On March 25, Rorate Caeli published a post titled: Pope Sends Message to French Bishops Regarding the Traditional Mass
The papal communique swiftly exploded on the Catholic social media scene, leaving a delusional wave of Leophoria reverberating in its wake.
Stella Maris Media (Christine Niles of Church Militant fame) ran a headline that reads:
Pope Leo Wants ‘Generous Inclusion’ of Traditional Liturgy
A popular tradservative priest on Facebook reacted with a post of his own, saying:
Amazing to see this Major Announcement on the Feast of the Annunciation
Novus Ordo Deacon Keith Fournier also took to Facebook, gushing and gloating:
Pope Leo tells the Bishops of France to make room for the “Vetus Ordo” (traditional Latin Mass) for the faithful who desire it. I KNEW this was coming.
Based on the giddiness of these reactions, that must have been one helluva papal message, eh? Surely, it’s the sort that will be remembered by future generations as a turning point in the battle against Traditionis Custodes!
Pardon me for bursting the Leophoric bubble, but…
It ends up, it wasn’t actually a papal message at all, it was a letter penned by Cardinal Parolin who just happened to mention his boss a couple of times. The most noteworthy part of Parolin’s missive, sent to the French Bishops Conference in advance of their current Assembly (March 24-27), reads as follows:
Finally, dear brothers, you intend to address the delicate theme of the Liturgy, to which the Holy Father is particularly attentive, in the context of the growth of communities attached to the Vetus Ordo. It is troubling that a painful wound continues to open in the Church concerning the celebration of the Mass, the very sacrament of unity.
OK, let’s stop here for a moment.
It sure sounds to me as if Parolin is suggesting that the growth of those pesky TLM communities is responsible for the deepening liturgical wound in the Church [sic].
In any case, he goes on:
To heal it, a fresh regard from each person toward the other, with a greater understanding of the other’s sensibility, is surely needed — a regard that could allow brothers enriched by their diversity to welcome one another mutually, in charity and in the unity of faith.
Let’s pause once again.
One notes that the remedy thus far proposed (if you can even call it that) has nothing to do with making the Latin Mass more available. Parolin is merely encouraging Novus Ordites and those attached to the Latin Mass to welcome and understand one another, i.e., to engage in a little of that good ol’ conciliar pastime, dialogue.
From there, the gist of what that means is made clearer as Parolin continued:
May the Holy Spirit suggest to you concrete solutions that would generously include those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while respecting the orientations set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.
Did you notice the Major Announcement that Leo conveyed his desire for Generous Inclusion of the Traditional Liturgy? Or how about the part where he tells the French bishops to make room for the Vetus Ordo?
Of course you didn’t. It’s not there.
Leo’s name is mentioned a grand total of one time with respect to the liturgy. Parolin’s message merely states that Leo is “attentive” to the situation in France. That’s it. Nothing more.
Parolin offers exactly zero actual proposals; much less does his letter contain any real guidance from Leo. In fact, it plainly acknowledges that “concrete solutions” have yet to be decided upon by the French bishops.
Needless to say, no “solution” is possible until the nature of the problem is identified.
On this point, Parolin was rather clear, and yet his clarity is being overlooked – perhaps subconsciously – by those who are rummaging through the Francis 2.0 wreckage desperately seeking a sign, any sign, of hope.
You see, once Parolin’s letter is stripped of its feel-good expressions of welcome, understanding, and enrichment, the most noteworthy directive given to the French bishops – one they will most certainly heed – is this:
Whatever solutions you may entertain, make certain that they are in keeping with the orientations set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.
NEWSFLASH: The liturgical “orientations” of the Council are such that it never imagined, suggested, much less openly expressed, any desire whatsoever for the Traditional Latin Mass to persist as-is right alongside the revised, ecumenically sensitive, liturgy that would emerge moving forward.
So, despite the Leophoria reignited by Parolin’s letter to the bishops of France, Traditionis Custodes stands untouched, the Mass of Paul the Pathetic remains the unique lex orandi of the conciliar church, and full-communion faithful who refuse to let go of the TLM are still slated for extinction.
