Concerns over Pope's Latin Mass move

[Silas]

Pope Benedict's plans to revive the Latin Mass, which includes prayers for the conversion of Jews, is causing concern among Catholic and Jewish groups about relations between their faiths.


Religious commentators predict that Pope Benedict will issue authorisation for wider use of the Mass - known as the Tridentine Mass - soon.
The Mass was celebrated for hundreds of years before being replaced by a liturgy celebrated in local languages, as part of reforms instigated after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
The old wording has none of the Vatican Council thinking that reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church. Vatican II brought about a revolution in Catholic thinking, highlighting the ancient Jewish roots of Christianity and affirming God's love for the Jews.
Concern is now focused on traditional mass's Good Friday liturgy which contains a prayer "For the conversion of the Jews". The prayer reads:
"Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."
It refers to their "blindness" and prays for them to be "delivered from their darkness."
Pope's personal call
John L Allen, a commentator for the influential US-based weekly magazine The National Catholic Reporter says this is the Pope's "personal call". He has promised to reach out to Christians separated from Rome.
Some priests already celebrate the traditional Mass

"His basic motive is pastoral. He is a classic doctrinal conservative and he feels there are people out there who are attached to this mass and there is nothing wrong with it, so why not let them have it."
The Vatican has said that the Pope wants to heal a rift with ultra-traditionalists who rebelled against Second Vatican Council changes towards an understanding of non-Christian religions.
Their leader, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, now dead, was excommunicated by the late Pope John Paul II and he and his followers broke away from Rome during the 1970s.
The followers of Archbishop Lefebvre - known as the Society of St Pius X - are said to have been seeking reconciliation with the new pope. The group claims to have roughly one million adherents worldwide.
'Little uptake'
Many religious experts acknowledge that in real terms, the revival of the Mass may not be widespread.
"We're more than 40 years away from the Vatican Council and frankly most priests today don't know how to do it," says Mr Allen. "Of course they can learn but they are stretched and won't see it as a priority. I don't really believe there is that much demand for it.
Archbishop Lefebvre: Excommunicated by Pope John Paul II

"Those Catholics who are already interested in the Latin Mass can usually find somewhere where it is celebrated."
But for some Catholic and Jewish groups this is not the point and they have approached the Vatican about their concerns.


Rabbi David Rosen president of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee that represents World Jewry in its relations with other world religions, says: "Any liturgy that presents Jews as being doomed in their faith doesn't present a very healthy attitude towards Judaism and the Jewish people."
"Relations have undergone a profound transformation [since Vatican II]. I don't think there is any danger of backsliding in terms of the Church indulging in anti-Semitism or anything like that," he told the BBC News website from Jerusalem.
But he says the move comes within the context of "a certain revival of what might be called conservative theology within the Church."
"Conservative theology itself is not necessarily bad for relations with the Jewish people and even if Catholics believe their path is the absolute truth, that shouldn't contradict the ability to respect the integrity of others' identity and choice," he says.
'Disturbing trend'
Christian groups argue that the issue has become all the more sensitive because the move comes against a backdrop of a perceived drift in Church policy.
I remember the Latin Mass as a child, and very beautiful it was too - but I hadn't a clue [about] the importance of what was being said


Teresa Adams
BBC News website reader, Kenilworth, UK


"This is only part of what some of us see as a fairly disturbing trend within the Church," Professor John T Pawlikowski, president of the International Council of Christians and Jews told the BBC News Website. "It has been elevated to a higher level than it might otherwise have been."
He cited recent sermons by the main Vatican preacher, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, which revived old charges about Jewish blame for the death of Christ without provoking a reaction from Benedict or his aides.
"And, certainly in America, you have certain voices in the Catholic Church, calling for the conversion of Jews on television," said Mr Pawlikowski, professor of Social Ethics at the Catholic Theological Union in Illinois.
There is also concern that in America bishops are cutting back on personnel who are involved in Catholic and Jewish dialogue.
Professor Pawlikowski questions why the Pope needs to issue further authorisation for the Mass, given that there are priests who already have permission to celebrate it.
'God-centred worship'
"It's almost like some people in the Vatican want to give it greater validation - almost encourage it," he says.
Traditionalists not aligned to the Lefebvre movement have welcomed the proposed moves.
This will give a much-needed emphasis on the sacrificial character of the Mass


Father Brian Harrison

"I think it will help to swing the balance in favour a return to more reverent, God-centred, dignified worship," says Father Brian Harrison, associate professor of theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

Commentators say the change is unlikely to go far enough to win back the "hardcore" followers of Archbishop Lefebvre.
But they say the Pope is hoping that if the Church is seen to be meeting the Lefebvreites half way, more and more may choose to return to the Church over time.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Concerns over Pope\'s Latin Mass move

[Ederico]

Not all Traditionalist Catholics are "Lefebvreites", another piece of half-truth or subtle distortion by the BBC whom first states that Archbishop Lefebvre is excommunicated, then practically implies that all Traditionalist Catholics follow him. I'm not inveighing in any way against the Archbishop, of whose good faith in seeking the good of the Church I'm profoundingly and unshakingly convinced, but I don't like the BBC and its coverage.

Besides, the real problem here is that liberal "Catholics" having dubious doctrines, and the cattocomunisti are worried for whatever downplaying is going on in this BBC article it is definitely not in line with reported trends in relation to Catholics of a traditionalist bent and more VCII and modernist conforming ones.

As for the Jews, if they oppose the liberalisation (sic) of the Tridentine Mass in Catholic worship, they can be rest assured that true and increased anti-semitism will arise in contrast to what would happen if they didn't interfere. Besides, the Traditionalist Catholic prays for the conversion of ethnic Jews for their own good but knows fully well that Faith as a God-given grace cannot be rammed into someone by man being it God-given and being such acts contrary to natural law.

Concluding, if Jews want hell, it is not the Traditionalist Catholic and the Tridentine Rite that will give it to them but their anti-Christian state of fact.

In Catholicism (most probably differently from credible forms of Judaism), salvation is open to them if they accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Messiah. If not, they can join the rest that don't and those that forsook him. At least, that is a proper Catholic soteriological understanding. One is free not to believe this, but then again whining on the beliefs of others which are limited to one's conscience and do not bear any practical negation of anyone's rights is not conducive towards social conviviality or inter-religious dialogue but to persecution. Dialogue is for social purposes, not for religiously syncretistic ones!

Political correctness, the highway to lies and cowardice. Political correctness is anti-Christian.

[Errigal]

I remembered seeing the name of Professor John T Pawlikowski before. He got involved in the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ." Here is a joint statement he and a rabbi issued:

What Christians Must Watch for in 'The Passion'

Gibson has embellished the Gospel text, using stereotypical religious imagery that may be harmful.

By Fr. John T. Pawlikowski and Rabbi David Sandmel
With all the praise being heaped on Mel Gibson's soon-to-be-released movie, The Passion of the Christ, many people may be wondering why many Christians and Jews are unhappy. Who can complain when a major movie star invests $25 million of his own money to make a historically accurate cinematic portrayal of Jesus' last hours? Here are some reasons.

According to all four Gospels, after Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, he is taken by the (Jewish) guards to the High Priest. In the movie, the guards escorting Jesus brutally beat him, and, at one point, throw him over a bridge. The only reason he does not crash into the earth below is that his chains excruciatingly wrench him to a halt inches from the ground. This episode appears nowhere in the New Testament. None of the Gospels provides any information about what, if anything, occurs on the way from Gethsemane to the High Priest. It is conceivable that those who arrested Jesus might have abused him. But it is no less plausible that the guards were sympathetic, even reluctant, to carry out their duty, and escorted Jesus to the High Priest gently and with dignity.

Gibson has embellished the Gospel text in order to intensify Jesus' suffering. But in so doing, he draws on his own imagination and a variety of non-canonical sources, including the visions of a 19th century German nun who lived at a time when anti-Semitic homilies were a common tool for rallying mobs against the Jews.

The Holocaust compelled many Christians to examine the historic role of churches in fomenting anti-Semitism. Christian sensitivity in these areas has fostered significant changes in traditional church doctrine and practice on the part of both Roman Catholics and Protestants, such as those stemming from the Second Vatican Council's landmark Nostra Aetate (1965), and the Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community (1994).

A primary focus of this investigation is a single verse in Matthew (27:24-25): "So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.' Then the people as a whole answered, 'His blood be on us and on our children!'" (NRSV)

In the history of Christian anti-Semitism, this verse serves as biblical warrant for holding all Jews at all times responsible for the death of Jesus. Augustine, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther all use it in this way. Yet the verse occurs only in Matthew. It is not found in Mark, Luke, or John, and is thus not essential in depicting Jesus' death. After a group of Catholic and Jewish scholars objected to the presence of the verse in an early script, Gibson said he would take it out. But the film as screened on Tuesday, January 21, 2004 here in Chicago and the following night in Orlando includes the verse, thus repeating for millions of movie-goers around the world a classical indictment of the Jewish People for deicide.

Gibson claims to have been guided by divine inspiration in making The Passion. That may be so. But by clear intent, Mel Gibson has chosen to fill the screen with stereotypical religious imagery that had virtually disappeared in this country, super-heated by extreme violence, which, as The New Yorker magazine's Peter Boyer puts it, is Gibson's "cinematic language."

It may be that the thousands of good Christians who have seen the film in invitation-only screenings, have been deeply touched by it without being at all influenced by its portrayal of Jewish brutality, and accusations of Jewish complicity in the crucifixion. But one cannot be sanguine about what will happen when the film is released for wide distribution during Lent, especially in Europe and Latin America, where anti-Semitism continues to thrive in societies bereft of the blessing of authentic religious pluralism.

Important Christian leaders such as Pope John Paul II have forcefully condemned anti-Semitism as a sin. The release of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ challenges Christians to address this topic frankly from the pulpit. Christians, especially, must honestly confront the history of anti-Judaism that is tied to the Passion. This challenge must be at the forefront of any evaluation of Mel Gibson's film.

source

[Ederico]

"But one cannot be sanguine about what will happen when the film is released for wide distribution during Lent, especially in Europe and Latin America, where anti-Semitism continues to thrive in societies bereft of the blessing of authentic religious pluralism." -

Blessed? I prefer Malta Cattolicissima of a few decades back as far as religious pluralism is concerned, what we're heading to now is just growing degeneracy. The only result of religious pluralism is the promotion or liberalistic individualism and the withering away of communitarianism, which is mostly cemented together through a common religion and a common heritage.

This religious pluralism and else, is all in the interest of those battling to destroy European Civilisation, knowingly or not, and same goes for multiculturalism which is a perfect way to engender religious pluralism and individualistic conceptions of religion bereft of communitarian realities. In a few words, religious pluralism in Europe is a perfect weapon in the hands of all those that want to eradicate Europe as even a mere vestige of Christendom for their liberal, rationalistic and atheistic Europe. Then, and only then, will the god of this world reign in the corrupted hearts of men. For the god of this world is rationalistic arrogance, individualistic rebellion and materialistic Mammon. To hell with that!

[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Ederico

"But one cannot be sanguine about what will happen when the film is released for wide distribution during Lent, especially in Europe and Latin America, where anti-Semitism continues to thrive in societies bereft of the blessing of authentic religious pluralism." -

This Prof. Pawlikowski comes up again at a Jewish/Catholic Conference organized by one of the major Catholic universities in the US, Boston College. Just another example of how America corrupts the debate in Europe for its own domestic reasons.

Walking God\'s Paths

As for the plan to revive the Latin Mass, I welcome it.

[Franze]

There are too much liberals in the church, but I hope that soon we will see this, because it´s important, God needs more worship and more attention from us. The current rite is useful and good too in your language, but the tridentine mass is powerful.
And it´s an universal mass. And the globalists and uniformists don´t want it, it´s curious.

[Erasmus]

Originally Posted by Peter

And it´s an universal mass. And the globalists and uniformists don´t want it, it´s curious.

Agreed!, the ideologies always contain contradictions

[Ederico]

Originally Posted by Erasmus

Agreed!, the ideologies always contain contradictions

I see no contradiction, considering their unnatural yearn for anything that portrays traditional glory and solemnity such as the Tridentine Rite. Leftists love mediocrity for they are culturally suicidal, at least they appear to be.

Their cultural promotion involves "greats" such as Picasso, communist functionalism in architecture et cetera. They seem to abhor anything that is traditional and aesthetically beautiful, particularly if they cannot distort it with some of their propaganda. Anything inspiring awe, solemnity and glory is off limits for the liberal leftist. Apparently...