June
22,2013: The prostration of the ordinands during the Litany of the
Saints at the Fraternity of St. Peter's Roman parish, Santissima TrinitÃ
dei Pellegrini in Rome / CNA
Washington D.C., Jul 19, 2021 / 17:02 pm (CNA).
More
U.S. bishops have issued guidance on the celebration of the Traditional
Latin Mass in their dioceses, following a papal document that on Friday
imposed restrictions on the use of traditional liturgy.
Archbishop
Samuel Aquila of Denver, in a letter to priests of his archdiocese, has
said that the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass could continue
as normal while he studied Pope Francis’ new motu proprio Traditionis Custodes (“Guardians of the tradition”).
The
papal document, issued on Friday and effective immediately, allowed
individual bishops the decision to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman
Missal – which is in Latin – in their respective dioceses.
“At
this time I need to study the document more, consult with the USCCB,
and Canon Lawyers, before I make decisions on granting permission for
the use of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and the implementation of
the norms given in the motu proprio,” Archbishop Aquila stated.
“I
do not want to act precipitously on the document one way or another,
since the limitations are great,” he added, informing priests that he
would clarify the matter in an email in three weeks’ time.
“Until then things may proceed as they have,” he stated.
Other
bishops from around the United States issued statements or responses in
similar fashion over the weekend and into Monday, saying that they
would study the motu proprio while allowing celebration of the
Traditional Latin Mass to continue.
Pope Francis’ motu proprio made sweeping changes to Pope Benedict’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum,
which had acknowledged the rights of all priests to offer Mass
according to the Roman Missal of 1962, promulgated by Pope St. John
XXIII. Traditionis Custodes states that it is a bishop’s “exclusive competence” to authorize the Traditional Mass in his diocese.
In
addition, bishops with groups celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass in
their dioceses are to ensure that the groups do not deny the validity
of Vatican II, the document said. Bishops are to designate locations and
times where Masses according to the 1962 Missal can be celebrated – but
not at parochial churches. Readings at the Masses must be in the
vernacular.
With
questions arising as to the continuance of the Traditional Latin Mass
in accord with the motu proprio, some bishops in the United States
issued statements this weekend outlining the steps priests should take
if they wish to continue offering the traditional liturgy in the
short-term. The bishops said they needed to study the document to issue
norms at a later date implementing its provisions.
Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport on Monday requested
that all priests who offer the Traditional Latin Mass – including in
private – write to him directly for temporary permission to continue
doing so. He stated he would grant temporary faculties for private
Masses, and hoped permanent norms to implement the document would be in
place by the end of September.
Priests
requesting permission to offer the Traditional Latin mass should
include the date and time of the Mass, the celebrant, an approximate
number of attendees, and an explanation of the pastoral need for the
liturgy, he said. If the traditional liturgy has been offered on a
regular basis at a particular location, priests should also say when
regular celebration of the liturgy first began, he said.
As
CNA already reported, the archdioceses of Oklahoma City and San
Francisco, along with the dioceses of Arlington and Brownsville, allowed
celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass to continue as normal.
The
archdioceses of Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St.
Paul-Minneapolis, as well as the dioceses of Charlotte, Lake Charles,
Madison, and Pittsburgh are also allowing priests already celebrating
Mass according to the 1962 Missal to continue doing so.
Bishop
Donald Hying of Madison said that priests wishing to offer the
Traditional Latin Mass could “presume” his authorization now, “but they
should anticipate in the near future that I will ask them to contact me
to request continued authorization,” he added.
Archbishop
Bernard Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis said that priests wishing to
offer the Traditional Mass should request authorization from him before
the Solemnity of the Assumption.
“I
am happy to grant the necessary faculties so that those priests who are
already celebrating the rites of the Extraordinary Form may continue to
do so,” he said. “I similarly direct that the Mass in the Extraordinary
Form continue in those locations where it is currently being offered in
the Archdiocese.”
Bishop
Daniel Felton of Duluth stated on Friday that celebration of the
Traditional Mass would continue at St. Benedict’s parish in Duluth; the
situations at other parishes offering Mass with the 1962 Missal would
“be examined on a case-by-case basis,” he said.
“As
the Holy Father’s introduction notes, implementing these norms will
take time. I encourage you to be mindful of the faithful who are devoted
to the traditional liturgy and sensitive to their feelings at this
time,” he said.
Bishop
David O’Connell of Trenton said he authorized use of the 1962 Missal at
five parishes, with a sixth permitted to offer the Traditional Latin
Mass on First Fridays of every other month.
However,
Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock said that while two parishes
administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter would not be
affected by the document, the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass
would cease at other “regular parish churches” in the diocese.
In
their statements, some bishops said they needed to seek more clarity on
the motu proprio as they prepared to issue norms implementing the
document.
“The
nuances and implications of the Holy Father’s motu proprio need some
clarification, and I will seek to understand fully what the Holy See is
decreeing before making any definitive decisions,” Bishop Hying stated.
Bishop
Glen John Provost of Lake Charles stated that he learned of the
document “through media sources without prior official communication” on
the same day it was issued and went into effect. He added that the
document “will be studied in due course with the input of my canonical
and liturgical advisors.”
Bishop
Andrew Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St.
Paul-Minneapolis, will chair a task force to study the motu proprio,
Archbishop Hebda said.
Other bishops made statements specifically to Catholics who attend the Traditional Latin Mass.
“I
want to assure all the priests and faithful of our diocese, especially
those who may feel disheartened or discouraged by today’s developments,
of my gratitude and support for your love for the Lord and the Church,
your fidelity to the Gospel and the magisterium, your deep desire for
holiness and your rich spirituality,” Bishop Hying stated.
“I love all of you as your shepherd and spiritual father.”
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