No need to panic....did Cardinal Roche meet his Waterloo?

A brief rescriptum ex audiencia Sanctissimi was made public today. This type of document is a decision of the Roman Pontiff communicated orally to an ecclesiastic of the Roman Curia received in audience, who then leaves a written record of this oral resolution (the so-called oraculum vivae vocis), so that it is considered valid for evidentiary purposes and is also effective before third parties. In short, it is the lowest-ranking document in the complex arsenal available to the Roman Pontiff, which can be modified tomorrow by himself or by his successor.

In this case, the oral communication was addressed to Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, and it merely repeats what had already been said in Traditionis custodes [TC], but further limits the power of bishops as to where and which clergy may celebrate the traditional liturgy. As we said at the time in this blog, and as has been commented on throughout the Tradi world and in curial circles, it was known with certainty that a document was being prepared by Roche and Archbishop Viola [Secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship] which, in the form of an Apostolic Constitution, sought to restrict traditional celebration in a blunt way, particularly with the "Ecclesia Dei Institutes". We also said that this document could be ready and bound, but that it was another matter to see if Francis would sign it. And what I can assume is that he did not sign it.

My reconstruction is as follows: yesterday, 20 February, Cardinal Roche had an audience with Francis, as the Holy See itself reports. He came looking for an apostolic constitution and came out with a rescript. The Holy Father told him that he would not sign any new document restricting the traditional liturgy and granted him a small additional adjustment to the provisions of TC which will change little or nothing of what has already been legislated.

Let's take a closer look:

1 - What the rescriptum does is to remove even more power from the bishops. The question is how such a document will be received by the bishops, whatever their orientation, as the Roman Curia blatantly interferes in the government of their own dioceses. What police power will the Dicastery for Worship have to enforce this new prescription? What will be done to a bishop who, for example, designates a parish church to celebrate the traditional Mass without permission from Rome? Will we pull his ears? Bishops do not want trouble with their faithful, so they will not easily obey the whims of a less than mediocre cardinal. It will be the same as when a bishop made it difficult for priests to celebrate Mass in Latin: the complaints went to the Ecclesia Dei commission, the commission called the bishop, and the bishop continued to do as he pleased, and no one did or could do anything against him.

2 - It would be very strange if, as some people think, within a few weeks - on 3 April, it is said - the fierce document finally appeared and the rescript was just an appetizer. Bergoglio may be very modernist, or whatever else you want to call him but he is a good politician, and for that very reason it is unthinkable, in my opinion, that he should continually issue restrictive documents on the same subject. It would be a clear sign of weakness which he will never allow himself, least of all on a subject which does not interest him at all, and even less if the person proposing it to him is Roche, whom everyone says he hates, and it would not be strange if at any moment he ended up as the first archbishop of the island of Saint Helena.

3 - In Rome, and in the Tradi world, everyone was waiting for the bloody apostolic constitution. And surely the ideologists of the Dicastery of Worship were exulting in the expectation of the death of the traditionalist world. What happened was, in curial parlance, an appalling defeat and humiliation of Roche. It showed how little power he has, how little confidence the pontiff has in him, and, therefore, that he is a weak man, almost a leper, to whom few people turn to say hello. And, as a result, he will never again, as long as Francis rules the Catholic Church, be able to restrict the traditional liturgy. The pontiff doesn't want any more gratuitous problems that generate antipathy towards him, driven by a group of crackpots, like what happened with TC.

4- It is said, and it is probable, that this rescript would aim to restrain the diocesan clergy but that the next document would target the Ecclesia Dei institutes. Anything is possible, but it would be very strange if the same Pope who, a little over a year ago, gave every freedom to the most emblematic of these institutes, the FSSP, were now to change his position completely. I have no doubt that this document will be written, corrected and with golden borders. But I suspect that it will remain as it is in a desk drawer somewhere in the department of religion. No self-respecting politician would raise a cause every month that displeases all but some nerdy modernist. As Machiavelli, Bergoglio's teacher, said, bad and unpleasant laws are applied all at once, not in tranches.

We'll see if this quick, preliminary analysis holds up. With Pope Francis, you never know which way the hare might jump, but my nose tells me that things are as I say.

Source

Cathcon:  All too optimistic with all that has come to pass during this Pontificate.

 

Cardinal Roche, flexible but not our friend