JR, not that I doubt your word on this, but…This is ridiculous! Why would religious belonging to certain orders require special permission to celebrate the EF??? Does this not seem like madness to you?
After 40 years we have just had confirmation from the pope in regard to the point we’ve been arguing, that is, that the TLM had never been abrogated. So why would non-secular priests need permission to pray the Mass that is their birth-right? See what I mean? Just curious.
The reason for this is a matter of jurisdiction. Male religious superiors are Ordinaries, just like bishops. Therefore, they have the final say as to what is allowed within their religious community and what is consistent with their charism.
The Holy Fathers have always wanted to make sure that the internal unity of the religious community is not compromised over something like this, which is not a matter of dogma and is not an ABSOLUTE pastoral necessity.
Also, priests in religioius orders, are religious first. Therefore, their first allegiance is to their brothers. They must act according to the wishes of their brothers. When the brothers cannot agree, the superior can overrule the community and make a decision.
This is to protect the community. To do so, the Holy Father included this paragraph in “Summorum Pontificum.”
If an individual community or an entire Institute or Society wishes to undertake such celebrations often, habitually or permanently, the decision must be taken by the Superiors Major, in accordance with the law and following their own specific decrees and statues.
As you see, the decision is not to be made by the individual religious, even if he is ordained. Religious who are ordained have no authority over their ministry. Their vow of obedience to their founder and their superior is above all things.
The Holy Father is clear that the decision must be in accord with the law of the Church and the rules of the community. If a community has adopted the Ordinary Form as its celebration of the mass. The major superior can grant the permission as an exception, but not as routine, because he must consider the decrees and statutes of his community. He can’t override them.
On the other hand, if there is nothing against it in the statutes of the religious community, then the community votes on it. That’s a chapter. What the chapter decides becomes the law of the community.
The major superior may override a chapter when the unity or the charism of the community is at risk. It is his job to represent the founder and to maintain the community on the course that the founder set for it. No religious community of men can deviate from the founder, unless the founder gave them that possibility when he established it. Religious communities of men are not as flexible as other groups.
They are governed by five tiers of authority: Founder, Pope, Rule, Chapter and Major Superior. In this case,the Pope is saying that they have to follow their rules and their major superior.
For the sake of argument, let’s say that a bishop wants a group of Dominicans to celebrate the EF every Sunday in one of the parishes. The parish belongs to the bishop. The Dominican superior has to authorize it or he has to pull his religious out of that parish. He cannot overrule the bishop and decide not to celebrate the EF. However, the bishop cannot overrule him and force the religious to do so. Therefore, they get a divorce. The religious community must abandon the parish and return it to the bishop.
This has happened. Bishops have asked religious to implement certain policies in their parishes. Religious superiors have had to inform the bishop that such policies are in conflict with their founder and their statutes. When no solution can be found, the religious must humbly leave the parish.
That’s why I always advise people who live in parishes run by religious to be very careful how they push for the EF. Hypothetically, they can push the religious right out of the parish and find that the bishop has no one to put in their place. In that case, the parish must close down. Religious are not bound by obedience to bishops, unless they belong to an order founded by the local bishop. All other religious have Pontifical Rights. They answer only to the Pope. They obey the bishop as long as the bishop asks for what is within their rules. Religious may never submit to the laity. That is not allowed by the Church. Because in the past, very powerful lay people manipulated religious communities (kings, aristocrats, etc).
I hope this helps.
Fraternally,
JR
