Laudetur Iesus Christus!

As many of you have read the news, Pope Francis issued a document today that attempts to severely restrict the Traditional Latin Mass.  The document has many self-contradictory and impossible bureaucratic elements which calls into question it’s legitimacy.  There are many liturgical scholars who have analyzed this document which you can find online.  Here are a few (here, here, here).

Per Father Reid today, St. Ann’s will continue with the normal 12:30pm Latin Mass schedule this Sunday.  We assume the same is true of the other diocesan Latin Masses, but please verify.  The Diocese is reviewing the document to determine if any changes are needed.

One provision of the document that is of greatest concern to the CLMC is the provision in Article 3, Section 2 which directs bishop to: 

…”designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the eucharistic celebration (not however in the parochial churches and without the erection of new personal parishes)”.

With this provision, the pope seems to be kicking the Latin Mass faithful worldwide out of any and all diocesan parishes… two days before a Sunday with no recourse.  The cruelty of this pope’s action is unprecedented.  The only charitable explanation is that the authors and editors of this document have no clue about the implications of their words.  Keep in mind, this same regime issued a liturgical directive earlier this year which permitted the “Kyrie to remain in Latin”, missing the fact that the Kyrie is a greek text.  We must not assume that they know what they are talking about.

Father Reid also requested for our whole community to pray.  As Father Zuhlsdorf wrote: “On this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – where Elijah slew the priests of Baal – entrust all of this to Mary, Queen of Priests.”