Fr Gary Dickson: Why the Old Form thrives in my parish

[Ockham]

It appears that Pope Benedict would like to take the Church back in some of the traditional ways. What if he ordered everything to change to the way it was, except have the Mass be celebrated from the EF translated into English or use Latin. What would Catholics who don’t like the old traditions do? Would they leave the Church or accept with obedience as was done after VII?

It would be interesting to see the responses if this were to happen.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

I’ve read this several times and can’t figure out what your question is.

 

[BernadetteM]

I’ve read this several times and can’t figure out what your question is.

No question, just wondering how it would affect Catholics if this were to happen.

Of course unless this occurs no one can know how they would react. It is more or less the reverse of what happened after VII. As we see on many posts that not all Catholics responded postively to the changes.

No need for an answer.

God Bless

Bernadette

 

[Ockham]

No question, just wondering how it would affect Catholics if this were to happen.

If what were to happen?

 

[ProVobis]

Would they leave the Church or accept with obedience as was done after VII?

It’s interesting how the word “obedience” gets thrown around here. If you go back to the Vatican II documents and subsequent papal documents, you can easily find some contraditions. For example, Latin was to be retained in the liturgy but then the Pope said that the “No longer Latin”, and then “the Latin language will not thereby disappear.” In Progressio Populorum there was a specific clause about using “conscience” to decide whether birth control should be used, then a papal document Humanae Vitae, stating/confirming that ABC cannot be used. There was “permission” to eat meat on Friday, but then there was that penance on Friday was still required. The Mass was no longer a sacrifice but later the words were changed to reinstate it as a sacrifice. Just to name a few. Then the strange words “the smoke of Satan permeates the sanctuaries.” It is easy to see where Catholics became very confused in the 60’s and 70’s and it had to be put on the shoulders of Popes John Paul I and II and Benedict XVI to clarify the position of the Church in all matters again. That to me is where things stand. It certainly doesn’t help to spread things like “we’re going back to pre-Vatican II” state of affairs. Vatican II was real and its documents are being reexamined in “light of tradition.” Can’t ask for much better at this point.

 

[Ockham]

Vatican II was real and its documents are being reexamined in “light of tradition.” Can’t ask for much better at this point.

Clearly the documents were misinterpreted and used as justification for radical alteration of the liturgy and Church in general. We’ve seen chaotic forty year spans before and recovered. We’ll do so again.