Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Archbishop Ranjith condemns liturgical abuses.

Briefing: complaints to Rome about liturgical abuses and the attempts by bishops to deny the faithful their right to ask for the Traditional Mass are heeded. While he concedes that a succession of documents from Rome condemning abuses have been ignored, Archbishop Ranjith, Sectretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, has this to say:

The Holy Mass is sacrifice, gift, mystery, independently of the celebrating priest. It is important, fundamental even, that the priest be put aside: the protagonist of the Mass is Christ. I do not understand, thus, the Eucharistic celebrations transformed in shows with dances, songs, and applause, as it frequently happens with the Novus Ordo.

And about opposition to the Motu Proprio:

There have been positive reactions and, it is useless to deny it, criticisms and opposition , even from theologians, liturgists, priests, Bishops, and even Cardinals. I frankly do not understand these rifts, and, why not [say it], rebellion towards the Pope. I invite all, particularly the Shepherds, to obey the Pope, who is the Successor of Peter. The Bishops, in particular, have sworn fidelity to the Pontiff: may they be coherent and faithful to their commitment.

For more, see Rorate Caeli.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The French, German, American and English bishops have acquitted themselves of their responsibilities as pastors with great integrity in their reception of the Motu Proprio and have taken very generously into account the demands of the small minority who with to celebrate the traditional Tridentine Mass. For their pains they are lambasted by bloggers worldwide, who want more uncritical alacrity and less concern with pastoral priorities and basic common sense. In addition the bishops are described as "instruments of the devil" by Archbishop Ranjith, whom the insidious schismatic bishop Bernard Fellay sees as his man in Rome (Fellay also told his followers that Cardinal Arinze was "a traitor"). It is unheard of for a Vatican official to pour scorn on Cardinals and bishops in this way, and I do not think that the Pope can afford to entertain his antics much longer. It is amazing to see schismatics calling on the world's bishops to be more obedient to the Pope! And the bad ecclesiology that regards the universal episcopate as mere pawns and errand-boys is perfectly incompatible with Vatican II.

Anonymous said...

Do you deny that there are many bishops who have long acted with complete disregard for the liturgical law of the Church? No? So presumably it is high time for Archbishop Ranjith, and the rest of Curia, not only to speak but to act. The 'false ecclesiology' here seems to be a kind of congregationalism being imposed on an unwilling faithful by some liberal bishops.

Pope Leo XIII's Prayer to St Michael

Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust down to Hell Satan, and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen