On July 7, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued, motu proprio (at his own initiative), an Apostolic Letter entitled, Summorum Pontificum.

It concerned the use of the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope John XXIII in 1962. The international secular press and the electronic media have already given significant attention to the letter.

In a letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church that accompanied the Apostolic Letter, the Holy Father stated, “News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no little confusion.”

The purpose of this column is to provide the readers of the Catholic News with an uncomplicated guide for understanding the Apostolic Letter and for processing the consequent confusion.

Historical background

One of the goals of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) was to reform the liturgy of the Church. In 1570, Pope Pius V implemented the liturgical decisions of the Council of Trent and promulgated a Roman Missal that was made mandatory for the Western Church.

The only exceptions were for regions and religious orders using Missals that were dated prior to 1370.  The term “Tridentine Mass” refers to all the successive editions of the Roman Missal from 1570-1962. The language for all these editions of the Roman Missal was Latin.

Vatican Council II (1962-1965) also had as one of its goals to reform the liturgy. In 1970, Pope Paul VI did what Pope Pius V did in 1570. He promulgated a new Roman Missal which implemented the decisions of the Council.

There were many changes. The liturgy was allowed in the language of the people (the vernacular), additional Eucharistic prayers were introduced and a lectionary distinct from the Missal was published. 

Some groups of people obeyed the Council but remained strongly attached to the usage of the Roman Missal which had been familiar to them. Other groups did not obey and formally resisted the changes e.g. the Society of St Pius X led by Archbishop Lefebvre.

As Pope Benedict XVI stated in his covering letter, fidelity to the old Missal became the external mark of identity for the Society of St Pius X.  However, the Holy Father stressed that the other reasons for the break with Rome were at a much deeper level.

These problems e.g. some teachings of Vatican Council II have yet to be resolved. They are neither resolved nor even addressed in this Apostolic Letter.

The intention of Benedict XVI

The Holy Father’s intention in publishing the Apostolic Letter was rooted in a deep respect for uninterrupted Apostolic Tradition and for the culture and spirit of people who had a great love for earlier liturgical forms. (The Apostolic Letter is an excellent contemporary example of the importance of Tradition in the Church).

The Holy Father was also acutely aware of his responsibility to facilitate unity in the Church. His specific intention for issuing the Apostolic Letter was to bring about an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.

With characteristic honesty and clarity the Holy Father noted that at critical moments in the history of the Church when divisions were coming about not enough was done by Church leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. He stated that this omission by Church leaders must carry its share of the blame for the fact that these divisions were allowed to harden. In his Apostolic Letter, He exhorts us to open our hearts generously to make room for everything that the faith itself allows.

The two fears

The Holy Father states and then responds to two fears that were widespread prior to the publication of the Apostolic Letter:

1) It would undermine the authority of Vatican Council II because one of its essential decisions was liturgical reform. 
Response of the Holy Father: This fear is unfounded. The Missal of Paul VI which was republished in two subsequent editions by Pope John Paul II is still and will continue to be the normal form of Eucharistic Worship. Secondly, the 1962 Missal of Pope John XXIII was never abrogated juridically. Therefore, in principle, it was always permitted.   

2) Allowing a wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray and even divisions within parish communities.
Response of the Holy Father: The second fear is also unfounded. The old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is found very often. The 1970 Missal of Paul VI will remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite not only because of juridical norms but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.

The juridic norms

There are 12 specific norms in the Apostolic Letter. Some of them deal with the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei and others with religious institutes. I have summarised below the norms that apply to priests and to parishes in the Archdiocese.

Since it is a summary, the numbers do not correspond to the numbers in the Apostolic Letter:
1) The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the “law of prayer’” of the Latin Rite. The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Pius V and reissued by Pope John XXIII in 1962 is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of the same “law of prayer”.

2) In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the Latin Rite may use either Missal on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. There is no need for permission from the Apostolic See or the Ordinary.

3) In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonizes with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish.

4) Celebrations in accordance with the 1962 Missal may take place on weekdays and also on Sundays at one of the parish Masses. Pastors may also use the extraordinary form of the law of prayer for special circumstances e.g. marriages, funerals and occasional celebrations such as pilgrimages.

5) In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people according to the 1962 Missal, the readings may be in the vernacular.

6) If a pastor or bishop who is desirous of satisfying the requests of the people for the 1962 Mass but is unable to do so (for example because of a of lack priests who have been trained in the Latin language) the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei.

For those who are interested in reading the full text of the juridic norms, I refer them to the Vatican website or Zenit where English translations of the documents can be found.

Conclusion

It is my hope that this column will help those who have heard or read inaccurate observations and have become concerned or even upset about the Apostolic Letter.

It was intended to:
1) help people to respect a part of the Catholic liturgical tradition that lasted for almost four hundred years;
2) respect the stable communities which have adhered to that tradition; and to
3) facilitate reconciliation and unity in the Church.

It is always a good idea to read the official text before making a judgment. As the Holy Father stated in the covering letter to the bishops, the new Missal promulgated by Paul VI containing the reforms of the Second Vatican Council will certainly remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite and the conditions of liturgical formation in the prior tradition along with some knowledge of the Latin language will not be found very often.