Archbishop Conti tells clergy: do not promote the Extraordinary Form of the Mass

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He’s certainly not going to win any awards from the Latin Mass Society, but he’s actually correct that there’s nothing in Universae Ecclesiae that would call on church authorities to actively push the spread of the TLM. So the answer to the question posed in the title of this thread would seem to be “No, apparently not.”

Especially humorous, though, are Damian Thompson’s comments in which he insists on referring to the archbishop by his first name (isn’t that standard practice at Call to Action conferences?) and then – flailing about wildly for something to criticize – he mocks the archbishop for wearing a cassock (“complete with faschia, mozzetta and zucchetto”!) and pretends to praise Cardinal O’Brien for dressing as “a simple priest” (which means what, a black suit?). Thompson sometimes writes good columns; this is definitely not one of them.
 
echoes

“The Tridentine Mass was meant for those who could not make the transition from Latin to English [or other languages] after the Council. But there is no participation by the people, and I don’t believe that instills the spirit of Christ among us.”
Cardinal Mahony

:cool:
 
Unfortunately, Damien Thompson seems to cross the line between legitimate criticism and slander of Archbishop Conti. Jibes at the Archbishop’s weight, and the fact he isn’t a Cardinal (ignoring the fact that Scotland has never had two Cardinals concurrently since the Reformation) were entirely unnecessary.

Generally I enjoy reading Damien Thompson, I find him interesting and insightful, and an excellent advocate for Catholics who respect the Church’s traditions, but this is certainly not one of his finer pieces.
 
O_Duirnin said:
Unfortunately, Damien Thompson seems to cross the line between legitimate criticism and slander of Archbishop Conti. Jibes at the Archbishop’s weight, and the fact he isn’t a Cardinal (ignoring the fact that Scotland has never had two Cardinals concurrently since the Reformation) were entirely unnecessary.

Generally I enjoy reading Damien Thompson, I find him interesting and insightful, and an excellent advocate for Catholics who respect the Church’s traditions, but this is certainly not one of his finer pieces.
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Perhaps prudence is lacking in the words of the author.

But what of the words of the Archbishop ? What is your take on them ?
 
At_Trent said:
Perhaps prudence is lacking in the words of the author.

But what of the words of the Archbishop ? What is your take on them ?
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My personal opinion is that Archbishop Conti is technically correct with regards to the guidelines set out in Universae Eclessiae, as MarkThompson pointed out, leaving Damien Thompson’s accusations wide of the mark.

However, Archbishop Conti does seem out of step with current spirit sweeping the Church of beginning to re-embrace the Extraordinary Form. This is unfortunate, but is certainly the norm in Scotland (and England & Wales too for that matter). Perhaps new episcopal blood, like Hugh Gilbert in Aberdeen, may change this somewhat. At least Glasgow Archdiocese is lucky enough to have regular EF masses at various locations, this isn’t the case in many parts of the country, including my own. My nearest EF mass is held once a month in a parish twenty miles away which is in fact part of another Diocese, and is virtually unaccessible to those without their own means of transport.

In fairness, I wouldn’t blame the Bishops entirely, to my knowledge no group of people have ever approached my Bishop with regards to an EF mass. (I live in a Diocese of only about 30,000 Catholics, so I suspect I may have heard if there had been). I think as lay people we should engage with Summorum Pontificum ourselves, and provide extra impetus for our Bishops to act.
 
Please do not post links to articles that speak disrespectfully about the archbishop or to the archbishop. Disagreement is one thing. Disrespect is another.
 
From Sumorum Pontificum:
Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 §1, has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

From Universae Ecclesiae
13. Diocesan Bishops, according to Canon Law, are to monitor liturgical matters in order to guarantee the common good and to ensure that everything is proceeding in peace and serenity in their Dioceses5, always in agreement with the mens of the Holy Father clearly expressed by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum6. In cases of controversy or well-founded doubt about the celebration in the forma extraordinaria, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei will adjudicate.
  1. It is the task of the Diocesan Bishop to undertake all necessary measures to ensure respect for the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite, according to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.
We must pray that Our Lord will give us Holy Bishops that will once again adhere to the will of The Holy Father and minister to their flock as the Lord wishes.
 
Well, there you have it. And this has been typical, at least in the three dioceses that I frequent. On the one hand we have Rome giving very clear, pastoral directions, and on the other hand the local bishop flatly contravening them. This typifies, in a nutshell, the widespread suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass by “AMChurch”.
 
O_Duirnin said:
My personal opinion is that Archbishop Conti is technically correct with regards to the guidelines set out in Universae Eclessiae, as MarkThompson pointed out, leaving Damien Thompson’s accusations wide of the mark.

However, Archbishop Conti does seem out of step with current spirit sweeping the Church of beginning to re-embrace the Extraordinary Form. This is unfortunate, but is certainly the norm in Scotland (and England & Wales too for that matter). Perhaps new episcopal blood, like Hugh Gilbert in Aberdeen, may change this somewhat. At least Glasgow Archdiocese is lucky enough to have regular EF masses at various locations, this isn’t the case in many parts of the country, including my own. My nearest EF mass is held once a month in a parish twenty miles away which is in fact part of another Diocese, and is virtually unaccessible to those without their own means of transport.

In fairness, I wouldn’t blame the Bishops entirely, to my knowledge no group of people have ever approached my Bishop with regards to an EF mass. (I live in a Diocese of only about 30,000 Catholics, so I suspect I may have heard if there had been). I think as lay people we should engage with Summorum Pontificum ourselves, and provide extra impetus for our Bishops to act.
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Fair enough.
 
Hi all,

I took an interest in this thread as I live in Glasgow, and Archbishop Conti is the head of our diocese.

I have never met him personally, but he has always seemed a fair and decent man. He often speaks out for the Church and against unfair criticism of her.

The whole latin mass issue concerns me though. Why would an Archbishop be so obstinate as regards Papal decrees? Is this really the case, or are the media just using Catholicism to invent a story again?

Is the Archbisop just saying it like he sees it, or is he actively against the latin form? What possible reason would there be for the latter case?

I know of at least one Church in Glasgow which offers the latin mass - Sacred Heart, in Bridgeton, offers it. Apparently there are only a few dozen parishoners who attend however.

(See heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/antiquity-confers-solemnity-in-shape-of-latin-mass-1.999395)

I hope the Archbishop, or anyone else, is not trying to undermine provision of the mass, as there is also an SSPX church (St Andrews) in our area, which might attract people feeling dissatisfied with Catholicism.

Archbishop Conti is soon to retire anyway, perhaps his replacement, (I would bet on Bishop Tartaglia becoming Archbishop Tartaglia), will have different attitudes to the TLM.

Archbishop Conti should be praised for his rennovation of St Andrews Cathedral, which, as well as sprucing up the Cathedral, will be a fitting reminder of his tenure. The Cathedral has had an Italian style Garden built on the side of it, as a memorial to victims of the WW2 Arandora Star Tragedy (a boat carrying Scots-Italian civilians - “enemy aliens” - to an internment camp was torpedo’d with large loss of life). When it opened, many dignitaries came from across Scotland and Italy to attend.

There are many interesting features: the memorial garden has a 200 year old olive tree, donated by Italy. And there is a magnificent mosaic emplaced in the Cathedral building, which was made in Bethlehem and then shipped to Glasgow.

I haven’t managed to visit the newly re-opened Cathedral yet - but I hope to soon. You can see pictures of the rennovation (its beautiful) on the Cathedral’s website:

cathedralg1.weebly.com/index.html
 
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