By Nicholas Trandem, M.J.C. and Nicholas Wansbutter, Esq.
If you have walked all these days with closed ears and mind asleep, wake up now!
Tolkein, J.R.R., The Lord of the Rings, Volume III: The Return of the King, Book V
Yesterday, Shrove Tuesday, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI ordered, via the Secretariat of State, that the Oremus et pro Iudaeis of the Liturgy of Good Friday in the 1962 Missale Romanum be replaced, the full text of which has been reproduced in several places so we won’t reproduce it here.[1] We were caught a little flat-footed by this event, because we were giving the Holy Father the benefit of a doubt and assuming the rumours were simply that – rumours. As such, our commentary will not be as thorough or academic as we’d like since the books pertinent to the subject are packed in a box for one writer’s move to a new home and we recognize the need for swift commentary given the startling number of positive comments from traditionalist quarters for this development.
Chris Ferrara, a man whom we have great respect for, has called this a "Papal masterstroke".[2] It is true that the new prayer is decent, but a master stroke? No, it is far from a master stroke, but rather a capitulation and a continuation of the destruction of the Roman Rite that has been going on for over 50 years. We at Traditio in Radice therefore cannot and will not join with all of those "loyal" traditionalists who are lavishing praise upon this move.
The issue here is not necessarily, or at least not primarily, the content of the prayer. It is not obviously heretical, is clearly much better than the corresponding prayers in the Novus Ordo Missae, and arguably says the same as the old prayer. But we do not agree with those commentators who say that it is near-perfect, for it is in fact somewhat ambiguous, open to different interpretations. For example, who is "Israel" in the prayer? Further, was the stress on God's universal desire for salvation (smacking of Pope John Paul the Less) really necessary? Fra Domenico of Crededimus Caritati makes the point well regarding the problems of this new translation:
The new prayer for the Jews which is to replace the old, puts the enlightnment of the Jews in an eschatological framework, that is, within those events which herald the end of the world. now certainly the Jews as a whole will only be converted during the end times, but placing this text within the context of a prayer for the Jews, removes the urgency of efforts at their conversion now, if conversion would even be the word meant by the Pope.[3]
But assuming there is nothing so objectionable in the new prayer as to necessitate resistance, the real, and most disturbing, issue is that the Pope has mandated an inorganic change to the Liturgy in circumstances that strongly suggest that the motive was the appeasement of anti-Catholic forces. This issue remains even if the content does not, in fact, appease said forces (and it hasn't, since we hear Abraham Foxman says the prayer remains "deeply troubling"[4]). This is not a victory; this is not a dodged bullet. This is a continuation of the diabolical top-down, severed from tradition, reckless tinkering that has defaced the Roman Liturgy over the last half-century. The fact that the Liturgy, the central act of our religion, can be changed at whim and fiat whenever somebody outside of our religion makes a ruckus should greatly worry and disturb all Catholics.
Before 1955, the Holy Week Liturgies were among the most ancient in the Missal.[5] The CONSTANT, REPEATED tinkering with this one prayer over the course of 53 years because of the influence of ONE group of people outside the Church is reprehensible. This action by the Pope, regardless of the content of the new (-new-new-new-) prayer, totally undermines our trust that Rome will not continue to try and "baby step" the "Extraordinary Rite" into conformity with New Church. This change occurred a mere six months after Summorum Pontificum was issued and already the 1962 liturgical books have been replaced by a 2008 Pope Benedict XVI version. What changes will be next? The prayers for heretics and schismatics in the Good Friday prayers, perhaps? Or the breviary prayers for the Second Nocturn of Tenebrae on Good Friday? We seem to be right back in 1962 all right – complete with the incremental moves towards a 1965 Missal &c.
If we accept that the Pope can simply make inorganic changes to the Missal at whim, why are we clinging to the Traditional Latin Mass in the first place? Why don't we simply accept a fancy-pants Latin Novus Ordo if all we want is “smells and bells” regardless of their antiquity? If we don't hold fast to the liturgical traditions of Holy Mother Church, especially the tradition of organic development, then isn't our so-called "traditionalism" simply the empty reactionary crankiness that we are so often accused of? No, we must resist the pope “to the face” on this issue.
Beyond the issue of liturgical tinkering, there remains theological and political fallout. This act gives the impression that the ancient prayers were indeed "antisemetic", or wrong in some other way, and therefore in need of change. It makes the liturgy a political tool which is blasphemous and, once again, denigrates the Fathers of the Church, saints, clergy, and popes of the first two millennia.
What can be done? Firstly, we must pray, fast, and do penance for Pope Benedict XVI, especially during this time of Lent we are just entering. Secondly, we must not silently accept this situation out of a false concept of obedience. We must raise a ruckus of our own. Finally, we strongly recommend that all Catholics either attend a pre-‘55 Mass of the Presanctified[6] or at least to a liturgy according to the 1962 liturgical books at an S.S.P.X chapel on Good Friday. If neither option is available, keeping in mind that Good Friday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, staying home and praying the pre-1955 prayers with one’s family would be the best option.
Posted on Ash Wednesday, a.D. MMVIII
[1] New Catholic. “URGENT: NEW PRAYER FOR THE JEWS IN THE MISSALE ROMANUM OF 1962”. Rorate Caeli. 2008. Rorate Caeli. 5 February 2008. <http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-prayer-for-jews-in-missale-romanum.html>
[2] Ferrara, Christopher. “A Papal Masterstroke”. The Remnant Newspaper. 2008. Remnant Press. 5 February 2008. <http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/archive-2008-a_papal_masterstroke.htm>
[3] Domenico, Fra. “The Reform Continues”. Crededimus Caritati. 5 February 2008. <http://credidimuscaritati.blogspot.com/2008/02/reform-continues.html>
[4] Press Release. "Prayer for Conversion of Jews Remains Troubling Despite Vatican Changes". Anti-Defamation League. 2008. Anti-Defamation League. 5 February 2008. <http://www.adl.org/PresRele/VaticanJewish_96/5220_96.htm>
[5] Gromier, Most Rev. Léon. “THE "RESTORED" HOLY WEEK, a conference given in Paris in July 1960”. The Society of the Immaculata. Posting date unknown. <http://www.societyoftheimmaculata.com/gromier.html>
[6]The I.C.R.S.S. might not use the new prayer since their Holy Week is a pre-55/62 hybrid. We'd go to a sedevacantist/independent chapel as long as they aren't followers of an anti-Pope. The most likely outcome for both of us, however, is that we will stay home and pray for the restoration of the Liturgy.
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