It’s two weeks since the Church put in force a decree that will allow, for the first time since 1962, the Latin Tridentine Mass to be celebrated.
To liberal Catholics, the news has been cause for concern: while Pope Benedict XVI wants to bridge a divide with followers of French Archbishop Lefèbvre, who opposed Vatican Council II reforms, his critics fear the return of a mass which contains anti-Semitic references.
The Mass includes prayers for the conversion of Jews, which was celebrated for hundreds of years before being replaced by a liturgy celebrated in local languages, as part of reforms instigated after Vatican II in the 1960s, which reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church. 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.”
To Dominican friar Mark Montebello, the move is a “sure sign that we’re slowly regressing to the Council of Trent”, who says it’s one part of a series of dismantling measures which have been taking place since John Paul II’s papacy.
“At least, that’s what some would like us to do. And not only in this apparently trivial matter. For some years now, since the latter part of John Paul II’s pontificate, there had been other signs of going backwards, as in the case of the social teaching of the Church, for instance – back to Pius XI; or in the case of Eucharistic theology – back to Pius XII.
“Since 1978, Vatican II has been slowly but surely dismantled. Though sad to behold, it is not the end of the world... yet. Per angusta in augusta (through trial to triumph).”
The Archbishop’s Curia however indicates there is little uptake for the Mass in Malta – a survey by the Curia carried out for this purpose, some years ago, showed that there were no Maltese priests in the Archdiocese of Malta interested in celebrating Mass in this rite. Indeed, it is believed that few priests today know how to do it.
“Latin is still the official language of the Church and there is nothing contrary to celebrating Mass in Latin. In Malta, one can participate in the celebration of Sunday Mass in Latin at the Mdina Cathedral and at St. John’s Co-Cathedral,” spokesperson Charles Buttigieg said.
Benedict’s move is the latest in healing old rifts and remaining true to his classic doctrinal conservatism, a marked characteristic of the pontiff.
Archbishop Marcel Lefèbvre, now dead, was excommunicated by the late Pope John Paul II and he and his followers broke away from Rome during the 1970s but are not sedevacantists. Lefèbvre’s followers – 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.
The Tridentine Mass was authorised for use throughout the Roman Catholic Church from 1570 by the Council of Trent, a response by the Church to the upheaval of the Reformation. It is conducted in Latin, with the priest facing East with his back to the community, who follow the Mass in private prayer and don’t play an active part.
Some people may rejoice at being allowed to participate once again in a Tridentine Mass, which is acknowledged to produce a more mysterious, theatrical and poetic experience of great spiritual power with its strict adherence to tradition. Even non-believers like Carl Jung acknowledged that the Tridentine Mass is a solemn rite of extraordinary power.