Told that the Tridentine Mass is discouraged

[mosher]

Bob Kay:

Just what we need right now: another layer of (Latin) unintelligibility!

Why not go further and have the homilies in Latin as well. Then neither the speaker nor the congregant would understand.

Few people even with formal Latin training—I speak from experience—can be functional with Latin syntax especially when it must go into complex mental constructs, as in any common linguistic interchange.

99.9% of our people and of those in my travels understand and find the current vernacular liturgical language and approach meaninful.

Bob Kay

This response always reminds me of a friend that was at the seminary with me. This very position was expressed to him and I found his reply well met. He said that in worldly affairs we will study for months and years to learn what we need to get a single certification or license but when it comes to the faith none are willing to learn anything. If we can study six months to get a drivers license we sure can take the time out of our life to become proficient in Latin.

I and the person bring up the objection could not help but be compelled to agree with him. Sloth is not an excuse for a persons inability to make intelligible something as important as the faith. Further it would profit them much to learn Latin for many other more “practical” reasons.

 

[SFH]

Good Heavens folks, Pope John Paul II directly addresses this issue in Ecclesia Dei

“moreover, respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962.”

The papal indult, Quattuor Abhinc Annos, referred to in Ecclesia Dei envisions that Tridentine Masses would be allowed by the local bishop (but generally not in a parish church) at the request of a group of people.

A more accurate position of the Catholic Church’s current position on the Tridentine Mass, then, is that the use of it is a concession to Catholics who are attached to the older liturgy, and the bishops are encouraged to generously set up Tridentine Masses at the request of those groups. In other words, all Latin Rite Catholics are encouraged to attend the Novus Ordo Mass, but where Catholics are attached to the Tridentine Mass, Bishops are encouraged to provide such Masses.

The idea behind Quattuor Abhinc Annos and Ecclesia Dei was to provide pastoral care for all the Church’s members and head off the grounds for schism of the Lefabverists.

 

[mosher]

SFH:

Good Heavens folks, Pope John Paul II directly addresses this issue in Ecclesia Dei

“moreover, respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962.”

The papal indult, Quattuor Abhinc Annos, referred to in Ecclesia Dei envisions that Tridentine Masses would be allowed by the local bishop (but generally not in a parish church) at the request of a group of people.

A more accurate position of the Catholic Church’s current position on the Tridentine Mass, then, is that the use of it is a concession to Catholics who are attached to the older liturgy, and the bishops are encouraged to generously set up Tridentine Masses at the request of those groups. In other words, all Latin Rite Catholics are encouraged to attend the Novus Ordo Mass, but where Catholics are attached to the Tridentine Mass, Bishops are encouraged to provide such Masses.

The idea behind Quattuor Abhinc Annos and Ecclesia Dei was to provide pastoral care for all the Church’s members and head off the grounds for schism of the Lefabverists.

Exactly my point in my first post but it must also be noted that while this is the official attitude of the Church from Rome it is not the view expressed in practice in particular Sees especially here in the US.