Church split feared as Pope backs return of 'anti-Semitic' Latin Mass (Jesus Christ, priest)

[SirKnight1788]

Belfast Telegraph
Church split feared as Pope backs return of 'anti-Semitic' Latin Mass

By Ian Herbert

A plan by the Pope to authorise the widespread return of the controversial Latin Mass, despite concerns that parts of it are anti-Semitic, has provoked a backlash among senior clergy in Britain and threatens to divide the Catholic Church worldwide.

The 16th-century Tridentine Mass - which includes references to "perfidious" Jews - was abandoned in 1969 and replaced with liturgy in local languages, to make worship more accessible to the bulk of churchgoers. But the Pope announced on Thursday that a long-awaited document liberalising the use of the Mass, which some clergy fear will also limit the Church's dialogue with Jews and Muslims, will be released next week.


Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has written to the Pope to say that no changes are needed. Concerns about the prospect of the introduction of the Mass were also underlined on Thursday at an unusual meeting to underline resistance to it. But the Pope subsequently issued a statement revealing that he had illustrated "the content and the spirit" of next week's document, which will be sent to all bishops, accompanied by a personal letter from him.


There have been months of debate about the impending statement within the higher echelons of the Church. Cardinals, bishops and Jewish leaders are concerned by the text of the "old" Mass, which has passages, recited every Good Friday, which say Jews live in "blindness" and "darkness", and pray "the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ".


There are also fears that a reintroduction may be the precursor of further changes to the reforms approved by the Second Vatican Council, which sat between 1962 and 1965 and which called for the Mass to be said in local languages, for the priest to face the congregation, and for the use of lay readers. Latin could still be used to recite the Mass, but the "new" Mass will be used, not the "old" Mass.


To celebrate the old Latin Mass now, a priest must obtain permission from the local bishop and the Roman Catholic Church in Britain. "It is standard practice to follow Rome, but we don't know yet what the [statement] will say," a spokesman for the Church in Britain said yesterday. "When we have the document, bishops and cardinals will consider it."


Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said bishops would still have a "central role" - but hinted at the Vatican's new enthusiasm for the old Mass by calling it a "great treasure" of the Church.


Pope Benedict's move is widely seen as an attempt to reach out to an ultra- traditionalist and schismatic group, the Society of St Pius X, and bring it back into the Vatican fold. The late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the society in 1969 in Switzerland, in opposition to the Second Vatican Council's reforms.


The Rev Keith Pecklers, a Jesuit liturgical expert, said: "The real issue here is not limited to liturgy but has wider implications for church life." He added that proponents of the old Mass "tend to oppose the laity's increased role in parish life... collaboration with other Christians and its dialogue with Jews and Muslims".

[Scott1]

Just FYI: The Latin Mass never went "away".... in my diocese it has been said once a month since the change in the 60's.... and there should not be much change for the average Catholic. This move by the Pope is specifically aimed at people who grew up with the old rite and where groups of them still exist and would prefer hearing the Mass said in Latin.

I don't care for it one bit.... and don't ever plan to attend a Mass said in Latin.

Peace all,
S

[Te Deum]

The Tridentine Latin Mass is not anti-semitic. The prayer that is viewed as such is not in the 1962 Missal that is used in most Tridentine Masses, it is in the 1955 Missal, and the motu proprio allows the 1962 Missal now, not the 1955 Missal. This is an all too common misunderstanding.

For those unfamiliar with the Tridentine Latin Mass:

Videos of Tridentine Latin Masses:

Videos can be found in a list near the bottom of my article on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Basic Information on the Tridentine Mass:

Sancta Missa
Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
Latin Mass Society of Ireland
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP)
Tridentine Latin Rite Missal Project
Una Voce America

Vestments Proper for the Tridentine Mass:

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
Susan Maria Evans

Learning Latin and/or Tridentine Latin Mass:

Cursus Linguae Latinae Vivae
Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin by Leo F. Stelten
LatinStudy
Sancta Missa: Tutorial on the Tridentine Latin Mass
Thesaurus Precum Latinarum (Latin Prayers)
Video: The Most Beautiful Thing This Side of Heaven

Sample letters for requesting the Extraordinary Form of the Holy Mass:

Requesting the Extraordinary Form of the Holy Mass: Three Sample Letters

[Te Deum]

Originally Posted by Scott1

This move by the Pope is specifically aimed at people who grew up with the old rite and where groups of them still exist and would prefer hearing the Mass said in Latin.I don't care for it one bit.... and don't ever plan to attend a Mass said in Latin.

Well so far the people that are most supportive of the Tridentine Latin Mass are the young people! I've seen so many young people - myself included - that attend the Tridentine Mass, some of us attend the Tridentine Mass exclusively.

Here is an interview that I did for a Polish News Agency (Dziennik):

What makes the Tridentine Mass so appealing and interesting to Catholics, even though a lot of them has no or very basic knowledge of the Latin language.


As a young Roman Catholic seminarian from the United States of America, I was a strong proponent of the Holy Father's most recent motu proprio allowing the Tridentine Latin Mass to be celebrated without bounds. However, years before the recent motu proprio, I have been attached to the great Tridentine Mass, specifically the reverence and mystery found in the Liturgy. As a layman, I do not need to understand all of the words of the Liturgy, a missal is for the purpose of understanding the prayers. At Mass, my purpose at this time is to raise my heart and mind to God in praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. And as I watch the priest in the sanctuary and see his oneness with God in offering the Sacrifice of the Cross, I find the greatest spiritual benefits.

As for me, the language of Latin is not the chief benefit of the Latin language. It is true that the language is important because it enhances the mystery of the Mass, as Pope Pius XII said, "The use of the Latin language prevailing in a great part of the Church affords at once an imposing sign of unity and an effective safeguard against the corruption of true doctrine." However, for me, the mystery and reverence are also enhanced by the ad orientem posture, the use of an altar rail, the many additional signs of the Cross and genuflection, the dress ( i.e., chapel veils) by those who frequently attending the Tridentine Mass, and the strong theological truths expressed in the prayers of the Tridentine Mass. For me, these are some of the reasons for which I am greatly attached to the Tridentine Mass.