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The Latin Mass, Schism, and American Catholicism

William SchlickenmaierCatholicism and Society11 May 2001


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Salus populi suprema lex est. (The welfare of the people is the highest law.)- Cicero

The welfare of the people - is this the will of the people, or is it diinely inspired and infalli!le" #t

has !een a diffic$lt iss$e for the Catholic Ch$rch to mana%e for cent$ries - whether it !e the &ohemians

and 'an ($s or the )erman princes inspired !y Martin L$ther* #t has also !een a critical pro!lem with the

American ch$rch, !oth in the Americanist controersy at the t$rn of the 20th cent$ry as well as in the post-

+atican ## Ch$rch* oes the Ch$rch know !est for its people, or do the people know what is !est for the

Ch$rch" As the Ch$rch has chan%ed its self-definition from a perfect society to a pil%rim people the

will of the people has !ecome the definin% iss$e of str$%%le !oth within and witho$t the Catholic Ch$rch*

While this is a key iss$e for li!erals, it is also f$ndamental for the traditional Catholics who clin% to the

Latin Mass* #t is tr$e in a parado.ical sense -- traditional Catholics often !eliee that the Latin Mass is the

only proper way, re/ectin% any lit$r%ical $pdates or pl$ralism* #n this sense, most traditional Catholics

wo$ld shy away from any concept of pop$lar will determinin% the fate of (oly Mother Ch$rch*

(oweer, in the post-+atican ## American Catholic Ch$rch, some Catholics wish to attend the Latin Mass

and, feelin% that they cannot, wo$ld ar%$e that their pop$lar will is !ein% $ashed !y a tyranny of the

ma/ority* While it is $nrealistic to confine American Catholics to !$t one cate%ory, a pl$ralism of !eliefs

wo$ld seem to welcome the Latin Mass as a se%ment of the wonderf$l tapestry which enriches the Ch$rch*

et, if traditionalists !eliee that the Latin Mass is the only proper order of Mass, how does this mesh with

a pl$ralistic set of lit$r%ies" #t is a diffic$lt compromise, and one which some traditional Catholics are

$nwillin% to make, instead choosin% separatism* #s it possi!le to find a compromise - to hae the Latin

Mass as !$t one of a ariety of options open to the American Catholic" And is this what those who attend

the Latin Mass want" #n discernin% this, it is critical to e.amine the Society of St* i$s 3, the lar%est

traditional Catholic or%ani4ation, one which has en/oyed a checkered history with the instit$tional Ch$rch

!oth in the 5nited States and in 6ome, to say the least* The f$t$re is diffic$lt to discern with re%ards to

SS3, !$t in %eneral, the Latin Mass has en/oyed a renaissance in the present ch$rch* (oweer, this

renaissance can also !e attri!$ted to a noticea!le conseratie shift in the hierarchy of the Ch$rch $nder


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ope 'ohn a$l ##, which has its own ramifications for American Catholics, and leaes many $estions

$nanswered as to the stat$s of the Latin Mass $nder f$t$re papacies*

A clarification7 the Latin Mass or Latin 6ite here means the Tridentine 6ite, not necessarily

the $se of Latin in the 8o$s 9rdo* While Latin is often $sed in the 8o$s 9rdo, either in chant or son%s

at Mass - especially in Lent - the Tridentine 6ite is distinct from the Mass as desi%ned d$rin% and after the

Second +atican Co$ncil* #n addition, the 8o$s 9rdo can !e translated into Latin, !$t here the Latin Mass

is distinctly different - from the prayers and rit$als to the position of the priest is a is the con%re%ation*

#n addition, it is important to note that this !ranch of American Catholicism is no $nder%ro$nd frin%e -

some 1:0,000 American Catholics attend Latin Mass, a n$m!er %rowin% eery day* 1

THE LATIN MASS AFTER VATICAN II -- CONFLICT WITH THE "NOVUS ORDO"

A ma/ority of American Catholics s$pported the chan%es in the Mass instit$ted !y the Second

+atican Co$ncil* #n some ways, it helped end the distinction of Catholicism as different from the ma/ority

rotestant pop$lation of the 5nited States* Latin chants were seen !y o$tside o!serers as alien to

American life, !$t the new Mass, with con%re%ational hymn sin%in% and rites in ;n%lish, appeared to fit*

=, when the 8o$s 9rdo lit$r%y officially replaced the

Tridentine Mass* C$neo notes that two years after, in 1=?1, a$l +# effectiely !anned the Tridentine

Mass*2 #t was at this point that the Latin Mass !ecame the foc$s of controersy, and it has maintained its

stat$s as ca$se cele!re to the present day* #t was d$rin% the 1=?0s that %ro$ps s$ch as the Society of St*

i$s 3 were created, and traditional chapels arose thro$%ho$t the 5nited States and worldwide*

1Gillis, Chester, Roman Catholicism in America (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999) 29. It is

also critical to note, as will be touched upon later, the growth in young people who attend the Latin Mass.

See Appendices A-E.2Cuneo, Michael W., The Smoke of Satan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997)90. Cuneo's book is

the only scholarly work on Catholic separatism in recent years, and includes a great deal of invaluable

first-hand research on the topic.


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The primary ar%$ment a%ainst the 8o$s 9rdo was linked, in some ways, to the chan%e in

definition of the $niersal Catholic Ch$rch from perfect society to pil%rim people* rien !y the

6eformation, Cardinal 6o!ert &ellarmine defined the Ch$rch as perfect, and ope i$s + codified the Latin

Mass, there!y $niersali4in% it as an attack a%ainst rotestantism* #t was in the Co$nter-6eformation

period that the Ch$rch took on the $niersal nat$re it wo$ld maintain thro$%h +atican ##, there!y sp$rrin%

hierarchical o!/ections to Americanism*@ The $nity of Mass was a !indin% characteristic of Catholicism

worldwide - anywhere a Mass was said, it was the same, !e it in in%ston, 'amaica or in 'amaica, B$eens,

aris,


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8o$s 9rdo is a cele!ration, inolin% all in attendance* This distinction takes away, to some de%ree, the

specialness of the priest* The 8o$s 9rdoDs emphasis on collectie cele!ration has prompted, in the

minds of many American Catholics, the idea that anyone can cele!rate Mass, leadin% to the trend toward

indiid$alism in reli%io$s practice, as well as the call for married and female priests* The role of the priest

in the Latin Mass was of someone holier, someone special who, $sin% his special %races, co$ld interact

directly with the Almi%hty* This loss of specialness can !e linked to some pro!lems within the priesthood*

Many priests en/oy the closeness with their con%re%ations which comes form the 8o$s 9rdo* (oweer,

many of the priations end$red !y priests are compensated !y the %races which are to !e en/oyed !y those

$pon whom (oly 9rders hae !een conferred* As the 8o$s 9rdo chan%ed the way in which Mass was

said, it has chan%ed the perception of the priest, !e that for !etter or for worse *: #t has also !een ar%$ed

that the chan%e to the 8o$s 9rdo has lessened the piety of the Catholic faithf$l* While not actin% as

participants in the Mass, the Latin Mass emphasi4ed personal deotion* The 8o$s 9rdo remoed that, in

%reat deal* (oweer, the a!ility to practice personal deotion d$rin% the Latin Mass did not e$ate with a

practice of personal deotion on the part of Catholics, while the 8o$s 9rdo inoles all mem!ers of the

Ch$rch in the worship of Christ*

Another ma/or ar%$ment a%ainst the 8o$s 9rdo was the tradition !ehind the Latin Mass* After

the Missale 6oman$m of 1:?0, the order of Mass had remained lar%ely $nchan%ed for almost 00 years*

Many conseratie Catholics saw no pro!lem with this, and claimed the 8o$s 9rdo as a concession to

Modernism, decried !y ope i$s 3 as a heresy*> To them, the Latin Mass is $niersal and permanent,

while the 8o$s 9rdo is not an aggiornamento, !$t rather a cain% in to momentary imp$lses on the part

of partic$lar theolo%ians and li!eral factions within the Ch$rch* Also, the codification of the Missale

:Cozzens mentions this to some degree in his discussion of the "dialectic of priestly identity." See

Cozzens, Donald B., The Changing Face of the Priesthood (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2000) 10-13.>This begs a question - is Modernism still a heresy? The oath taken against it was rescinded in 1967

(Gillis 292), and according to Gillis, the Church embraced "modernity" after Vatican II (26). However, it is

interesting to consider that Modernism is still "on the books" as a heresy. For one lay point of view on this,

see Appendix C, Question 9. SSPX considers the Novus Ordo a Modernist liturgy. The Fathers of Holy

Cross Seminary, Most Asked Questions about the Society of St. Pius X (Kansas City: Angelus Press,

1997) 23.


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6oman$m took Masses which were at their root similar, and made them $niersal - not the sweepin%

chan%es which came after +atican ##* While these chan%es may hae !een seen as necessary to many,

especially American Catholics, it was $ndo$!tedly shock therapy, especially for the ast ma/ority of

Catholics, lackin% the s$!tle knowled%e of theolo%y possessed !y those !ishops and theolo%ians

prom$l%atin% the chan%es in 6ome*

The final o!/ection to the 8o$s 9rdo was not the 8o$s 9rdo in and of itself, altho$%h most

traditional Catholics fo$nd it anathema* 6ather, it was the moe !y a$l +# to de facto !an the Tridentine

Mass in 1=?1* #f the Tridentine Mass had !een aaila!le as an option, perhaps the 8o$s 9rdo wo$ld hae

!een palata!le to traditional Catholics*? (oweer, the implementation of the 8o$s 9rdo was made

mandatory, leain% those Catholics lon%in% for the rit$al of the past o$t in the cold* This represents the

pro!lem of hierarchy and chan%e in the Ch$rch* While a$l +# and the +atican wanted to chan%e the Mass,

the Ch$rch !y its hierarchical nat$re co$ld not !rook adaptation on a %rass-roots leel - to do so wo$ld

take away from what they saw as the catholic - the $niersal nat$re - of the 6oman Catholic Ch$rch* As

mentioned earlier, the 8o$s 9rdo is an entirely different 9rder of Mass than the Latin Mass - it is not

merely a translation into the ernac$lar* As s$ch, there were prayers that were maintained as $niersal in

the 8o$s 9rdo, !$t they were not the same prayers and rites as were practiced preio$s to 1=>* #n

addition, there is more room for adaptation and chan%e in the 8o$s 9rdo than in the Latin 6ite, !e that in

translation or in practice*E The desire for some sort of $niersality left the Tridentine 6ite in the cold,

which prompted the protests of indiid$als s$ch as e a$w and Lefe!re*

While the 8o$s 9rdo was shock therapy to many American Catholics, the Ch$rch adapted, in

%eneral, to its $sa%e*= Most American Catholics today, especially those i%norant of the pre-+atican ##

Ch$rch, find the Tridentine 6ite as alien as those non-Catholic o!serers iewin% the Ch$rch !efore the

Co$ncil and the prom$l%ation of the 8o$s 9rdo, and they feel at home in todayDs American Catholic

?The case of De Pauw in the 1960s serves as a prime example of this. Cuneo 90.EThe recent controversy over "inclusive language" could be labeled as a translational problem in Novus

Ordo Catholicism.=Massa goes into detail noting the generally positive reaction of Catholics to the new Mass, 162-165.

However, his analysis is of the post-conciliar yet pre-Novus Ordo Church, rather than the 1970s Church

where the Latin Mass was prohibited.


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Ch$rch* The 8o$s 9rdo also maintains within it the potential to $se Latin, in prayers as well as more

often in chants and hymns* The aera%e American Catholic cannot een necessarily tell the difference

!etween the 8o$s 9rdo and what wo$ld !e ima%ined to !e the Ch$rch !efore the Second +atican Co$ncil,

e.cept for the priestDs position* (oweer, there are %ro$ps which wo$ld disp$te the claim that the 8o$s

9rdo is /$st an $pdate of the Catholic lit$r%y*

"DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH" -- THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

The Society of St* i$s 3 was not the first %ro$p to rise $p in opposition to the 8o$s 9rdo* That

honor %oes to e a$wDs Catholic Traditionalist Moement of the 1=>0s* And the 1=>0s messa%e of the

CTM was $ite moderate in tone7 rather than condemnin% the 8o$s 9rdo, it wished to see the Latin Mass

offered as an alternatie to the ernac$lar, there!y displacin% no one* 10 (oweer, e a$w !ecame

radicali4ed when a$l +# mandated the 8o$s 9rdo, replacin% the Tridentine lit$r%y entirely* This placed

many Catholics in a $andary - if 6ome is infalli!le, as they claimed to $phold, a doctrine declared !y the

same ope who !ro$%ht forth the Sylla!$s of ;rrors, then how co$ld 6ome remoe the Latin Mass" Many

conseratie Catholics, tr$stin% in the inspiration of the (oly Spirit, went alon% with the Ch$rch, !$t some

decided to take the ro$te of opposition, and rallied aro$nd a - a !it ironic, %ien that he was not practicin% the 8o$s 9rdo in the first place* This sered

to f$rther radicali4e SS3, driin% it away from a hierarchy which it saw as $ncompromisin% on the iss$e

of the Tridentine 6ite* (oweer, after the death of ope a$l +# and the consecration of 'ohn a$l ## as

ope, thin%s took a different t$rn in relations !etween the +atican and traditionalist Catholics, incl$din%

10Cuneo 90.


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m$ltiple attempts at a rapprochement and the #nd$lt* (oweer, in 1=EE, Arch!ishop Lefe!re decided to

consecrate new !ishops to s$cceed him - a role only to !e filled, $nder Ch$rch law, !y the ope* 0s* There was no aen$e for the Latin

Mass after 1=?1, when the 8o$s 9rdo was mandated* #n fact, in 1=E0 the cardinal of &oston sanctioned

one of his priests for openin% traditionalist chapels*12 This was a iolation of the priestly ow of episcopal

o!edience, !$t at the same time, there was no other aen$e for the Latin Mass, and those Catholics, !oth

American and otherwise, who wished to practice their faith in the old style felt themseles sh$nned !y the

Ch$rch* The spirit of +atican ##, offerin% lit$r%y that wo$ld speak to the heart, did not seem to e.tend to

those to whom the old rites were most powerf$l* As s$ch, these disaffected Catholics t$rned to SS3,

which, altho$%h radicali4ed, did find some means of compromise with the Ch$rch* This compromise was

somewhat one-sided -- Lefe!re wo$ld threaten episcopal ordination, and the +atican wo$ld compromise,

with the #nd$lt as well as with ne%otiations to !rin% SS3 !ack into the fold, in some ways similar to the

personal prelat$re %ien to conseratie %ro$ps in the 1=E0s s$ch as 9p$s ei* There was also a

si%nificant hierarchical !acklash a%ainst the reforms of +atican ##, led !y Co$ncil reformers s$ch as 'ohn

a$l ## and Cardinal 6at4in%er* (oweer, these moes toward conseratism were tempered with the

constant need for respect for the papal seat and remem!rance of the importance of what occ$rred at +atican

##* #f papal infalli!ility held, then +atican ## was alid, and if the Ch$rch was diinely inspired, wo$ld it

not follow that +atican ## was itself diinely inspired" SS3 was, if not /$stified, then $nderstanda!ly

striin% to !rin% the Ch$rch !ack to what it !elieed were its a$thentic roots* (oweer, SS3 was not

necessarily in concert with 6ome, nor was it faithf$l to the +atican at all times*

11The document which declared SSPX schismatic,Ecclesia Dei, also served to expand the Indult to those

Catholics remaining faithful to Rome.12Gillis 28.


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THE CASE AAINST SSPX

There are two primary strikes a%ainst SS3 - first, its lack of acknowled%ement of the 8o$s

9rdo as a alid form of the Mass, and second its iolation of +atican a$thority thro$%h the ordination of its

own !ishops, makin% it e.comm$nicate from 6ome* #n addition, the more conciliatory tone taken !y the

papacy of 'ohn a$l ## has eroded the alidity of the ar%$ments as str$ct$red d$rin% the a$l +# papacy*

The Society of St* i$s 3 considers the 8o$s 9rdo to !e an inalid Mass* Accordin% to SS3,

the 8o$s 9rdo is Modernist, and therefore in heresy a%ainst the Ch$rch*1@ (oweer, part of this ar%$ment

stems from the !elief that the Ch$rch is indefecti!le, and therefore the Latin Mass was perfect* #f the

Ch$rch is a pil%rim people rather than a perfect society, then chan%e is possi!le, !$t SS3 re/ects the

f$ndamental chan%e in Catholicism wro$%ht !y the Second +atican Co$ncil* et if it does this, then it

denies the %race !estowed !y Christ $pon the ope and the Ch$rch to call co$ncils - so was the Ch$rch

lackin% in %race" This is a parado. where SS3 raises those $estions which, in the end, led to its la!elin%

as schismatic !y the hierarchy*


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witho$t the le%itimacy of !ishops leadin% it* As noted earlier, SS3 %ained m$ch of its le%itimacy from the

fact that a !ishop, with the attendant power and le%itimacy, was at its head* 8o other !ishops - all of whom

had sworn alle%iance to 6ome as part of their ows - had /oined $nder the SS3 !anner* #n addition,

SS3 does not always reco%ni4e those priests who hae !een ordained $nder the 8o$s 9rdo, there!y

dryin% $p its pool to those priests ordained !y Lefe!re or the priests ordained !efore +atican ## - a

narrowin% pool as the 1=E0s drew to a close* ;piscopal ordination was always the stick which SS3

co$ld $se a%ainst the +atican - compromise co$ld !e forced !y threatenin% an action which wo$ld

$ndo$!tedly prompt e.comm$nication* The fact that any compromise co$ld !e made in this manner shows

the difference !etween the a$l +# papacy and the 'ohn a$l ## papacy - a$l +# s$spended Lefe!reDs

priestly fac$lties, while 'ohn a$l ## showed a real interest in !rin%in% SS3 !ack into the Ch$rch* A

former reformer himself, he had !ecome as ope more conseratie, in the same manner as many of his

collea%$es did in reaction to the eol$tion of the Ch$rch after +atican ##* (oweer, the episcopal

ordinations were not merely a means of %$aranteein% the s$rial of SS3* #n 1=EE, when Lefe!re

ordained fo$r !ishops, he did so after a!ro%atin% a concord si%ned !etween himself and the +atican,

ret$rnin% his priestly fac$lties and the ri%ht of SS3 to say the Latin Mass in ret$rn for reco%nition of the

8o$s 9rdoDs alidity and his profession of loyalty to the pope*1: (is act was an act of re!ellion

-re!ellion, as he may hae seen it, a%ainst in/$stice, !$t re!ellion nonetheless, and a%ainst a pope who, it

wo$ld appear, was the le%itimate s$ccessor to the Seat of St* eter*1> As s$ch, SS3 moed into schism*

THE LATIN MASS IN THE VATICAN II CHURCH -- THE INDULT

The papacy of 'ohn a$l ## has differed %reatly from that of a$l +#* 6ather than moin% to $ash

traditionalist Catholics, 'ohn a$l ## has so$%ht accommodation, !oth in ne%otiations with SS3 and in

allowin%, first in 1=E and later in 1=EE, the Latin Mass to !e said within the confines of the post-+atican

## Ch$rch* This is not the 8o$s 9rdo in Latin, !$t rather the 1=>2 and therefore last, most modern

1:Cuneo 92.1>SSPX does not qualify under the rubric of the "sedevacantists," those separatists who believe that all

the popes since Pius XII have been invalid. See Holy Cross Fathers 59-62.


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ersion of the Missale 6oman$m, the Tridentine 6ite which had !een said for 00 years !efore the Second

+atican Co$ncil*

SS3 has critici4ed the #nd$lt as a sello$t* And there is some conflict - if the Tridentine Mass is

the only accepta!le form of the Mass, how it is possi!le to attend it when the priests sayin% it also accept

the 8o$s 9rdo, and perhaps een say 8o$s 9rdo masses" This is the reason why SS3 !eliees #nd$lt

masses to !e inalid, in the same way as 8o$s 9rdo masses are, thro$%h a tacit acceptance of the new

ersion of the Mass* &y condemnin% the 8o$s 9rdo, SS3 demands of its mem!ers a choice - follow the

Ch$rch or follow SS3* This alienates many Catholics who loe the traditional lit$r%y !$t do not wish to

find themseles in what they !eliee to !e a state of sin* &$t those mem!ers of SS3 who remain are

!o$nd closer to%ether - they can only worship at their own parishes, creatin% their own sense of comm$nity

to com!at what they see as a hostile enironment*

The #nd$lt has not helped SS3, !eca$se it has eliminated their primary appeal to traditionalist

Catholics who wish to maintain their alle%iance to the ope* To many Catholics, yo$n% and old, it offers

the !est of !oth worlds, a sanctioned Latin Mass* Traditionalist Catholics, as conseraties within the

post-+atican ## str$ct$re, %enerally s$pport the ope is a is demands for f$rther deol$tion, and !eliee

in papal infalli!ility and other doctrines - they were prom$l%ated !efore +atican ##* Catholics who hae

missed the rit$al of the Tridentine Mass, to whom it appeals in a need for piety, can attend an #nd$lt Mass

in appro.imately :0 percent of the dioceses in the 5nited States witho$t fear of sinnin%, attendin% a Mass

which has !een /$d%ed !y the hierarchical Ch$rch to !e alid* #n many ways, the #nd$lt was what e

a$w so$%ht in the 1=>0s, altho$%h the actions of ope a$l +# p$shed him and his followers away from

the Ch$rch* Many Catholics who en/oy the Latin Mass wish to !e in comm$nion with 6ome - either they

hae no pro!lem with the 8o$s 9rdo and simply prefer the rites of Latin Mass once in a while, or they

!eliee that the Ch$rch can !e reformed from within*1? Also, some see the #nd$lt as aimed at SS3 -

many of the dioceses where !ishops hae decided to %rant the #nd$lt are dioceses where demand for the

Latin Mass has !een demonstrated !y the stren%th of SS3* The #nd$lt has also tarred SS3 with an

1?While "reform" is a strange word to use when speaking of a Mass which existed for 400 years, in some

respects this is a reform, adapting the Latin Mass to the modern world by offering it as an alternative to

the Novus Ordo without invalidating the newer form of liturgies.


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e.tremist !r$sh it lacked !efore the 1=E0s*


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swiftly a%ainst SS3, !$t the c$rrent ope has made many efforts to !rin% SS3 !ack into the Ch$rch,

!oth !efore they !ecame schismatic and since* The two strikes a%ainst SS3 differ in terms of !rin%in%

the two sides to%ether in a compromise - episcopal ordinations, while the pro.imate ca$se for the

declaration of SS3 as schismatic, are a minor h$rdle compared to the doctrinal difference in the

accepta!ility of the 8o$s 9rdo, the primary st$m!lin% !lock to a reconciliation !etween SS3 and the

$niersal Ch$rch*

A pro!lem with seekin% compromise !etween SS3 and the Ch$rch is that it has !een tried in the

past, and has failed* 'ohn a$l ## and Cardinal 6at4in%er tried to !rin% SS3 !ack into the Ch$rch in the

1=E0s, !efore they !ecame schismatic* The #nd$lt of 1=E was one compromise, altho$%h its acceptance of

the 8o$s 9rdo was anathema to Arch!ishop Lefe!re* #n 1=EE, a compromise was si%ned !y the

Arch!ishop, in which he swore alle%iance to 6ome and a willin%ness to accept the 8o$s 9rdo as alid in

ret$rn for reco%nition of SS3 and allowance for their priests to say the Latin Mass e.cl$siely* 20

(oweer, one day after si%nin% this concord, Arch!ishop Lefe!re !acked o$t*21 This willin%ness to si%n

an accord, then moe away from it, m$st !e seen as a pro!lem when ne%otiatin% - how can the +atican

!eliee that it is ne%otiatin% in %ood faith with an or%ani4ation which has shown in the past a willin%ness to

rene%e on formal accords" #n addition, the death of Arch!ishop Lefe!re has, s$rprisin%ly, left a more

radical leadership in SS3*22

6ecent ne%otiations with SS3 pose a different set of pro!lems !eca$se of the formal declaration

of schism, as well as the e.istence of fo$r SS3 !ishops, !ishops who were anointed ille%ally, accordin% to

Ch$rch law* The Ch$rch has proen willin% to accept these !ishops as le%itimate - howeer, what does this

present as an e.ample to other separatist %ro$ps" This ope has shown one of his primary missions to !e

20Those priests granted the dispensation to say the Latin Mass under the 1984 Indult, being under the

Novus Ordo, were obligated to say Mass in that form as well.

21It is interesting to note that a history of SSPX downplays the accord reached (an "obscure protocol"),and states its abrogation came due to too many uncertainties in its application. Holy Cross Fathers 104.22Archbishop Lefebvre, for example, never explicitly labeled the Indult Mass as invalid, a move made by

his successors in the movement - in fact, he cited it in 1984 as "providential." See Lefebvre, Archbishop

Marcel, "The Church, The Priesthood and the Tridentine Indult" (Conference to Priests 29 October 1984,

Stuttgart). The American SSPX bishop Richard Williamson is often labeled, for one, as far more

"conservative" than his French predecessor, for example calling negotiations an attempt to "buy out"

SSPX. See letter from Bishop Williamson (Appendix F).


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ec$menism, to !rin% the !elieers of the world to%ether, as shown !y his recent moes is a is the

9rthodo. and rotestant ch$rches* &$t why is it that the ope has !een willin% to %o so far o$t of the way

to appease SS3" #n some ways, SS3 presents a case of a %ro$p that was, in some ways, persec$ted in

the past* #t was tar%eted in the 1=?0s $nder a$l +#, its priests cens$red and Lefe!reDs fac$lties remoed*

(oweer, at the same time its !elief in the inalid nat$re of the 8o$s 9rdo creates a ma/or pro!lem for the

Ch$rchDs wish to !rin% them !ack into the Ch$rch* The Ch$rch does not need SS3 to appeal to all

traditional Catholics - many of them were satisfied !y the #nd$lt* Also, SS3 has !een partic$larly

hawkish* &$t 'ohn a$l ## has !een a lit$r%ical conseratie in some ways - %rantin% a personal prelat$re

to 9p$s ei as the primary e.ample of this* &$t to !e !l$nt, the Ch$rch does not need SS3, and its

leaders hae proen tro$!lesome* et the Ch$rch has apparently persisted in ne%otiations with SS3*

(oweer, their leaders hae !een $nwillin% to compromise on the alidity of the 8o$s 9rdo - the stickin%

point* #f SS3 is $nwillin% to %rant the alidity of the 8o$s 9rdo, it wo$ld !e impossi!le for them to !e

!ro$%ht !ack into the Ch$rch*

;en SS3, as intransi%ent as it has appeared to !e, has !een critici4ed for !ein% too soft*

Mem!ers of the Society, seein% any willin%ness to ne%otiate with the +atican as weakness, hae created

other %ro$ps, especially the Society of St* i$s +, a more frin%e %ro$p !$t with its own set of followers*

These people hae acc$sed SS3 of the same acc$sations leeled at followers of the #nd$lt - sello$t* To

mem!ers of SS+, any ne%otiations are in and of themseles a reco%nition that the +atican has a point of

iew deserin% of an a$dience, sacrificin% principle to e.pediency*2@ #n some ways, this demonstrates a

similarity !etween the traditionalist moement and the rotestant 6eformation, a similarity preferred to !e

aoided !y the traditionalists themseles - constant infi%htin% and splinterin%, all claimin% to hae the tr$e


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way, een SS3 can !e seen as moderate within the traditionalist comm$nity, altho$%h the e.istence of

the #nd$lt tends to inalidate this*

ANALYSIS -- THE LATIN MASS IN THE FUTURE

oes the Latin Mass hae a f$t$re in the Catholic Ch$rch" erhaps not $nder SS3* (oweer,

there has !een a flowerin% of the Latin Mass in the American Ch$rch since the prom$l%ation of the #nd$lt*

art of this flowerin% has !een a s$r%e in yo$thf$l interest in the Tridentine 6ite* Many of those who attend

Tridentine serices !arely remem!er the pre-+atican ## Ch$rch, or were not een !orn !efore the Co$ncil*

To them, it is another option open to ch$rch%oers, one that proides a al$a!le alternatie to a Mass seen

as watered down*

#t is impossi!le to s$rey all attendees of the Latin Mass, either within the #nd$lt or thro$%h SS3

and other schismatic or%ani4ations* (oweer, some yo$n% attendees of the Latin Mass hae offered

comments as to why they attend the Tridentine 6ite rather than a 8o$s 9rdo Mass* 2> 9$t of those

attendees s$reyed, s$rprisin%ly, none came from a family !ack%ro$nd where the Latin Mass was

practiced* #n part this may !e a res$lt of the recent adoption of the #nd$lt, !$t all s$reyed stated a

spirit$al h$n%er which was not sered !y the 8o$s 9rdo* A%ain, all these s$reyed had neer lied !efore

+atican ##, and had %rown $p in the 8o$s 9rdo Mass* Clearly, for them somethin% was missin%, to them,

from their Catholic $p!rin%in%*2? Another point that was !ro$%ht $p was the idea of le. orandi, le.

credendi - that the manner and rit$al of prayer has a direct impact on !elief*2E A Mass perceied as a

2>Appendices A-E. All respondents (who have asked for confidentiality) are either current Georgetown

students or alumni, between the ages of 19 and 24. While all are members of the Georgetown Knights of

Columbus, this should not be seen as a label for the Knights as a dogmatically conservative movement -

there are Knights who prefer a liberal liturgy, and others who prefer a conservative one. Nor should it be

implied that these are a sort of "random sampling" designed to set general trends in the appeal of the

Latin Mass to Catholicism as a whole, but it should be noted that all these respondents studied at what isoften considered a "liberal" Catholic university. Also, none of the respondents consulted with each other

on the answers - they were all independently surveyed.2?A good quote to support this comes from Appendix A, Question 6: "I think every generation kind of [sic]

has to find its own place, and many young people are not content with the kind of church that their parents

brought them up in..."2EMassa discusses this at length, 156-159, but used it to argue for the Novus Ordo, rather than the

reverse.


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cele!ration may improe !elief amon% some, !$t within this %ro$p a certain solemnity and piety, was fo$nd

missin% in the Mass, somethin% they fo$nd in the Tridentine 6ite* There is an appeal to somethin%

different to any %eneration of yo$th, and to todayDs yo$n% Catholics, the Latin Mass represents somethin%

dramatically different - alien to most, !$t appealin% to some*

While s$ch a %ro$p of Catholics as the st$dents s$reyed here can !e dismissed as !$t a tiny

fraction of American Catholics, in tr$th they wield more power than their n$m!ers wo$ld imply* #n

practice, a %ro$p s$ch as these Catholics is similar to a political press$re %ro$p - een when small in

n$m!er, the importance of the Catholic Ch$rch in eeryday life - as wo$ld !e implied !y the willin%ness of

colle%e st$dents to trael halfway across the city in time for a =700 AM S$nday mass - st$dents s$ch as

these and other yo$n% persons who attend the Latin Mass are willin% to dialo%$e and work to see their point

of iew !ecome fr$itf$l and prosper* This is the case for most traditionalist Catholics - it is impossi!le to

!e a Christmas and ;aster traditionalist Catholic* The faith demands not only piety, !$t actiity - a

different sort, to !e s$re, from the actiity of a 8o$s 9rdo Mass, !$t an actiism which allows yo$n%

traditionalist Catholics to make their oices heard* #n addition, these n$m!ers hae !een %rowin% - at

)eor%etown, more and more people attend Latin Mass downtown eery week, an eent for which the only

p$!licity is word of mo$th*2=

#t is also important to note that the yo$n% people who do attend the Latin Mass are willin% to take

the Mass serio$sly eno$%h to $se the contemplatie portions for introspection, rather than the proer!ial

doin% knittin%*


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for those Catholics for whom the Latin Mass has a special reerence to !e a!le to worship as they please,

while acknowled%in% the alidity of the 8o$s 9rdo and the f$ndamental chan%es which the Ch$rch has

$nder%one since +atican ##*

The Latin Mass has %rown in pop$larity, and in the foreseea!le f$t$re its pop$larity may %row,

!oth as a contrast to the Mass cele!rated !y the ast ma/ority of American Catholics, as well as a ia!le

component in the reli%io$s tapestry of American Catholicism* #t is impossi!le to predict what the f$t$re

will hold for American Catholicism and the Latin Mass, whether the #nd$lt will !e e.tended or if a

rapprochement with SS3 co$ld come in the f$t$re* (oweer, one $ote from the leader of SS3 is

tellin%* At a


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American Catholics lookin% for a different sort of e.perience now hae a new option, an option which in

the f$t$re will contin$e to !enefit all Catholics*


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&L#9)6A(

Co44ens, onald &* The Chan%in%


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2#


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APPENDIX A

J 1I (ow often do yo$ attend Latin Mass"J # was attendin% it m$ch more re%$larly first semester !$t not as fre$ently now* When s$mmer rollsaro$nd # will pro!a!ly %o !ack to %oin% eery week*

J 2I When did yo$ start attendin% Latin Mass"

A!o$t a year a%o this sprin%*JJ @I (ow conseratie is yo$r family !ack%ro$nd"0s and ?0sand that the reied interest in latin mass co$ld !e a !it of an indicator in that direction*JJ ?I o yo$ see the Ch$rch today moin% toward a more widespread acceptance of the Latin Mass, ormore in the direction !e%$n !y +atican ##"# think the ch$rch oerall doesnDt know that the latin mass still e.ists and still has the f$ll force ofle%itimacy !ehind it* # certainly didnDt know $ntil last year that latin masses were still said re%$larly* #think it is too early to tell whether the Ch$rch will moe !ack towards latin mass or not, !$t i think that the

popeDs efforts to !rin% SS3 !ack into the fold is indicatie of more of an acceptance of the latin mass*

JJ EI (ow does the post-+atican ## Ch$rch appeal to yo$" Compare the direction taken after +atican ##with the papacy of 'ohn a$l ##"# think the !i%%est step 'ohn a$l ## has taken has !een to moe the ch$rch !ack towards Marian deotion*+atican ## tried to p$r%e a lot of the marianism o$t of the ch$rch, and '## has tried to !rin% it !ack* # think'## has also done a lot to re-empasi4e that the Ch$rch is still $nam!i%$o$s on seeral iss$es, especially thea!ortion $estion, and # wo$ld like to see more of a trend towards standin% firm in the f$t$reJJ =I Was +atican ## a mistake, or the ri%ht thin% to do"This is a $estion #De asked myself oer and oer a%ain, !eca$se i really had no pro!lems with what # sawthe ch$rch as !ein% pre-atican ##* of co$rse the way i see it now is not necessarily the way it was !eca$sei neer e.perienced the ch$rch first-hand !efore atican ##* # think atican ## did some al$a!le thin%s in!rin%in% people into more of an actie role in the ch$rch, !$t i think that the fast one they p$lled to chan%ethe mass so drastically was not ri%ht* 9f co$rse the mass reform was not a part of atican ## technically, ifi remem!er correctly, so i donDt think it was necessarily the fa$lt of atican ##, altho$%h it can !e said thatthe co$ncil paed the way for the reforms*JJ 10I (as ope 'ohn a$l ## reached o$t to conseraties, or has he contin$ed the trends of +atican ##"


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# think that '## started o$t his ministry not reachin% o$t ery m$ch towards conseraties, !$t !y the endof his ministry, he has started to do more of that* (e still foc$ses a lot on the h$manitarian and social sideof the ch$rch, which is not partic$larly attractie to the dyed in the wool conseraties, !$t # think he is!etter now than he was earlier* what will !e interestin% is to see who '## may start %roomin% to s$cceedhim, whether he picks a stron% li!eral or if he picks someone like 'oseph Cardinal 6at4sin%erJJ 11I What are yo$r tho$%hts on SS3"

J# think that they are a %ood idea %one wron%* The moement was !ased on %ood ideas, and eerythin%was %oin% fine $ntil the disp$te !etween lefe!re and rome, with rome ref$sin% to sched$le a date for !ishopappointments within the ssp., leadin% lefere to do it himself, which p$t them in schism* #f there had !eenmore openness a!o$t thin%s in the first place, witho$t tryin% to s$!/ect the !elieers to the a%aries ofpolitics, i think the whole sit$ation co$ld hae !een aoided* # attended a co$ple of theirmasses !efore i !ecame aware that they were schismo, and # honestly didnDt see anythin% wron% with whatthey were doin%* 9f co$rse now i canDt %o !ack wFo riskin% e.comm$nicatin% myself*

J 12I (ow likely, in yo$r opinion, is a rapprochement !etween SS3 and the instit$tional Ch$rch" #ss$ch a rapprochement a %ood thin%"# think itDs definitely a %ood thin%* We need to repair the schism and !rin% them !ack into the fold* l$s itwill lead them !ack to le%itimate recr$itment amon% the faithf$l to attend latin mass and so raise theconscio$sness of the e.istance of the latin mass in %eneral amon% the ch$rch*

JJ 1@I Sho$ld the Ch$rch appeal to pop$lar sentiment in the order of the Mass, as was done at +atican ##"($h"JJ 1I Wo$ld a ret$rn to a more traditional Mass appeal to the mass of Catholics" Sho$ld it"# hae !een thinkin% a!o$t this type of $estion a lot recently, and # hae come to the concl$sion that thereare many types of catholics7 c$tlt$ral catholics Hrarely %o to ch$rch !$t hold the moral codes, ro$%hly, ofthe ch$rchI, twosies Hthose that attend ch$rch on .mas and easterI, the l$kewarm H%o to ch$rch eeryoncein a while when itDs conienent, and the faithf$l, which can !e diided $p into two cate%ories7 o$tward andinward* #nward foc$s more on personal deelopment with the spirit and )od and p$ttin% oneDs own so$l inorder Hthis is the 1171:ish person i thinkI the o$tward faithf$l are the ones who are always at the so$pkitchens and foc$s more on the social and societal aspect of the ch$rch* This is not to say that traits

!etween the two are m$t$ally e.cl$sie, !$t i think it depends more on what yo$r iew of reli%ion in yo$rown life is* # think the traditional mass can and will appeal more to the inward faithf$l* # donDt think itwo$ld appeal as m$ch to the other %ro$ps, for the conienent catholics !Fcthe latin mass is hard to follow if yo$ donDt %o re%$larly !Fc it takes some pratice to learn the correct c$esand learn how to follow alon% and so forth* The latin mass is also m$ch more introspectie - the homily is$s$ally short and to the point, !$t the rest of the mass is either chanted or said softly, leain% yo$ time toeither pay attention or meditate and reflect on yo$r own life and how the readin%s or homily applies to it*


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APPENDIX %

1I (ow often do yo$ attend Latin Mass"

;ery S$nday and (oly ay of 9!li%ation*

2I When did yo$ start attendin% Latin Mass"

Sprin% 1==E

@I (ow conseratie is yo$r family !ack%ro$nd"

Conseratie, !$t not traditional, Catholic

I #f yo$r family !ack%ro$nd is not conseratie, what prompted yo$ to chan%e" #f yo$r family!ack%ro$nd is conseratie, what has kept yo$ within the conseratie moement"

My family is deo$t and a%$ely conseratie, and a s$!scription to 8ational 6eiew in my senior year inhi%h school sparked my interest in the conseratie intellect$al moement* # worked on a conseratie off-camp$s paper my freshman year, and since then, hae !een friends withFworked with

people in the moement* # en/oy hain% intellect$al disc$ssions with like-minded people from all oer the6i%ht--neocons, theocons, li!ertarians, etc*

:I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$ specifically in the post-+atican ## world"

#tDs a serio$s approach to Catholicism* The 8o$s 9rdo seems like a Mass desi%ned for children, whatwith its hand-holdin%, sin%-son%y nat$re* The Tridentine Mass seems more mat$re, solemn, etc* l$s, itconnects me to 2,000 years of Christian tradition* # cannot feel thereDs a Comm$nion of Saints when #partake in a Mass that the saints neer cele!rated*

>I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$n% people, in yo$r opinion"

# think the Tridentine Mass addresses a sprit$al h$n%er in the yo$n% that the 8o$s 9rdo fails to f$llysatisfy* The way we pray affects the way we !eliee* The 8o$s 9rdo Mass is too anthropocentric anddoesnDt present the mystery of trans$!stantiation in its f$llest %lory* Too m$ch emphasis on comm$nity,which is a feat$re of rotestant Hread hereticalI lit$r%ies* The Tridentine Mass is properly Christocentricand p$ts the 6eal resence in the forefront of the Lit$r%y*

?I o yo$ see the Ch$rch today moin% toward a more widespread acceptance of the Latin Mass, or morein the direction !e%$n !y +atican ##"

The ost-Conciliar Ch$rch will eent$ally lose followers as the Tr$e


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# hate to say it, !$t # think more and more that it was a mistake* # !eliee it was well-intentioned*

10I (as ope 'ohn a$l ## reached o$t to conseraties, or has he contin$ed the trends of +atican ##"


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APPENDIX C

1I (ow often do yo$ attend Latin Mass"

-;ery S$nday and (oly ay 9f 9!li%ation

2I When did yo$ start attendin% Latin Mass"

-Sprin% of 1==E


-My parents are !oth li!erals, as are my !rother H!orderin% on socialistI and sister* My %randparents wereemocrats, !$t of the older Catholic ariety, and after the ennedy presidency, oted pretty m$ch6ep$!lican* &oth are more conseratie than my parents*

I #f yo$r family !ack%ro$nd is not conseratie, what prompted yo$ to chan%e" #f yo$r family!ack%ro$nd is conseratie, what has kept yo$ within the conseratie moement"

-#n hi%h school, # met a ery conseratie Catholic priest Hnot traditional Catholic, !$t ery conseratie

no$s ordonarian who later receied an #nd$lt and cele!rates !oth ritesI, and many of my reli%io$s andpolitical iews stem from mentorin% !y him* There were seeral yo$n% men like myself in his classes, andwe sort of formed a ti%ht-knit %ro$p of conseraties who fed off each other spirit$ally and politically* Atthe same time, many of my iews were shaped !y my %randfather and seeral of my conseratie $ncles* #nthe end, the !attle !etween the conseratie and li!eral elements in my life was decidedly won !y the ri%ht*To me, it /$st made more sense morally to !e a conseratie, and was definitely more in to$ch with tr$eCatholicism Haltho$%ht that is cleary open to $estionI* eep in mind that at the time, # was not traditional*

:I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$ specifically in the post-+atican ## world"

-#t is impossi!le to deny the fact that +atican ## is the sin%les !i%%est eent in the entire history of theCh$rch* 8eer !efore in the entire history of the Ch$rch had s$ch a paradi%m-shiftin% phenomenon

occ$rred Hwhich S(95L !e an o.ymoron when referrin% to reli%ion, especially Tr$e Catholicism, whichcannot chan%eKI* The most compellin% part of the story is that +atican ## was a pastoral co$ncil as opposedto a doctrinal co$ncil* #n the former, the declarations that come o$t of the Co$ncil do not carry the force oflaw* &$t somehow, +atican ## ac$ired a sense of doctrinal application which it does not le%ally en/oy*8onetheless, it persists and after forty years, it is impossi!le to reerse* +atican ## did 89T call for a newMass, as some wo$ld hae $s !eliee* #t called for a reform of the lit$r%y, !$t nothin% at all on the scale ofa 8;W lit$r%y* #n any eent, the new lit$r%y was written $p and prom$l%ated Hsome say ille%ally, # hae noposition on thisI, and almost immediately, it was hi/acked* The altars were t$rned aro$nd, een tho$%h ther$!rics didnt call for this, and in fact ass$me the priest faces the same direction as the people theernac$lari4ed Mass allowed for ad-li!!in%, !ad translations and easier !reakin% of ther$!rics comm$nion in the hand, neer !efore seen, !ecame commonplace* These were /$st the early

a!$ses7 oer the ne.t thirty years, een more e%re%io$s a!$ses occ$rred as priests moed farther andfarther away from the Mass to their own c$stomi4ed NshowsO presentin% them as prod$cer, director andstar* ey doctrines of the Ch$rch, i*e* 6eal resence, Tri$ne )od, the Sacrament of Confession, etc* weredownplayed in faor of an emphasis on comm$nity a!oe all else* The Mass and the theolo%y s$rro$ndin%it are decidedly different than the Mass of the saints and o$r forefathers* The solemnity was%one, as was the sense that somethin% was happenin% d$rin% the (9L SAC6


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key points of do%ma, and the priest often $ses the p$lpit to p$t forth $estiona!le ideas* To !e $enched, #m$st %o to a Mass that teaches and emphasi4es my !eliefs, and that is the Latin Mass*

>I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$n% people, in yo$r opinion"

-# think as a whole, were shiftin% to a more conseratie yo$th* o$n% people reali4e that the no$s ordois often a !$lly p$lpit for the spread of li!eral ideas and a less-than-stellar so$rce of spirit$al no$rishment*

So, they t$rn to the Latin Mass, deoid of the no$s ordos %$itars and snare dr$ms, its emphasis oncomm$nity and company picnicPinstead they %et a mystical and solemn e.perience, $iet and s$!d$ed, themelodic )re%orian Chant echoin% off the wallsP*a time to pray and reflect and tr$ly comm$ne with )od inthe (oly $n!loody Sacrifice on Calary* The sermon is decidedly Catholic and minimally political*

9ne other thin%, and # am not kiddin% when # say this7 yo$n% Catholics like the social atmosphere of past-Mass disc$ssion* Talkin% to the conseratie stalwarts can proide infinite amo$nts of learnin%, pleas$reand hilarity all at once* Trad Catholic comm$nities as a whole are M5C( ti%hter than no$s ordocomm$nities, in my e.perience*

?I o yo$ see the Ch$rch today moin% toward a more widespread acceptance of the Latin Mass, or morein the direction !e%$n !y +atican ##"

-The Ch$rch as a whole MA !e startin% to moe to a more wide-spread acceptance of the Latin Mass* #n1=E, a ery restrictie #nd$lt was %ien* #n 1=EE, the ;cclesia ei Commission was formed to administerto traditional %ro$ps, the 1=E #nd$lt was e.panded and the


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-# dont think the Co$ncil was intended to !e as far-reachin% and paradi%m-shiftin% as it was* (ad 'ohn333### known that it was %oin% to t$rn o$t as it had, he pro!a!ly wo$ld not hae called it H$nless he was$nder d$ress as the conspiracists say, no /okeI* #n that sense, as a pastoral co$ncil not carryin% the force oflaw, and with no chance of it !ein% interpreted as law and implemented as it, the co$ncil was proper*#nsofar as what act$ally happened and $nfolded, it was a %rae mistake, and $ltimately stole the Tr$e faithfrom $s* Some think thats ho%wash, claimin% that eerythin% Nta$%htO !y the Co$ncil can !e reconciled

with pre-+atican ## teachin%s, !$t this is not tr$e* #n many cases, they are directly contradictory* +atican ##is contra the Sylla!$s of ;rrors Han ;ncyclical carryin% the force of lawI in many areas, especially as far asModernism %oes*



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APPENDIX D

1I (ow often do yo$ attend Latin Mass" C$rrently, one or two times a month preio$sly, eery S$nday*

2I When did yo$ start attendin% Latin Mass" 9cto!er 1===*


8ot ery - most of my family is of the non-praticin%, Christmas and ;aster Catholic ariety*

I #f yo$r family !ack%ro$nd is not conseratie, what prompted yo$ to chan%e" #f yo$r family!ack%ro$nd is conseratie, what has kept yo$ within the conseratie moement" Tho$%h #Dd !een !apti4ed in the Ch$rch and receied my first comm$nion, d$rin% most of my yo$th #didnDt attend ch$rch re%$larly !$t felt more stron%ly drawn to it in hi%h school, !ecame an o!serantCatholic and was confirmed # s$ppose # o$t%rew my adolescent a%nosticism and fo$nd that # co$ldnDt makedo witho$t a spirit$al component in my life, which # had tried $ns$ccessf$lly to do*

:I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$ specifically in the post-+atican ## world" I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$n% people, in yo$r opinion" # think that many Catholics who hae lied solely in the post-+atican ## ch$rch feel a kind ofalienation from their spirit$al herita%e they feel that theyDe !een denied many of the riches of the Catholictradition, and the Latin mass allows them to %et in to$ch not only with )od !$t with a part of themselesthat they feel they hae lost*

?I o yo$ see the Ch$rch today moin% toward a more widespread acceptance of the Latin Mass, or

more in the direction !e%$n !y +atican ##" #n my e.perience there seems to !e a %rad$al moe toward %reater acceptance of the Latin massthere is still a lot of hostility to the Latin mass on the part of many Ch$rch li!erals of the +atican ##%eneration, !$t it is co$nter!alanced !y an openness to the mass on the part of many in the post-+atican ##%eneration as well as older Catholics* # think the !road ma/ority of Catholics are $nderinformed on theiss$e, in the sense that they erroneo$sly ass$me that the Latin mass was somehow a!ro%ated !y the reformsof the Second +atican Co$ncil and has !een irretriea!ly lost* #f there was more ed$cation and informationa!o$t the tr$e state of affairs, howeer, # !eliee that there wo$ld !e m$ch more s$pport for increasedp$!lic cele!ration of the Latin mass*

EI (ow does the post-+atican ## Ch$rch appeal to yo$" Compare the direction taken after +atican ## withthe papacy of 'ohn a$l ##" artic$larly in the 5nited States, it seems to me that Catholicism has !ecome m$ch more a part ofmainstream c$lt$re in the post-+atican ## era, !$t #Dm not s$re that this can !e a!scri!ed to the reforms ofthe Second +atican Co$ncil or to other social trends H%eneral decline in discrimination, e.pansion of theCatholic pop$lation in the 5*S*, etc*I* To a certain de%ree, # think the empowerment of the laity was apositie deelopment of +atican ##, re$irin% more acco$nta!ility on the part of cler%y and the hierarchyand doomin% the


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has restored order and sta!ility and moed the Ch$rch in a more positie direction than the direction it wastakin% in the 1=?0Ds*

=I Was +atican ## a mistake, or the ri%ht thin% to do" #n theory, the callin% of the Second +atican Co$ncil was positie in that it allowed for constr$ctiedisc$ssion of many iss$es that needed to !e addressed - the implementation and interpretation of theCo$ncilDs directies was $ndo$!tedly imperfect, tho$%h, partially on acco$nt of the am!i%$ity of the

Co$ncil itself - it was capa!le of !ein% all thin%s to all people* #tDs easy to say, lookin% at the pro!lems theCh$rch faces today - lower mass attendance, fewer ocations, etc* - that +atican ## was to !lame and thatwe were !etter off witho$t it* 9thers $nrealistically re%ard the Second +atican Co$ncil as a kind of !e-allend-all, and wonDt !roach any critcism of it* # think the !est approach to o$r c$rrent sit$ation is not to hemto either of these iews !$t rather to look at the le%acy of +atican ## critically and realistically, acceptin%and contin$in% the elements which hae had a positie impact and re/ectin% the elements that hae not*



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1I Wo$ld a ret$rn to a more traditional Mass appeal to the mass of Catholics" Sho$ld it"A%ain, the mass sho$ldnDt !e tailored to pop$lar sentiment, !$t # think that a ma/ority of Catholics

wo$ld at the ery least !e receptie to the increased cele!ration of the traditional Latin mass* The mostrealistic sol$tion, as # wrote earlier, appears to !e a de /$re acceptance of the de facto reality of !irit$alism,permittin% the $nrestricted cele!ration of !oth the traditional Latin mass and the 8o$s 9rdo* $rists on!oth sides of the fence wo$ld $ndo$!tedly !e horrified !y this sol$tion, !$t it seems to !e the

only practical way to resole the iss$e*JJ


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APPENDIX E

J 1I (ow often do yo$ attend Latin Mass"#t depends on the work load, !$t # try to %o eery week*

J 2I When did yo$ start attendin% Latin Mass")a$dete S$nday 1===*

J @I (ow conseratie is yo$r family !ack%ro$nd"My mother otes 6ep$!ican or emocrat depedin% on the candidate* She is ery pro-life and she wo$ldpro!a!ly la!el herself as a conseratie* &$t then a%ain, # am from 6hode #sland, where a >0Q percentCatholic district sends a ennedy to Con%ress*

J I #f yo$r family !ack%ro$nd is not conseratie, what prompted yo$ to chan%e" #f yo$r family!ack%ro$nd is conseratie, what has kept yo$ within the conseratie moement"Who says that # am conseratie" # %enerally ote democrat and think that the s$ch ca$ses like the pro-lifemoement are the lo%ical pro%ression of the ciil ri%hts moement* # think DconseratieD and Dreli%io$sD arenot interchan%a!le* 8ow, of co$rse there is a hi%h correlation* 8onetheless, # !eliee in the welfare state,redistri!$tion of wealth and the e.tension of charity !y the state* Moreoer, # !eliee that the $ltra-conseratie nat$re of the indiid$als who attend the latin mass has attached a sti%ma to it*

J :I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$ specifically in the post-+atican ## world"The Latin Mass proiides me with m$ch more spirit$al no$rishment than # co$ld eer hope to achiee atmany of the 8o$s 9rdo Masses cele!rated thro$%ho$t the nation* Tr$e worship %lorfies )od, stim$latesthe intellect, and ca$ses one to reco%ni4e the mystery of diine loe, characteristics distinctly lackin% in%$itar masses and s$ch*

J >I (ow does Latin Mass appeal to yo$n% people, in yo$r opinion"# think that many yo$n% people are not tr$ly aware of the appeal of faith, and from that deries a desire toworship in a way that %lorifies the self rather than )od* This desire precl$des the widespread acceptance ofany form of solemn worship* o$n% reli%io$s indiid$als and many potential ocations admire the LatinMass and seek to %lorify )od in this manner*

J ?I o yo$ see the Ch$rch today moin% toward a more widespread acceptance of the Latin Mass, ormore in the direction !e%$n !y +atican ##"# donDt honestly know*

J EI (ow does the post-+atican ## Ch$rch appeal to yo$" Compare the direction taken after +atican ##with the papacy of 'ohn a$l ##"# am not s$re there post-+atican ## Ch$rch is that acc$rate an identifier* # think there is a crisis ofa$thority and that there the Ch$rch still needs time to interpret the tr$e spirit of +atican ##* # think thepontificate of 'ohn a$l ## is an e.ample of this discernment*

J =I Was +atican ## a mistake, or the ri%ht thin% to do"+atican ## was the ri%ht thin% to do*

J 10I (as ope 'ohn a$l ## reached o$t to conseraties, or has he contin$ed the trends of +atican ##"


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The SS3 committed the same error as did L$ther and Ari$s* The SS3 is schismatic !eca$se theyso$%ht to start oer rather than look to work inside of the Ch$rch*

J 12I (ow likely, in yo$r opinion, is a rapprochement !etween SS3 and the instit$tional Ch$rch" #ss$ch a rapprochement a %ood thin%"9f co$rse we sho$ld seek to repair the dama%e ca$sed !y the SS3 schism, !$t we sho$ld notcompromise any tr$th to do it*

J 1@I Sho$ld the Ch$rch appeal to pop$lar sentiment in the order of the Mass, as was done at +atican ##"# disa%ree that pop$lar sentiment chan%ed the mass* The atriach of the Latins, a$l +#, chan%ed the orderof mass on his a$thority* #t is not like yo$ can circ$late a petition to chan%e the tr$th*

J 1I Wo$ld a ret$rn to a more traditional Mass appeal to the mass of Catholics" Sho$ld it"# think many people error when they !eliee that yo$ need to !e clappin% and hootin% to worship )od*8onetheless, it is a alid form of worship* The Ch$rch sho$ld seek is to em!race all forms of tr$e worshipand f$lfill its instit$tional role as pastor of the faithf$l* With tr$e %$idance, it !ecomes possi!le to em!raceall artic$lations of tr$th, which is the %oal of +atican ##* As it stands now, # think that most Catholics donot $nderstand the sit$ation at hand well eno$%h to make an informed decision, and # think that lack ofinformation contri!$tes to a lack of appeal of the Latin Mass* This conse$ence is tr$ly $nfort$nate*


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APPENDIX F

Saint Thomas A$inas SeminaryJ 6* 6* 1, &o. =? A-1J Winona, Minnesota ::=E?J ---------------------------J H:0?I :-E000

JJ J


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J takin% s$ch a principled stand on the Mass of the old reli%ion, hatedJ !y all Conciliarists, !$t after three and a half ho$rs of talkin%, heJ had to accept that that was the SocietyDs pre-condition for anyJ f$rther ne%otiations*JJ 9ne need wish the Cardinal no ill* &ishop


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J Castrillon, who is moin% towards a 6ome-SS3 deal alto%ether tooJ fast for the likin% of Conciliar 6omans who fear the SS3 actin% likeJ a Tro/an horse if it is %ien re-entry within the walls of theirJ official Ch$rch* 9r, on the contrary, as Cardinal Castrillon told o$rJ two priests on


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J master of 6ome* What a man of )odK What a manK (e is !y no means yetJ %enerally indicated, !$t !y his ma%nificent fidelity to the Tr$thJ when eeryone else was, in a collectie madness infectin% eenJ Cardinals and opes, a!andonin% it, he sits astride the CatholicJ Tr$th for all f$t$re %enerations, so that tomorrow or the day after,J all Catholics witho$t e.ception will !e profo$ndly %ratef$l to him*J

J And we hae known him sooner than most* ear readers, yo$ and #J are l$cky creat$resK Let $s only !e faithf$lK Let $s do LentenJ penances for fidelityKJJ Most sincerely yo$rs in Christ,JJ Q 6ichard Williamson


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cath final

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