Also remember that the “indult” for CITH was just that: an indult. It was to prevent a greater evil, not because it was desired. So Benedict XVI seems to be practicing great prudence here. He is not forcing it on the entire Church, but he is encouraging the rest of the faithful to practice COTT and kneeling by doing it at his masses. Should we not follow the Holy Father, and all those from earlier centuries?
There’s a small problem with this argument though. The Pope is not universally doing this at Papal Masses. He does it at his private Masses and yet has not said a public word, to my knowledge, encouraging COTT or discouraging CITH. Public Masses, especially such things as the Youth Day Masses, run the gamut as far as how communion is received.
As to your speculation–and nothing more–that this was a matter of “prudence” and allowing an “evil” to prevent a greater evil, I’d like to see a single shred of evidence supporting such an outrageous claim. Given the Church’s great willingness to take on very difficult issues in a hardline way because it is the right thing it is hard to to not snicker at such a concept. Yes,we’ll write *Humanae Vitae *and condemn ABC despite the overwhelming opposition, even from the group commissioned to study it, but we can’t stand up to CITH? We can oppose the use of condoms by couples where one partner is infected with HIV or AIDS but can’t stop CITH? We can write an entire document on liturgical abuses,
Redemptionis Sacramentum, but fear to address CITH if it’s really an abuse?
"Ockham:
Oh, please. If Pope Benedict XVI pulled the indult back and outlawed CITH there would be a schism of Biblical proportions.
“Oh, please” is right. I don’t imagine for a moment that there would be much, if any, significant opposition if the Pope made such a ruling. The overwhelming majority of Catholics do what is the norm in the parish where they are attending Mass and will follow whatever the directives are. I find the argument that there would be some mass revolt over this entirely laughable.
…and the unanimous teaching of the Church on the issue (Tradition).
Oops, another argument with just a small problem or two. First, there is no such “unanimous teaching of the Church on the issue.” There are saints, Popes, theologians,etc on both sides of the issue throughout the history of the Church. Second, CITH has been the unabated norm of practice within at least some segments of the Catholic Church since the beginning. Third, this is no matter of Tradition. It is a matter of discipline, which the Church can–and has!–changed at will through the centuries. Trying to elevate this to any kind of doctrinal issue, or one of Tradition, is totally erroneous. At most it is a small “t” tradition within the Church.
The pure and simple fact of the matter is that this is a cultural norm. In the west, kneeling is generally perceived as a more “reverent” position, though even there that is not universally true. There are great segments of the world where that is not true and major segments who believe that the act or receiving communion is a joyous event that should not occur kneeling. The fact that COTT, kneeling, was the norm for part of the Church’s history could just as well follow the logic proposed as to why CITH hasn’t been done away with: that the Church had instituted it and changing such a thing would make people uncomfortable or possibly cause a revolt. The present backlash against allowing CITH certainly gives great credence to that idea.
In the end, there are valid reasons and ample history on both sides of the issue, though those reasons may not SEEM valid to those with violent opposition to the other “side”. The simple fact though is that both ARE within the options the Church allows and nobody has to justify to anyone else the reasons for their preference. Nor should anyone be making judgments about the devotion or piety of anyone else for their choices without risking being very much on the dangerous level of “Thank you Lord for not making me like those lesser Catholics.”
As another poster noted, Satan must love the division he is able to sow in creating disunity with such things. It sure makes an easy day’s work for him. A couple seconds of stirring the pot in the morning, then off to the golf course since that will keep them busy for hours!
