It’s here…
Summorum Pontificum
Rorate Caeli has the full text. As I read it, I am impressed by the Holy Father’s gentle chide in the beginning, to those who speculated about the document - endlessly - for months. I believe he knows who you are too!
Another interesting point is the fact Pope Benedict recognizes the pain deformations of the liturgy has caused the faithful over the years. The Sovereign Pontiff actually acknowledges in an official document that the liturgical abuses were painful to Christians. I don’t know if I’ve ever read such words on suffering except in documents associated with martyrdom, or the recent letter to China. Here is a snippet from the letter:
“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.” - Rorate Caeli
Nice.
July 7th, 2007 at 6:59 am
Te Deum laudamus, te Deum confitemur!
July 7th, 2007 at 9:34 am
I also have the whole text of the unofficial Vatican translation.
July 7th, 2007 at 9:38 am
I also have the full text of the letter to the bishops.
July 7th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I probably will read more, Terry, but I think your short post has captured succinctly what’s it all about.
Catholics, even those born after Vatican II, wanted “to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them.”
They didn’t want to become Protestants.
July 7th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
“The Sovereign Pontiff actually acknowledges in an official document that the liturgical abuses were painful to Christians.” Actually that is nice. It seems like the advice usually given to people who had a hard time was something like, “Suck it up and deal with it!”
July 7th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I have never understood why, as a result of modernizing the liturgy, the older form had to be supressed. It is part of our heritage. To use a (somewhat lame) analogy, when we update our homes, we are not required to get rid of the heirlooms left to us by our ancestors.
July 7th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
That is a good analogy Melody!