ABOUT THE CHURCH AND THE VATICAN

Thanks to messainlatino.it for leading me to this interview in a French Catholic newspaper
with Mons. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.





Two years after Summorum Pontificum:
An assessment
Interview by Philippe Maxence
Translated from

November 18, 2009



How do you evaluate the application of Summorum Pontificum as of today in Europe, particularly in France?
Generally, it seems to me that two years since the publication of Summorum Pontificum , the situation is rather diversified. To generalize or simplify would not be fair.

Perhaps in France and the central and northern part of Europe, the problems are more acute, but in a transition period, reactions of a psychological nature and procedural questions are quite incomprehensible.

The difficulties in responding to the requests of the faithful who ask for the Holy Mass in the extraordinary form are sometimes due to hostility or prejudice, other times to obstacles of a practical nature, like the lack of priests or the difficulty of finding a priest who is competent to celebrate the traditional rite.

Besides, we are just starting to see how to harmonize the pastoral and catechetical objectives of celebrating the sacraments in the traditional rite with currently established objectives in individual parishes.

It is clear that the Motu Proprio calls on bishops and priests to welcome the legitimate requests by the faithful according to the norms which it has set forth, since this is not a concession made to them, but a right of the faithful to be able to have access to the Gregorian liturgy.

On the other hand, it is evident that we must be realistic and work with the necessary tact, because this entails formation and education in the perspective that Benedict XVI introduces in Summorum Pontificum.

He invites us to consider the two forms of the liturgy as two practices of the same single liturgical rite, and therefore not to be seen in opposition, but on the contrary, as an expression of substantial unity in the liturgy.

We are called on to have the forma mentis [the mentality] on which the Motu Proprio was based - which gives priority to the continuity of the history of the faith in the Church - its 'lex orandi, lex credendi'.

The renewal intended by Vatican II is to be understood in continuity with the great doctrinal tradition of the Church.

The history of liturgy has been that of internal growth and development, and we must reject all suggestion of rupture or discontinuity with the past. The patrimony and spiritual treasure of liturgical wealth found in the older form of the Roman Missal, made particularly visible in the extraordinary form, should not remain on the margins of ecclesial life, but should be promoted and appreciated in all the dioceses and ecclesiastical units.


Many of the requests for the extraordinary form of the Mass seem not to get anywhere because of the refusal by parish priests or bishops. Is there a recourse possible with your Commission?
The procedure indicated in the Motu Proprio must be respected: The faithful must first make their request to the parish priest, and if he has difficulties, they should ask the bishop. Only in the case of objections or hindrances on the part of the bishop to the application of the Motu Proprio that the faithful may then turn to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

The bishop himself may turn to Ecclesia Dei if any difficulties arise, for diverse reasons, in which Ecclesia Dei may offer its help and its suggestions.

One must point out that the Commission follows institutional procedures, like any other organism of the Roman Curia. It generally deals with bishops and religious superiors. But the faithful are free to send us any information and to refer any problems, and the Commission claims the right to be able to examine any issues and to decide how best to proceed, while maintaining contact with the diocesan bishop concerned.


Several months ago, it was said that the Commission would issue a document on interpreting the Motu Proprio. Will it be coming out soon?
Article 11 of the Motu Proprio says, among other things, that "This Commission will have the form, the responsibilities and the norms that the Roman Pontiff wishes to confer". An instruction will specify certain aspects about the competence of the Commission and the application of certain normative instructions. It is under study.


Generally, does your work [at Ecclesia Dei] come within the framework of an eventual 'reform of the reform'?
The idea of a 'reform of the liturgical reform' was suggested several times by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. If I remember right, he added that such a reform would not result from the work of a committee of experts, but would result from maturation within the life and ecclesial reality of the Church.

I think that at the point where we are, it is essential to follow the line indicated by the Holy Father in his presentation letter accompanying the Motu Proprio on the use of the Roman liturgy just before the liturgical reform of 1970, namely, that "the two forms can enrich each other reciprocally" and that "what was sacred for previous generations remains great and sacred for us, and cannot suddenly be totally banned, or even considered harmful. It is good for all of us to conserve the riches that have made the faith grow and to give them their right place".

That is what the Holy Father wrote. To promote this idea means contributing effectively to its maturation in liturgical life and consciousness, which could lead, in a not too remote future, to the 'reform of the reform'.

What is essential today in order to recover the profound sense of Catholic liturgy, in both forms of the Roman Missal, is to maintain the sacred nature of liturgical activity, the central role of the priest as the mediator between God and the Christian people, the sacrificial character of the Holy Mass as the primordial dimension which gives rise to the dimension of communion.


Strangely, the Commission charged with overseeing the application of the Motu proprio is named after the preceding Motu proprio on the same subject. Is there a reason for keeping the name Ecclesia Dei?
I think it is because of the substantial continuity of the institution, keeping in mind why it was born, and the necessary organizational adjustments made necessary by new circumstances. [Ecclesia Dei has been absorbed into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith but retains its organizational integrity.]