Diocese (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium,
22: "Sacrae Liturgiae moderatio ab Ecclesiae auctoritate unice pendet quae
quidem est apud Apostolicam Sedem et, ad normam iuris, apud
Episcopum").
Nothing is taken away, then, from the authority of the
Bishop, whose role remains that of being watchful that all is done in
peace and serenity. Should some problem arise which the parish priest
cannot resolve, the local Ordinary will always be able to intervene, in
full harmony, however, with all that has been laid down by the new norms
of the Motu Proprio.
Furthermore, I invite you, dear Brothers, to
send to the Holy See an account of your experiences, three years after
this Motu Proprio has taken effect. If truly serious difficulties come to
light, ways to remedy them can be sought.
Dear Brothers, with
gratitude and trust, I entrust to your hearts as Pastors these pages and
the norms of the Motu Proprio. Let us always be mindful of the words of
the Apostle Paul addressed to the presbyters of Ephesus: "Take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to care for the Church of God which he obtained with the blood
of his own Son" (Acts 20:28).
I entrust these norms to the powerful
intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and I cordially impart my
Apostolic Blessing to you, dear Brothers, to the parish priests of your
dioceses, and to all the priests, your co-workers, as well as to all your
faithful.
Given at Saint Peter’s, 7 July 2007
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