Much ado about nothing?
A disappointing response from one of the allegedly most conservative Cardinals in Germany to the Pope's Motu Proprio.
The original article in German from the ever-excellent kreuz.net.
The German bishops were like lions against the old Mass and now they give the impression that their resistance was not necessary.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner is surprised that the interest in the old Mass in Germany is so little. Cardinal Meisner stated this to the Catholic Tagespost. He is President of the Liturgy Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference. Despite this statement by the Cardinal, the German bishops are continuing to handle the liberation of the old Mass, established by the Motu Proprio, as restrictively as possible.
The Cardinal stated to the Tagespost “the interest in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite is, at present, not high, if one bases this on the number of applications”.
However, quantity had not been the Bishops’ consideration for the old Mass. “We want to be in accord with the Motu Proprio and the wish of the Holy Father”, reiterated Cardinal Meisner.
The Cardinal mentions a group of young people in Bonn who found a relation to the old liturgy via the study of Gregorian chant. They have become aware that Gregorian chant has organically grown out of the old Mass. “They have, of course, often been given the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in this extraordinary form”
But such cases are rare.
The Cardinal also explains why the Guidelines of the German bishops conference do not define a minimum number of participants for the old Mass. The situation in the individual Dioceses are very different. It was for this reason that the number was left open so as to constrain noone.
“In the diaspora (Cathcon note-the non-Catholic areas of Germany), the number of Faithful would be less (20) and in Catholic areas, this number would be increased”. According to Cardinal Meisner, there are plans to invite younger priests who do not know the old Rite and who may seek to celebrate it and to practice with them the old Rite. “This is not about the technique of celebration but the priests must understand the spirituality of this Rite”.
“The condition is that the priest accepts as legitimate the old and new Rite with their theology”.
The question whether the old Rite will be considered in the seminary was not answered by the Cardinal and instead he talked about the new Rite.
“We place a value on the idea that the ordinary form of the Rite is also celebrated in the Latin language”.
The Cardinal has had a positive experience with “two or three” members of the Fraternity of St Peter. These priests take part in the Deanery conferences, although I would have been happy if they were to also celebrate the Eucharist in the ordinary form”.
Cathcon note- the Cardinal has difficulty with the new terminology. There is one Roman Rite, which exists in the ordinary form and the extraordinary form. The reality is that the ordinary form exists in so many forms that it is difficult to say that such celebrations have the unity of form and content necessary to a rite.
Any pressure for traditionalist priests to celebrate the ordinary form is simply unacceptable from wherever it comes. Here, Cardinal Meisner celebrates Mass, complete with an alien image behind him.
The original article in German from the ever-excellent kreuz.net.
The German bishops were like lions against the old Mass and now they give the impression that their resistance was not necessary.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner is surprised that the interest in the old Mass in Germany is so little. Cardinal Meisner stated this to the Catholic Tagespost. He is President of the Liturgy Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference. Despite this statement by the Cardinal, the German bishops are continuing to handle the liberation of the old Mass, established by the Motu Proprio, as restrictively as possible.
The Cardinal stated to the Tagespost “the interest in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite is, at present, not high, if one bases this on the number of applications”.
However, quantity had not been the Bishops’ consideration for the old Mass. “We want to be in accord with the Motu Proprio and the wish of the Holy Father”, reiterated Cardinal Meisner.
The Cardinal mentions a group of young people in Bonn who found a relation to the old liturgy via the study of Gregorian chant. They have become aware that Gregorian chant has organically grown out of the old Mass. “They have, of course, often been given the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in this extraordinary form”
But such cases are rare.
The Cardinal also explains why the Guidelines of the German bishops conference do not define a minimum number of participants for the old Mass. The situation in the individual Dioceses are very different. It was for this reason that the number was left open so as to constrain noone.
“In the diaspora (Cathcon note-the non-Catholic areas of Germany), the number of Faithful would be less (20) and in Catholic areas, this number would be increased”. According to Cardinal Meisner, there are plans to invite younger priests who do not know the old Rite and who may seek to celebrate it and to practice with them the old Rite. “This is not about the technique of celebration but the priests must understand the spirituality of this Rite”.
“The condition is that the priest accepts as legitimate the old and new Rite with their theology”.
The question whether the old Rite will be considered in the seminary was not answered by the Cardinal and instead he talked about the new Rite.
“We place a value on the idea that the ordinary form of the Rite is also celebrated in the Latin language”.
The Cardinal has had a positive experience with “two or three” members of the Fraternity of St Peter. These priests take part in the Deanery conferences, although I would have been happy if they were to also celebrate the Eucharist in the ordinary form”.
Cathcon note- the Cardinal has difficulty with the new terminology. There is one Roman Rite, which exists in the ordinary form and the extraordinary form. The reality is that the ordinary form exists in so many forms that it is difficult to say that such celebrations have the unity of form and content necessary to a rite.
Any pressure for traditionalist priests to celebrate the ordinary form is simply unacceptable from wherever it comes. Here, Cardinal Meisner celebrates Mass, complete with an alien image behind him.
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