Latin Mass

Since we're at the forefront of breaking news here at Catholic Australia, I thought I'd say a thing or two about one of the recent "Motu Proprios" of Pope Beniedict. Yes, the Latin Mass one. Now, instead of being able to say the Tridentine Mass whenever the bishop says they can, priests can now just go ahead and do it without asking. This cuts out a lot of paperwork and saves some trees in the Amazon. It should come as no surprise that this occurs at the same time as the Vatican aims to become the world's first carbon neutral state.

This document has been indisputably a most unitive document. That is, it has provided a forum for absolutely everyone to say their bit, and reaffirm what their basic approach to life is. So who should we expect to hear from? Let's see . . .

In the lavendar corner representing the happy, friendly "In the essentials, Hippy, in the inessentials, Groovy and in all things Liberty" type people, we have, 70's bishops, embittered ex-priests, fashionable nuns, and of course The Pill, arguing that it's a bad thing because no one should be allowed to ever use a language with so many words sounding like "wuss". Childhood memories, you know. One bishop is crying like a girl. (Some say he's crying like a pefectly respectable "Emotional Mediterranean" but I think it's more like a girl). Others think it's the end of Vatican II, and most are justifiably fearing the spanish inquisition, because, I mean, you never know with that lot, do you? Meanwhile, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is worried about Klingons in the wine-cellar.

In the Beer, Scotch and Shiraz corner, representing people who are happy and well-adjusted, we have Archbishops Chaput and Hart, the Fraternity of St Peter and suchlike. The head honchos tend to smile mildly and repeat a lot of what the Pope said, while the Traditionalist groups who use the Tridentine Mass, get understandably excited.

Then there's the Sour Grapes corner, representing mostly the parents of the kids led astray by Woodstook. "About bloody time, and anyway it's not enough!" they say. Well, who can argue with that?

Finally we have the "kosher corner", made famous by the Brooklyn cafe of the same name. The main concern here is the prayer used on Good Friday in the 1962 missal. Here, the Jews are no longer called "perfidious" as they were in the '50's, but they are still referred to as "blind" and having a veil on their hearts. Now that's way more ecumenical, perhaps, than their own Elijah was with the prophets of Baal, but then we like to think things are different today.

In Melbourne, we've had the FSSP provide the Tridentine Mass for years, and some other priests before them, so it probably won't change much here. But perhaps it removes some of the stigma from the Latin Mass movement, and may - or may not - encourage others to give it a go. We'll see.

In any case, every issue relating to this topic is ably covered by "Fr Z" in Rome.