Perhaps a Hopeful Sign
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Unfortunately or Fortunately:-) TLM is more than an old form in Latin, it’s Catholic. As such it’s incompatible with the “new direction” (the new church) human stewards propose. They are hoping everyone’s in a spiritual coma and won’t notice.
I have never understood restricting the Mass to just the vernacular of Novus Ordo. Whether in Latin or Koine Greek or Aramaic or Old Church Slavonic or the vernacular, arbitrary restriction of the Mass is simply wrong.
I’m pretty sure Traditiones Custodes was considered by Francis and Parolin to be a “concrete solution allowing for a generous inclusion of those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo” by mandating that they shut up and do what they’re told.
Parolin has never demonstrated any credibility whatsoever and I left my rose-colored glasses in my other jacket. No one at the Vatican should get the benefit of the doubt anymore.
Or, he could do something directly instead of talking through staff.
He did the same thing with the English bishops. It’s a nothingburger.
I am not a fan of Pope Leo Dale, to say the least. It is impossible however to judge reaction to these type of initiatives before taking a bigger step. We shall see.
He tells every group what they want to hear. Just like his old boss. Pure Democrat first and catholic last.
I don’t think the French bishops wanted to hear that they should be kind to those who want the TLM…
Leo is on record stating that those ‘sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo’ can worship with the Novus Ordo in Latin … He seems to think (as did his predecessor) that people who prefer the extraordinary form of the Latin Rite do so because of the Latin … He doesn’t get that it’s the reverence that draws people in.
I think Leo wants to avoid unnecessary conflict (which SSPX should respect and not ordain those bishops right now IMO). He’ll go along to get along with the traddies, if they’ll have it. “Cranky Frank” was the semi-dotty great-uncle who said what he wanted to anyone, anytime, any place without rebuke, if something ticked him off.
Do I detect a bit of pendulum swinging on various issues by our Pontiff?
When Traditionis Custodes is withdrawn, I will pay attention.
This is gaslighting folks, by Leo, Parolin, and Damian Thompson. If Leo actually meant this he would have done something to loosen the restrictions, change or abolish Traditiones Custodes, long ago, but he hasn’t. The ball is also in his court, not the bishops, even moreso as we mustn’t forget that it’s not the bishops, but the holy see, who has to give permission for such things. It was also the holy see- not other french bishops- who intervened in France to crack down on the “Traditional” elements. Just two months ago Leo also allowed a statement to be given to all the world’s cardinals reiterating the restrictions on the TLM and reinforcing the rationale behind it. Leo has dangled similar ambiguous carrots like this before, but still no action, which is the real test, of course. He’s smarter than Francis in that he knows how to throw bones to possible critics, such as the “trads,” to buy their silence, by saying this and that, even though he doesn’t act on it. He also seems to be playing good cop, bad cop, as even though it was the holy see who cracked down in France, he makes it seems like it was their bishops who did so, and now he’s coming to the rescue. And Trad Inc. can’t be trusted, who now look the other way in vain hope of getting a TLM in their backyard.
Sadly, David, I believe you are correct. Pope Leo could rescind Traditiones Custodes any time it pleases him. I doubt he ever shall. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t find it useful to hint he *might* loosen Rome’s stranglehold on the TLM. In that way, he’s like Lucy with the football, playing on Charlie Brown’s naive hope she really means it this time.
David: I don’t think Damian Thompson is gaslighting us … He’s just still in denial, hoping against hope that things are different now.