The recent motu propio, Summorum Pontificum, of Pope Benedict XVI has been received with mixed feelings by different sections of the Catholic faithful. Some see in it too much concession to the schismatic group, the Society of St Pius X, founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

Archbishop Lefebvre rejected several reforms of Vatican II, including the reform of the Tridentine Mass to the present version promulgated by Paul VI in 1970.

However, we need not come to a negative conclusion concerning the motu propio. First of all, Benedict XVI has consistently maintained that he will follow through with the teachings of Vatican II.

Secondly, we must remember that before being the guardian of doctrine and morality, Peter is above all a sign of unity of the Catholic faithful.

This aspect of unity was one of the reasons the Pope chose the name “Benedict”. The last Benedict - Benedict XV - was a man who made peace in troubled times, a reconciler.

The Pope sees himself in similar vein. His overtures to the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church have been better received than those of his immediate predecessor.

He is also deeply interested in reconciliation between the Churches of the East and West. This motu propio is therefore part of the Pope’s resolve to keep the Catholic fold as intact as possible amidst the vicissitudes of modern life.

Furthermore, this liturgical directive states unequivocally: “The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the lex orandi (law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite.”

There is therefore no doubt as to the normative practice of the Church: the modern Mass or the vernacular Mass is here to stay.

Hopeful of the future

It is no secret that there are some in the Church today who think that Vatican II was a mistake. Blessed Pope John XXIII was aware of this small group of dissenters back in 1962.

In his opening speech to the Council, he said: “In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to listen, much to our regret, to the voices of persons who, though burning with zeal, are not endowed with too much sense of discretion or measure. In these modern times they see nothing but prevarication and ruin … We feel we must disagree with these prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand.”

Blessed Pope John therefore saw the future as hopeful and the work of the Council as a means of creating that hope. We too must keep such hope alive. Of course, there have been excesses here and there but the conciliar movement as a whole has been positive and brought new life to the Church.

 The Mass in our archdiocese, for instance, has been appropriately inculturated to meet the needs of our people as can be seen in the Drum Mass, the Heritage Day Mass, the Divali Mass and the Patois Mass.

At times, silence and reverence have been sacrificed somewhat, but pastors have generally struggled to maintain the “respectful reverence” mentioned in the motu propio.

As we prepare to meet the challenge of these times, let us be guided by the vision of Vatican II as we strive “to bring new energy to the many ministries of the Archdiocese” (Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter).