21 November 2018

Comments ... and Can The Pope Cancel Summorum Pontificum?

Back now at my computer, I have looked through the Comments and enabled most of them. I gave thumbs-down to one or two which seemed to me to tip over the boundary between reasoned criticism of the current regime in Rome into mere abuse of our Holy Father.

I see that the fear has again surfaced that PF might cancel Summorum Pontificum. I think about five years ago I wrote a piece on this which I delivered to one or two groups, including one meeting in the Brompton Oratory. Since my 'Documents' section has a press-ready copy of it, I may have given it to some journal to print. If anyone can tell me where I have delivered it or where it may have appeared in print, I would be grateful.

My point was that this is a theological question and not primarily canonical; and that it would be ultra vires for any pope to claim to suppress SP.

Pretty obvious, really.

9 comments:

Tito Edwards said...

Could you flesh this post out more? Very interesting!

Dale Crakes said...

Fr can you post it or send it to someone in an email?

Cherub said...

Dear Father, a question but not on this topic. Do you know what was the origin and rationale of the use of the folded chasuble? Why would it have been suppressed for the OF?

William said...

Pretty obvious, indeed. And yet (speaking entirely hypothetically, you understand) what does one do - sorry, I mean what would one do - if faced with a pope who plainly rejects the concept that any action of his could ever be ultra vires?

Christoph Hagen said...

Father, those who are able to read and understand German may be interessted in this. Anglicanorum Cœtibus is mentioned, too:

Christoph Hagen said...

https://www.thecathwalk.de/2018/11/18/ist-die-alte-messe-in-gefahr/

Unknown said...

Father,

You gave this talk about two years ago at St. Mary's, Norwalk, CT, USA. I was in attendance, and it was great stuff. I remember being instructed to hiss at the name of Hannibal Bugnini, but not poor old Paul VI.

Donna Bethell said...

Ultra vires. Correct. And to be resisted. And is the other side of that coin the proposition that no Pope has the authority to change the Roman Rite, much less substitute a New Order? Cf. Quo primum. The 1969 Missale Romanum is the first edition since 1570 that does not reprint Quo primum.

Prayerful said...

Ultra vires? I think Francis might see the words as a challenge or an effort to goad him. Although his death penalty edit was cunning phrased, Francis seems little concerned about precedent or law in general.

Incidentally during the Papal (New Order obviously) concelebrated Mass Francis had well pronounced Latin in comparison to other priests at the altar table. While no linguist, with Italian and Spanish the only languages in which he is remotely fluent, his English basic despite some time in Ireland in the Milltown Institute as a younger priest, he is no worse than others.

So far, starting with the demolition the Franciscans of the Immaculate who fatally went traditional outside the protection of Ecclesia Dei, the policy seems to be one of cold hostility, one of picking targets of opportunity. Francis appears to see the Mass of Ages as a side issue.

Regarding Paul VI, it has been claimed that he worked closely with Mgsr Bugnini, even if in some areas he went too far, and was deceitful enough to be eventually exiled to tottering Pahlavi Iran.