Here's an amazing report from Rome on who and why the Holy Mass was changed back in the 60's:

The End of One Mystery...

 

And the beginning of another

By Robert Moynihan, reporting from Rome

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"Lacrimae rerum." ("The tears of things.") —Virgil, The Aeneid (Book 1, line 462)

 

The Aeneid is an epic poem written in Latin by Virgil, one of Rome's most distinguished poets, in the first century BC. In these lines, the Trojan prince Aeneas, son of Anchises, weeping, gazes at one of the murals found in a Carthaginian temple, which depicts battles of the Trojan War and the deaths of his friends and countrymen, and says "sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt."Translated this means, "These are tears for events and mortal things (sufferings) touch the soul." As he stands there, Aeneas is overcome by the futility of warfare and waste of human life. The burden man has to bear, ever-present frailty and suffering, defines the essence of human experience. A translation by the classicist Robert Fagles renders the quote this way: "The world is a world of tears, and the burdens of mortality touch the heart." 

 

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Jeremiah's Lament

 

Before telling more about my conversation with the monsignor indicated to me by Cardinal Gagnon as he lay dying, I think it is right that I should continue, for a moment, with my Roman journal.

 

This evening, an unusually cool one for this time of year, and so very pleasant, I went to Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by Sunday evening Mass.

 

Both the Vespers and Mass were at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, which is in that part of the basilica directly behind the main altar and beneath the great golden window depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit, visible at the very back of this wide-angle image. (photo)

 

During Mass, there was a choir of 46 children from Moscow, called the Poliot Choir, who sang beautifully in Latin and in Russian. (The connections and contacts between Rome and Russia continue to intensify.)

 

During the Mass, the first reading was from Jeremiah (23:1-6):

 

"Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD...
You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow...
and none shall be missing, says the LORD."

And the Gospel reading included this passage, from Mark (6:30-34):

"When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things."

 

Cardinal Angelo Comastri (photo), the Italian prelate in charge of St. Peter's Basilica (I have interviewed him about ways to restore a greater sense of prayer throughout the basilica, while keeping it open for visitors) then delivered a powerful homily.

 

"I have been thinking about the prophet Jeremiah quite a bit in the past few days," Comastri said. "He was born in 650 BC, about a century after Isaiah. He was by nature a timid man, reserved. But he lived in a turbulent time, the time of the destruction of the Jewish temple, the glory of Israel, in 586 BC. He suffered very much. He lived to see his beloved city destroyed and his people taken into captivity.

 

"For 25 years before this happened, he cried out to the Jews to put down their idols and fulfill their destiny as his Chosen People — to do justice, and become the living Temple of God.

 

"Il vero tempio siete voi!" Comastri cried out, citing Jeremiah. "You are the true Temple! And in your idolatries, in your worship of things which are nothingnesses, the true Temple of God, your hearts, has already been destroyed! And it is no wonder that the Temple of stone then falls as well..."

 

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Astronomers by the Lake

Earlier this week, on Thursday, I had the opportunity to go out to Castel Gandolfo and visit some Jesuit friends at the Specola Vaticana — the Vatican Observatory — refounded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII in an effort to show that the faith and true science were not incompatible.

 

For nearly a century, the Specola has been housed inside the Pope's summer residence, Castel Gandolfo itself.

 

In fact, the Jesuit community of astronomers there had free access to the castle roof — where the telescope is — and the Pope did not!

 

But starting just two weeks ago, all this has changed: the Jesuit community has been moved to the other end of the Vatican Gardens.

 

So I went out on what was more or less a "farewell" visit to the castle, as I don't know when I will have a chance to visit there again. (Photo, a view of Lake Albano from the castle roof.)

 

The Jesuits astronomers have a long history at the Vatican.

 

Ancient records tell us that Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585) commissioned his architect, Mascherino, to build a 73-meter high tower in the Vatican along the via delle Fondamenta. This tower, known as the Torre dei Venti(Tower of the Winds) is still standing.

 

Inside the tower, also called the Gregorian Tower or the Gregorian Observatory, there is a very interesting room which contains a meridian line constructed by the leading  mathematician of the age, the Dominican Father Ignazio Danti.

 

A hole is located in the south wall at a height of about 5 meters and the artist placed it right in the mouth of a genie blowing wind (photo, showing the beam of light).

 

A ray of sunlight passing through this hole falls on the floor across which there is a long marble strip, placed north-south, whose center opens up into a circle.

 

The meridian line is inserted along this marble strip. One of the markings corresponds to the spot where the sun's rays strike on the spring and fall equinoxes.

 

By observing this meridian, Gregory XIII is said to have come to the personal realization of the absolute need for the reform of the calendar which had already been undertaken "because on March 21 the bright solar image fell on the meridian line at a distance of 60 centimeters from the point cut into the floor to indicate the true equinox."

 

 

 

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The Briefcase Left Behind (continued)

 

I began my conversation with the monsignor indicated to me by Cardinal Gagnon asw he lay dying with the simple fact of Gagnon's passing in August of 2007.

 

We spoke in Italian. The conversation took place in the fall of 2007.

 

"I was sorry to hear of Cardinal Gagnon's passing," I said.

 

"Yes, so was I," the monsignor said. "He was a great servant of the Church. He suffered a great deal."

 

"I knew him," I said. "He was always helpful to me, especially when I was beginning."

 

"He was a kind man."

And then we began our usual conversation, on the state of the Church, the latest news in the Vatican, and so forth. Our conversation turned naturally to the publication on July 7, 2007, of themotu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which promoted wider use of the old rite of the Mass.

 

"I'm confused," I said.

"Why?" he said.

 

"The whole thing," I said. "What happened at the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution on the Liturgy, the Commission established to revise the Mass, Monsignor Bugnini... And now, 40 years later, we seem to be still in a state of confusion. It seems like all the things we held sacred — all the things we loved — have been trampled upon."

 

"You are too gloomy," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Yes, things have been trampled upon, but the essential remains. Don't lose heart."

 

"Does the essential remain?" I asked. "Look around. We have some who don't care about any traditions at all, they look at the 'old Church' as narrow and guilt-ridden, and they will do anything not to go back. And we have many traditionalists who seem to focus solely on externals — it sometimes seems an idolatry of the ritual..."

 

"I don't see it that black-and-white," the monsignor said. "You are leaving out all the individuals, all their acts of sacrifice, their good humor, their prayer. You have fallen into a trap. In the fight over truth, don't forget grace. Remember, there is God, the Holy Spirit, Mary..."

"But why do so many seem not to care?"

 

"Some are thoughtless. Some are persuaded the Church should be changed. Some just flow with the tide. Some are motivated by money. And then there are those who serve other masters. That was the case with Bugnini..."

 

I was startled. Not because of what he said, because it is an old allegation, but because of the way he said it, as if it was something settled, beyond discussion.

"Of course, I have heard that," I said, "but why do you say it so bluntly, as if it were certain? I thought it was just an allegation?"

 

"It is certain," he said. "At least, as certain as anything can be in this world. He went to a meeting in the Secretariat of State, with his briefcase. It was in 1975. Later that evening, when everyone had gone home, a monsignor found the briefcase Bugnini had left behind. The monsignor decided to open it to see who the owner was. And when he opened it, he found letters inside addressed to Bugnini, as to a brother, from the Grand Master of Italian Freemasonry..."

 

"But could those letters have been forgeries?" I asked. "Could someone have opened the briefcase, seen it was Bugnini's, and then slipped these false documents inside, to frame him?"

 

"Well, theoretically, I suppose, that is possible. [Note to readers: Bugnini himself always said the allegations were false, that he was never a freemason, and that the charges were made against him by disgruntled conservatives who opposed the work he had done on the liturgy.] But Paul VI, at least, didn't think so. When the evidence was brought to him, he came to the conclusion that Bugnini needed to be removed immediately from his post. Bugnini was made the papal nuncio in Iran. After more than 25 years as the head of the liturgical reform, he was abruptly fired and sent to a country where there are hardly any Catholics at all. It was a type of banishment.

 

"That is very sad," I said.

 

"No," he said, "it is very human... And today, 35 years later, it is in the past. It is something we can do nothing about."

 

"But if this is really true," I said, "then Paul VI may have approved of the new Mass under 'false pretences,' as it were. Wouldn't that raise questions about the entire liturgical reform? And why, then, did Paul VI not go back to the drawing board, if he believed what you say was true?"

 

(For more on the letters in the briefcase, see: http://www.traditioninaction.org/ProgressivistDoc/A_075_BugniniMason.htm)

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The Monsignor Sums Up 

 

"Look," the monsignor said, "no matter how many defeats the Church suffers, no matter how many betrayals, there is always hope..."

 

"But the losses are so great," I said, "it is as if the link between our time and the past has been severed..."

 

"No!" He looked fiercely at me. "You yourself are evidence that it has not been severed. And so am I. And I tell you, that even were you to fall, and betray the faith, and even were I to fall, and even if all around us were to fall, still, the Church will not be defeated. She will prevail. Non praevalebunt!"

 

And I looked at him and marveled at his faith.

 

And I still had not asked him about the Gagnon dossier...

 

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(More to come...)

 

Note: In coming weeks, I will include more interviews on the liturgy, on the Third Secret of Fatima, on the New World Order, on the Vatican Secret Archives, and more analysis and reflection. If you would like to support my work, I would be grateful. This "newflash" will remain free, but I would appreciate help from those of you who have the means to support the work. Could you consider a donation of $25, $50 or even $100? My Blog is scheduled to debut this summer, and it will be interactive, so readers can post questions and comments — and criticisms! Our new website has been under construction since the beginning of the year, and will debut soon, with a large photo gallery, all back issues, and an online edition of Inside the Vatican. We will continue to invest to try to bring insight and truth. If you can, please support our work. —Robert Moynihan)

 

 

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Additional (But Not Exhaustive or Complete) Background Material

 

Here is an article that appeared in Catholic News Service in December 2007; in this report, based on a book by Bugnini's secretary, Piero Marini, now an archbishop (and the man who was for many years the master of papal liturgies, under John Paul II) the "fall" of Bugnini is depicted as the result of curial opposition to his reforms, and there is no mention of these allegations or of any "lost briefcase":

 

Archbishop's book tells of battles over control of liturgical reform

By John Thavis

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY, December 19, 2007 (CNS) -- In a new book, a Vatican archbishop has chronicled the birth pangs of the liturgical reform generated by the Second Vatican Council and warned of a Roman Curia tendency to return to a "preconciliar mindset."

The book, A Challenging Reform, was written by Archbishop Piero Marini, who recently ended a 20-year tenure as papal liturgist. His Vatican career began in 1965 in the office charged with implementing liturgical renewal.

Archbishop Marini recounted the rise of a decentralized and dynamic reform movement in the 1960s and its "curialization" in the 1970s by Vatican officials afraid of losing control.

Many of the hard-won liturgical changes were accompanied by tensions and disagreements inside the Vatican's central bureaucracy, he said.

The archbishop's book, published by Liturgical Press, was scheduled for presentation Dec. 14 in London, where the author was being honored at a reception hosted by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

The book offered an unusual look behind the scenes at the Vatican, beginning with the Second Vatican Council's approval in 1963 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which launched an extensive revision of Catholic worship.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI established the Consilium for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Liturgy, an international body that operated with considerable independence from existing Roman Curia offices.

From the beginning, Archbishop Marini wrote, the consilium's efforts met with resistance from traditionalist Curia members, who tried to curb the reform by "opposing real liturgical change and maintaining the status quo."

In 1969, the consilium was transformed into the Congregation for Divine Worship. Just six years later, the worship congregation was disbanded under growing criticism from other Vatican offices.

"This was probably one of the first signs of a tendency to return to a preconciliar mindset that has for years now characterized the Curia's approach," Archbishop Marini said in the book's conclusion.

"As more and more time passes since the Second Vatican Council, an event charged with such hope and desire for renewal, its distinctive contributions seem to be increasingly questioned," he said.

The book focuses in large part on Italian Father Annibale Bugnini, secretary of the consilium and its driving force. As a young priest, Archbishop Marini worked closely with Father Bugnini and at one point was his personal secretary.

Under Father Bugnini, the consilium reflected the liturgical ideas and enthusiasm of local churches, rather than the more cautious approach of Rome, the book said.

Thanks in part to Pope Paul's strategic support, the consilium managed to introduce a succession of significant changes in the liturgy, despite initial efforts by the Vatican's Congregation for Rites to block or delay the reforms, Archbishop Marini said.

He said the Roman Curia's opposition took many forms: official and open disagreement, scathing articles published under pseudonyms, newsletters or pamphlets circulated among the hierarchy, and private meetings.

Hostility sometimes was based on hearsay. When the consilium conducted closed-door liturgical experiments in a chapel near the Vatican, rumors flew around Rome that "unimaginable heresies" were in preparation, the archbishop said.

Father Bugnini remained the central figure of the reform movement, and when Pope Paul made him secretary of the newly established Congregation for Divine Worship in 1969 -- the year the new Mass was promulgated -- it seemed like a moment of triumph. The new congregation's primary task was to promote and safeguard the Vatican II reforms.

But with the higher profile of the reformers, the Curia attacks became even stronger, the book said. One pamphlet circulated at the Vatican contended that in the new Mass "the existence of division and schism is officially recognized." Two Curia cardinals wrote to the pope and said the reforms showed an "alarming divergence" from Catholic theology.

Although the reforms continued and Father Bugnini was made an archbishop, his position gradually weakened -- partly because his own "single-mindedness, even stubbornness" had alienated others in the Roman Curia, Archbishop Marini said.

While Archbishop Bugnini was on vacation in 1975, the book said, several private meetings sealed his fate. Shortly afterward, the Congregation for Divine Worship was disbanded and Archbishop Bugnini was sent to Iran as apostolic pro-nuncio.

With these changes, Archbishop Marini said, "the distinctive style of the consilium was gradually absorbed into the more traditional style proper to the Roman Curia."

The archbishop said the difficult history of liturgical reform reflects "the prophetic vision" of Pope Paul as well as the limitations of his pontificate.

Archbishop Marini, 65, was the master of papal liturgical ceremonies from 1987 until last October, when Pope Benedict XVI named him president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

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And here is another article on the matter, by the late Michael Davies, a British Catholic layman whom I came to know; he labored mightily for decades to explain, and restore, the old Mass:

 

Annibale Bugnini: The Main Author of the Novus Ordo

By Michael Davies 

 “We must strip from our Catholic prayers and from the Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren that is for the Protestants.”  —Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, main author of the New Mass, L'Osservatore Romano, March 19, 1965

Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who died in Rome on 3 July 1982, was described in an obituary inThe Times as "one of the most unusual figures in the Vatican's diplomatic service." It would be more than euphemistic to describe the Archbishop's career as simply "unusual". There can be no doubt at all that the entire ethos of Catholicism within the Roman Rite has been changed profoundly by the liturgical revolution which has followed the Second Vatican Council.

As Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, remarked in his editorial in the February 1979 issue of the Homiletic and Pastoral Review: "We have been overwhelmed with changes in the Church at all levels, but it is the liturgical revolution which touches all of us intimately and immediately."

Commentators from every shade of theological opinion have argued that we have undergone a revolution rather than a reform since the Council. Professor Peter L. Berger, a Lutheran sociologist, insists that no other term will do, adding: "If a thoroughly malicious sociologist, bent on injuring the Catholic community as much as possible had been an adviser to the Church, he could hardly have done a better job."

Professor Dietrich von Hildebrand expressed himself in even more forthright terms: "Truly, if one of the devils in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters had been entrusted with the ruin of the liturgy he could not have done it better."

Major Conquest

 

Archbishop Bugnini was the most influential figure in the implementation of this liturgical revolution, which he described in 1974 as "a major conquest of the Catholic Church." The Archbishop was born in Civitella de Lego, Italy, in 1912. He was ordained into the Congregation for the Missions (Vincentians) in 1936, did parish work for ten years, in 1947 he became active in the field of specialized liturgical studies, was appointed Secretary to Pope Pius Xll's Commission for Liturgical Reform in 1948, a Consultor to the Sacred Congregation of Rites in 1956; and in 1957 he was appointed Professor of Sacred Liturgy in the Lateran University.

In 1960 Father Bugnini was placed in a position which enabled him to exert a decisive influence on the future of the Catholic Liturgy: he was appointed Secretary to the Preparatory Commission for the Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. He was the moving spirit behind the drafting of the preparatory schema, the draft document which was to be placed before the Council Fathers for discussion. It was referred to as the "Bugnini schema" by his admirers, and was accepted by a plenary session of the Liturgical Preparatory Commission in a vote taken on 13 January 1962.

The Liturgy Constitution for which the Council Fathers eventually voted was substantially identical to the draft schema which Father Bugnini had steered successfully through the Preparatory Commission in the face of considerable misgivings on the part of Cardinal Gaetano Cicognani, President of the Commission.

The First Exile

Within a few weeks of Father Bugnini's triumph his supporters were stunned when he was summarily dismissed from his chair at the Lateran University and from the secretaryship of the Liturgical Preparatory Commission. In his posthumous La Riforma Liturgica, Archbishop Bugnini blames Cardinal Arcadio Larraona for this action, which, he claims, was unjust and based on unsubstantiated allegations. "The first exile of P. Bugnini" he commented, (p. 41).

The dismissal of a figure as influential as Father Bugnini could not have taken place without the approval of Pope John XXIII, and, although the reasons have never been disclosed, they must have been of a very serious nature. Father Bugnini was the only secretary of a preparatory commission who was not confirmed as secretary of the conciliar commission. Cardinals Lercaro and Bea intervened with the Pope on his behalf, without success.

The Liturgy Constitution, based loosely on the Bugnini schema, contained much generalized and, in places ambiguous terminology. Those who had the power to interpret it were certain to have considerable scope for reading their own ideas into the conciliar text. Cardinal Heenan of Westminster mentioned in his autobiography A Crown of Thorns that the Council Fathers were given the opportunity of discussing only general principles:

"Subsequent changes were more radical than those intended by Pope John and the bishops who passed the decree on the Liturgy. His sermon at the end of the first session shows that Pope John did not suspect what was being planned by the liturgical experts." The Cardinal could hardly have been more explicit.

The experts (periti) who had drafted the text intended to use the ambiguous terminology they had inserted in a manner that the Pope and the Bishops did not even suspect. The English Cardinal warned the Council Fathers of the manner in which the periti could draft texts capable "of both an orthodox and modernistic interpretation." He told them that he feared the periti, and dreaded the possibility of their obtaining the power to interpret the Council to the world. "God forbid that this should happen!" he exclaimed, but happen it did.

On 26 June 1966 The Tablet reported the creation of five commissions to interpret and implement the Council's decrees. The members of these commissions were, the report stated, chosen "for the most part from the ranks the Council periti".

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy was the first document passed by the Council Fathers (4 December 1963), and the commission to implement it (the Consilium) had been established in 1964.

Triumphant Return

In a gesture which it is very hard to understand, Pope Paul Vl appointed to the key post of Secretary the very man his predecessor had dismissed from the same position on the Preparatory Commission, Father Annibale Bugnini. Father Bugnini was now in a unique and powerful position to interpret the Liturgy Constitution in precisely the manner he had intended when he masterminded its drafting.

In theory, the Consilium was no more than an advisory body, and the reforms it devised had to be approved by the appropriate Roman Congregation. In his Apostolic Constitution, Sacrum Rituum Congregatio (8 May 1969), Pope Paul Vl ended the existence of the Consilium as a separate body and incorporated it into the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship. Father Bugnini was appointed Secretary to the Congregation, and became more powerful than ever. He was now in the most influential position possible to consolidate and extend the revolution behind which he had been the moving spirit and principle of continuity. Nominal heads of the Consilium and congregations came and went, Cardinals Lercaro, Gut, Tabera, Knox, but Father Bugnini always remained. His services were rewarded by his consecration as an Archbishop in 1972.

Second Exile

In 1974 he felt able to make his celebrated boast that the reform of the liturgy had been a "major conquest of the Catholic Church". He also announced in the same year that his reform was about to enter into its final stage: "The adaptation or 'incarnation' of the Roman form of the liturgy into the usages and mentality of each individual Church." In India this "incarnation" has reached the extent of making the Mass in some centers appear more reminiscent of Hindu rites than the Christian Sacrifice.

Then, in July 1975, at the very moment when his power had reached its zenith, Archbishop Bugnini was summarily dismissed from his post to the dismay of liberal Catholics throughout the world. Not only was he dismissed but his entire Congregation was dissolved and merged with the Congregation for the Sacraments.

Desmond O'Grady expressed the outrage felt by liberals when he wrote in the 30 August 1972 issue of The Tablet: "Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who as Secretary of the abolished Congregation for Divine Worship, was the key figure in the Church's liturgical reform, is not a member of the new congregation. Nor, despite his lengthy experience, was he consulted in the planning of it. He heard of its creation while on holiday in Fiuggi ... the abrupt way in which this was done does not augur well for the Bugnini line of encouragement for reform in collaboration with local hierarchies ... Mgr Bugnini conceived the next ten years' work as concerned principally with the incorporation of local usages into the liturgy ... He represented the continuity of the post-conciliar liturgical reform."

The 15 January 1976 issue of L'Osservatore Romano announced that Archbishop Bugnini had been appointed Apostolic Pro Nuncio in Iran. This was his second and final exile.

Conspirator Or Victim?

Rumours soon began to circulate that the Archbishop had been exiled to Iran because the Pope had been given evidence proving him to be a Freemason. This accusation was made public in April 1976 by Tito Casini, one of Italy's leading Catholic writers. The accusation was repeated in other journals, and gained credence as the months passed and the Vatican did not intervene to deny the allegations. (Of course, whether or not Archbishop Bugnini was a Freemason, in a sense, is a side issue compared with the central issue - the nature and purpose of his liturgical innovations.)

As I wished to comment on the allegation in my book Pope John's Council, I made a very careful investigation of the facts, and I published them in that book and in far greater detail in Chapter XXIV of its sequel, Pope Paul's New Mass, where all the necessary documentation to substantiate this article is available. This prompted a somewhat violent attack upon me by the Archbishop in a letter published in the May issue of the Homiletic and Pastoral Review, in which he claimed that I was a calumniator, and that I had colleagues who were "calumniators by profession".

I found this attack rather surprising as I alleged no more in Pope John's Council than Archbishop Bugnini subsequently admitted in La Riforma Liturgica. I have never claimed to have proof that Archbishop Bugnini was a Freemason. What I have claimed is that Pope Paul Vl dismissed him because he believed him to be a Freemason - the distinction is an important one. It is possible that the evidence was not genuine and that the Pope was deceived.

Dossier

The sequence of events was as follows. A Roman priest of the very highest reputation came into possession of what he considered to be evidence proving Mgr Bugnini to be a Mason. He had this information placed in the hands of Pope Paul Vl by a cardinal, with a warning that if action were not taken at once he would be bound in conscience to make the matter public. The dismissal and exile of the Archbishop followed.

In La Riforma Liturgica, Mgr Bugnini states that he has never known for certain what induced the Pope to take such a drastic and unexpected decision, even after "having understandably knocked at a good many doors at all levels in the distressing situation that prevailed" (p. 100). He did discover that a very high-ranking cardinal, who was not at all enthusiastic about the liturgical reform, disclosed the existence of a 'dossier', which he himself had seen (or placed) on the Pope's desk, bringing evidence to support the affiliation of Mgr Bugnini to Freemasonry (p. 101). This is precisely what I stated in my book, and I have not gone beyond these facts. I will thus repeat that Pope Paul Vl dismissed Archbishop Bugnini because he believed him to be a Mason.

Rumour

The question which then arises is whether the Archbishop was a conspirator or the victim of a conspiracy. He was adamant that it was the latter: "The disclosure was made in great secrecy, but it was known that the rumor was already circulating in the Curia. It was an absurdity, a pernicious slander. This time, in order to attack the purity of the liturgical reform, they tried morally to tarnish the purity of the secretary of the reform" (p.101-102).

Archbishop Bugnini wrote a letter to the Pope on 22 October 1975 denying any involvement with Freemasonry, or any knowledge of its nature or its aims. The Pope did not reply. This is of some significance in view of their close and frequent collaboration from 1964. The great personal esteem that the Pope had felt for the Archbishop is proved by his decision to appoint him as Secretary to the Consilium, and later to the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, despite the action taken against him during the previous pontificate.

Evidence

It is also very significant that the Vatican has never given any reason for the dismissal of Archbishop Bugnini, despite the sensation it caused, and it has never denied the allegations of Masonic affiliation. If no such affiliation had been involved in Mgr Bugnini's dismissal, it would have been outrageous on the part of the Vatican to allow the charge to be made in public without saying so much as a word to exonerate the Archbishop.

I was able to establish contact with the priest who had arranged for the "Bugnini dossier" to be placed into the hands of Pope Paul Vl, and I urged him to make the evidence public. He replied: "I regret that I am unable to comply with your request. The secret which must surround the denunciation (in consequence of which Mgr Bugnini had to go!) is top secret and such it has to remain. For many reasons. The single fact that the above mentioned Monsignore was immediately dismissed from his post is sufficient. This means that the arguments were more than convincing."

I very much regret that the question of Mgr Bugnini's possible Masonic affiliation was ever raised as it tends to distract attention from the liturgical revolution which he masterminded. The important question is not whether Mgr Bugnini was a Mason but whether the manner in which Mass is celebrated in most parishes today truly raises the minds and hearts of the faithful up to almighty God more effectively than did the pre-conciliar celebrations. The traditional Mass of the Roman Rite is, as Father Faber expressed it, "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven." The very idea that men of the second half of the twentieth century could replace it with something better, is, as Dietrich von Hildebrand has remarked, ludicrous.

Liturgy Destroyed

The liturgical heritage of the Roman Rite may well be the most precious treasure of our entire Western civilization, something to be cherished and preserved for future generations. The Liturgy Constitution of the Second Vatican Council stated that: "In faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity, that she wishes to preserve them in future and foster them in every way."

How has this command of the Council been obeyed? The answer can be obtained from FatherJoseph Gelineau SJ, a Council peritus, and an enthusiastic proponent of the post-conciliar revolution. In his book Demain la liturgie, he stated with commendable honesty, concerning the Mass as most Catholics know it today: "To tell the truth it is a different liturgy of the Mass. This needs to be said without ambiguity: the Roman Rite as we knew it no longer exists. It has been destroyed." Even Archbishop Bugnini would have found it difficult to explain how something can be preserved and fostered by destroying it.

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ADDENDUM

“Whether Archbishop Bugnini was a Freemason would seem to be an academic question ("What Went Wrong?", Inside the Vatican, June-July 1996). For if we are to accept the testimony of Archbishop Malula of Kinshasa, Zaire, reported by Abbot Boniface Luykx ("The Bitter Struggle,"Inside the Vatican, May 1996, pp. 16-19), Bugnini had adopted the ideology of secular humanism, which even falls short of the tame Deism professed by the brethren of the Lodge. However, I have it on good authority that Bugnini's abrupt dismissal was indeed prompted by incontrovertible evidence that he was a member of the Lodge. A priest who was a longtime personal friend of Pope Paul VI was informed, by a Freemason whom he had reconciled with the Church, that Bugnini was a member of the same lodge, whose date of initiation and code name he could provide.” (Reverend Father G.H. Duggan, S.M.)

“In 1972 Pope Paul created Bugnini Titular Archbishop of Dioclentia. In 1975, however, the Archbishop left his briefcase behind in a conference room, where it was found and inspected by the Dominican Friar charged with restoring the room to order. In search only of the identity of the case's owner, the Dominican found, according to Piers Compton, documents whose "signatures and place of origin showed that they came from dignitaries of secret societies in Rome" (The Broken Cross, p. 61). The letters were addressed to "Brother Bugnini." […] Bugnini was appointed the Apostolic pro-Nuncio to Iran, and repeatedly denied that he had Freemasonic affiliations. When the Italian Register came to light in 1976, however, it showed his April 23, 1963 initiation date and number, and gave his code name as 'Buan.'” (Carey J. Winters)

“An internationally known churchman of unimpeachable integrity has also told me that he heard the account of the discovery of the evidence against Bugnini directly from the Roman priest who found it in a briefcase which Bugnini had inadvertently left in a Vatican conference room after a meeting.” (Reverend Father Brian Harrison O.S., Rome, Italy)
 
"Archbishop Bugnini was a consultant in the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, and in the Sacred Congregation of Holy Rites.  He was also the chairman of the Concilium which drafted the Novus Ordo Missae.  Archbishop Annibale Bugnini was a freemason, initiated into the Masonic Lodge on April 23, 1963 (Masonic Register of Italy dated 1976). Monsignor Bugnini was removed from his office in the Vatican when it became public that he was a Mason." (Most Asked Questions About The Society Of Saint Pius X (Angelus Press, 2918 Tracy Ave., Kansas City, MO), p. 26.)

“To fight against papacy is a social necessity and constitutes the constant duty of freemasonry.” (Masonic International Congress held in Brussels 1904, page 132 of the report)

 Pope Leo XIII: “Let us, therefore, expose Freemasonry as the enemy of God, of the Church and of our Motherland.” (Letter to the Italian people, December 8, 1892)

 Leo XII: “They have exposed their contempt for authority, their hatred of Sovereignty, their attacks against the Divinity of Jesus Christ and the very existence of God: They openly vaunt their materialism as well as their codes and statutes which explain their plans and efforts in order to overthrow the legitimate Heads of State and completely destroy the Church.” (Encyclical Quo Graviora)
 

======================================

 

These are the words written around the base of the cupola above the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica:

Tu es Petrus
et super hanc petram ædificabo ecclesiam meam
et portæ inferi non prævalebunt adversus eam.
Et tibi dabo claves regni cælorum.

You are Peter,
And upon this Rock I will build My Church:
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 16:18-19)

=============================================

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SAINT CAMILLUS OF LELLIS
Confessor

SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS
MARTYRS

DOUBLE / WHITE
Camillus, the "Red Cross Saint," a 16th century Italian war veteran, began nursing the sick as his vocation in a Roman hospital. In 1582 he founded a religious society, the Ministers of the Sick, and, encouraged by St. Philip Neri, his confessor, became a priest in 1584. Besides the sick in hospitals, he and his band bound themselves to serve prisoners, plague victims, the sick in their homes, and later, troops at war, thus antedating by some three centuries the work of Red Cross. The devotion of Camillus to his patients never grew cold, as he saw in each of them the image of his suffering Saviour. He was named patron of the sick by Pope Leo XIII, and, by Pius XI, patron of nurses and nursing.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON John 15:13
Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Ps. 40:2. Blessed is he who has regard for the lowly and the poor; in the day of misfortune the Lord will deliver him.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, You blessed the saint Camillus with a singular gift of love to help the dying in their last agony. May our hearts be moved by the spirit of Your love through the merits of Your saint, and may we overcome our enemy at the hour of our death to receive a heavenly reward. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS, MARTYRS
According to early chronicles, Symphorosa and her seven sons, whom she instructed in the Christian Faith, were martyred at Trivoli, near Rome, about A.D. 120 during the reign of Hadrian.

O God, who has granted us the grace to celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyrs Symphorosa and her sons, grant that we may also share their eternal happiness in heaven. through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I John 3:13-18
Beloved: Wonder not, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath the substance of this world and shall see his brother in need and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

GRADUAL Ps. 36:30-31
The mouth of the just man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justly.
V. The law of God is in his heart, and his steps do not falter.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 111:1
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. Alleluia!

GOSPEL John 15:12-16
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends. because all things, whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 20:2-3
The just man rejoices in Your strength, O Lord; he greatly exalts in Your aid. You have granted him his heart's desire.

SECRET 
With this perfect offering, O Almighty God, our Father, we renew the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus' immeasurable love. May it heal the infirmities of our body and soul, and comfort and protect us in our last agony through the intercession of blessed Camillus. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SONS
We offer these gifts to You in Sacrifice, O Lord. may the honor we pay to Your saints please You, and may these offerings, through Your mercy, bring us closer to our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 25:36, 40
I was sick and you visited me. Amen, amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
Reverently and devotedly, O Lord, we have received the Food of Heaven in celebration of the feast of Your blessed confessor Camillus. May Your Sacraments strengthen us at the hour of our death, cleanse us from sin and bring us happily into Your merciful arms; who loves and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT SYMPHOROSA AND HER SONS
May the intercession of Your holy martyrs Symphorosa and her sons help us to cherish with pure hearts the Sacrament we have received upon our lips. Through our Lord . . .

Additional

Prefaces

Preface for Christmas
(This Preface is said from Christmas until Epiphany, on the feast of the Transfiguration, the Purification, the feast of Corpus Christi, and at a votive Mass of the most Holy Sacrament.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Because by the mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory hath shone anew upon the eyes of our mind: that while we acknowledge Him to be God seen by men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of things unseen. And therefore with angles and archangels, with thrones and dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for the Epiphany
(On the Epiphany.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. For when Thine only-begotten Son showed Himself in the substance of our mortal nature, He restored us by the new light of His own immortality. And therefore with angles and archangels, with thrones and dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for Lent
(From Ash Wednesday until the First Sunday in Passiontide, except on feasts which have a proper Preface.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who by the fasting of the body dost curb our vices, elevate our minds and bestow virtue and reward; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the angles praise Thy majesty, the dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts, with the blessed seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

Preface for the Passion and the Holy Cross
(From the First Sunday in Passiontide through Maundy Thursday; on the feasts of the Holy Cross and of the Precious Blood.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who didst set the salvation of mankind upon the tree of the Cross, so that whence came death, thence also life might rise again, and that he who overcame by the tree might also be overcome on the tree: through Christ our Lord. Through whom the angles praise Thy majesty, the dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts, with the blessed seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

Preface for Easter
(From Holy Saturday until Ascension Day, except on feasts which have a proper Preface.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that at all times, but more especially on this day (especially at this season) we should extol Thy glory, O Lord, when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the true Lamb that hath taken away the sins of the world. Who by dying hath overcome our death, and by rising again hath restored our life. And therefore with angles and archangels, with thrones and dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for the Ascension
(From Ascension Day until the Vigil of Pentecost, except on feasts which have a proper Preface.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; through Christ or Lord. Who after His resurrection appeared and showed Himself to all His disciples; and while they beheld Him, was lifted up into heaven, so that He might make us partakers of His Godhead. And therefore with angles and archangels, with thrones and dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for Pentecost
(From the Vigil of Pentecost until the following Saturday inclusively, and at votive Masses of the Holy Ghost, when the words ‘on this day’ are omitted.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; through Christ our Lord. Who ascending above all the heavens, and sitting at Thy right hand, (on this day) sent forth the Holy Ghost, as He had promised, on the children of adoption. Wherefore does the whole world rejoice with exceeding great joy; the hosts above and also the angelic powers join in singing the hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for the Most Holy Trinity
(On Trinity Sunday, at votive Masses of the Blessed Trinity and on all Sundays throughout the year, except in Paschaltide and on feasts which have a proper Preface.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who with Thine only-begotten Son and the Holy Ghost art one God, one Lord; not in the oneness of a single person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For that which we believe from Thy revelation concerning Thy glory, that same we believe also of Thy Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, we shall adore distinction in persons, oneness in being, and equality in majesty. Which the angels and archangels, the cherubim also and the seraphim do praise nor cease to cry out as with one voice saying:

Preface for the Sacred Heart
(On the feast and also at votive Masses of the Sacred Heart.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who didst will that Thine only-begotten Son should be pierced by the soldier’s lance as He hung upon the Cross: that from His opened Heart, as from a sanctuary of divine bounty, might be poured out upon us streams of mercy and grace; and that in His Heart always burning with love for us, the devout may find a haven of rest and the penitent a refuge of salvation. And therefore with angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominions, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for Christ the King
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who with the oil of gladness hast anointed Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as eternal High Priest and universal King; that offering Himself on the altar of the Cross as an immaculate host and peace-offering, He might complete the mysteries of human redemption; and all creation being made subject to his dominion, He might deliver into the hands of Thine infinity Majesty a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom or holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace. And therefore with the angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominions, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(This Preface is said on feasts of the Blessed Virgin, except that of the Purification. On the feasts of the Annunciation, Visitation, Assumption, Nativity BVM, Presentation BVM, and Immaculate Conception, the name of the feast is inserted into the Preface, e.g.,  “That on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary…”. Likewise on the feast of the Seven Sorrows BVM is said, “transfixion of the Blessed Virgin Mary…”. On all other feasts of the Blessed Virgin is said, “feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary…”. At votive Masses and Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays is said, “veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. That on the … of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we should praise, bless, and proclaim Thee. For she conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost; and losing not the glory of her virginity, gave forth to the world the everlasting light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the angles praise Thy majesty, the dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts, with the blessed seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

Preface for Feasts of Saint Joseph
(On feasts of Saint Joseph and also at votive Masses of Saint Joseph)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; and magnify Thee with due praise, bless and proclaim Thee. (On the feast of) Blessed Joseph, who, as a just man, was given by Thee to be the spouse of the Virgin Mother of God, and as a faithful and prudent servant, was set over Thy family, that with fatherly care he might guard Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. Through whom the angles praise Thy majesty, the dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts, with the blessed seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

Preface for the Feasts of the Apostles
(For Masses of Apostles and Evangelists, except Dec. 27th.)
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, humbly to pray Thee, O Lord, the eternal Shepherd, to abandon not Thy flock; but through Thy blessed apostles to keep a continual watch over it; that it may be governed by those same rulers whom Thou didst set over it as Thy shepherds and vicars. And therefore with the angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominions, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Preface for Masses for the Dead
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all time and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God; through Christ our Lord. In whom the hope of a blessed resurrection hath shone upon us, that those whom the certainty of dying afflicteth, may be consoled by the promise of future immorality. For unto Thy faithful, O Lord, life is changed not taken away: and the abode of this earthly sojourn being dissolved, an eternal dwelling is prepared in heaven. And therefore with the angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominions, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

St. Bonaventure enters the Franciscan Order by

HERRERA, Francisco de, the Elder

Spanish painter (b. ca. 1590, Sevilla, d. 1656, Madrid)

SAINT BONAVENTURE
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

DOUBLE / WHITE
Bonaventure was born in the Papal States in 1221, and became a Franciscan at the age of 20. He is called by the Church the Seraphic Doctor, because the penetrating genius that informs his writings is ennobled by a burning love of God. In 1273, he was created cardinal bishop of Albano. Pope Gregory X then entrusted Bonaventure with the direction of the Council of Lyons, attended by schismatic Oriental clergy as well as by Catholics. His intense solicitude for souls separated from the Church drew the schismatics into temporary reunion with the Holy See. This was St. Bonaventure's supreme labor of apostolic love. He died of exhaustion while the council was still in session.

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, except

COLLECT
O God, may blessed Bonaventure intercede for us in heaven as he once instructed Your faithful on earth and directed them in the way of eternal salvation. Through our Lord . . .

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 88:25
My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his power be exalted.

SECRET
Let our annual commemoration of Your blessed confessor bishop Bonaventure please You, O Lord. Grant that this Sacrifice of atonement which we offer on his feast may bring him greater honor and fill us with Your grace. Through our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION
O God, rewarder of the faithful, pardon our sins through the intercession of Your blessed confessor bishop Bonaventure, whom we honor this day. Through our Lord . . .

SAINT PIUS I
Pope and Martyr


or

SATURDAY VOTIVE MASS

OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

SIMPLE / RED
The Church was greatly troubled by heresies during the pontificate of Pius I. In his steadfast championship of the true faith he was powerfully aided by the Jewish convert, St. Justin Martyr, who was in Rome at that time. Pius I died about A.D. 155. According to some accounts he perished by the sword.

Mass of a POPE

COLLECT
O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Pius I shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .


SECRET
We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and its pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You. Through our Lord . . .


POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith. Through our Lord . . .

Some News for us who love the Traditional Latin Mass:  The New Ecclesia Dei

 

Pope Benedict XVI has merged the Ecclesia Dei commission into the Congregation for the doctrine of the Faith. It happened today, July 8, 2009, in Rome. What will it mean for the old Mass, for the Society of St. Pius X, for Bishop Williamson, and for the interpretation of the Second Vatican Council?

By Robert Moynihan, reporting from Rome

================================

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."—Jesus Christ, Gospel of John, 4:24

 

"Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced (ridiculous as the expression may seem) more true than the truth itself." —Irenaeus (AD 120-202), Against Heresies, Book I, Preface 2

 

"Corruptio optimi pessimum est" ("The corruption of the best is the worst"). —Ancient proverb

 

==========================

 

Something important happened in Rome this morning.

 

I don't fully understand what it means, but I know it is important, and very interesting.

 

The Pope merged an entire Vatican office, lock, stock and barrel, an office which had been separate and on its own for the past 21 years, the Ecclesia Dei ("Church of God") commission, set up to work with traditional Catholics, especially those desirous of preserving the old Mass, into the most important Vatican Congregation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

 

The CDF is No. 1 Vatican office in terms of doctrinal authority, after the Pope himself.

 

It is the chief doctrinal office in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such the final arbiter of Catholic orthodoxy and heresy, truth and error.

 

The CDF is the Congregation which, prior to the Second Vatican Council, was known as the "Holy Office of the Inquisition" — the office which, believing that doctrinal truth is of supreme importance, and deserving of extraordinary intellectual and legislative energy to defend it, became the "sentinel" or "watch-dog" over orthodoxy throughout the world.

 

After Vatican II, Paul VI ordered the name of the Congregation changed from "Holy Office of the Inquisition," which seemed to have a negative connotation, to "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith," because that seemed to him to have a more positive connotation.

 

And the mission was revised to emphasis more clarifiation and "promotion" of doctrinal truth rather than investigation and condemnation of doctrinal error.

 

This is the first time any external office has been merged into the CDF. There is no precedent for it that I know.

 

Why did the Pope do it?

 

===========================

 

I was in the Press Office, watching "the wives" on television (photo), when the news broke. (By "the wives" I mean the wives of all the presidents and government leaders who are meeting in Aquila, Italy, not far from Rome, at the G8 world economic summit. Many of the wives will not meet with the Pope when their husbands meet with him, so a special meeting was set up at noon today, just after the regular Wednesday general audience. A group of 10 or 12 wives, all wearing black, with black head coverings, were received by Pope Benedict XVI in audience...)

 

"They've released the Ecclesia Dei motu proprio," my colleague, Martin Zoeller of German television, said to me.

"Ah!" I said. "Do you have a copy of the text?"

 

"Yes," he said. "It's on the Vatican Radio website. Hasn't it been published here yet?"

 

"No," I said. "Can I see your copy?"

 

A few minutes later, the Vatican Press Office itself released the news in a press bulletin, and then Father Federico Lombardi came out from his office to explain the text and answer questions.

The text was released in Latin and Italian.

 

Essentially, what it said was this:

 

The Ecclesia Dei commission would not longer have a separate head, but would be under the Cardinal Prefect of the CDF, currently the American Cardinal William Levada. The old head, the Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon-Hoyos, who has passed the retirement age of 75 in any case, would retire.

 

The Secretary, or #2 man, would change from the Belgian Monsignor Camille Perl, who had been with Ecclesia Dei since the beginning, for 21 years, to Italian Monsignor Guido Pozzo, a staff member of the CDF. The aml Ecclesia Dei staff would remain in place.

My first thought was: What are Cardinal Levada's intentions? What has the Pope instructed him to do with Ecclesia Dei?

 

My second thought was that Monsignor Perl might feel a bit mistreated, as he was confirmed just last year "ad quinquennium," that is, for another five years...

 

I decided I should try to visit the Ecclesia Dei offices.

 

======================================

 

As I walked across St. Peter's Square, I noticed that the fountains were not working.

 

They had been turned off for cleaning (photo).

 

I saw a worker spraying a hose to dislodge all the lichens and moss which grows on the inside of the fountain basin.

Then, up ahead, as I looked up at the saints along the top of the colonnade, I noticed that only two of them are white.

 

The rest are all dark with soot and grime.

 

But there are two which have been cleaned in recent weeks, and I suppose all of the 153 statues all along the top of the colonnade encircling the Square will be cleaned in the next year or two.

 

When I reached the Holy Office, I rang the bell, and the doorman let me in.

 

"May I speak with Monsignor Perl?" I asked.

 

"Monsignor Perl is in a meeting and can't see you now," he said."You'll have to wait."

 

He indicated a room next to the foyer. "You can wait in there..."

 

I sat down in the empty office.

 

"Whose office is this?" I asked the doorman.

 

"It is Monsignor Mario Marini's old office," he said. "He died just a month ago, on May 24.

 

"Here is the card from his funeral Mass. (photo)

 

"He died rather suddenly. No one knew he was ill. But he had a cancerous tumor in his lung, and it metasticized. He learned of it about seven months ago, but he didn't tell any of us. In fact, up until three weeks before his death, he was in here every morning at 8:30, laughing and joking and wishing all of us good morning. He was a saint..."

 

"Did you know him well?" I asked.

 

"I was with him at the end," the man said. "I would go to the Policlinico Gemelli those last three weeks when he was bed-ridden, and bring him whatever he needed. And I was with him, along with his brother, the night he died."

 

I looked around the office. There were only two things on the wall: an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a wooden crucifix. 

 

"He loved Mexico," the doorman said.

 

"Who is Monsignor Perl meeting with?" I asked.

 

"It's a big meeting," the doorman said. "Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Cardinal Levada, Monsignor Pozzo, and the staff ofEcclesia Dei..."

 

I waited for 20 minutes, then the meeting ended.

 

I could see Monsignor Perl coming down the corridor. He looked tired.

 

"Monsignor," I said.

 

"Oh," he said. "Hello."

 

"I wondered if I could talk to you..."

 

"No," he said. "Some other time."

 

He turned, his shoulders bent as if under a heavy load, his face grey with suppressed emotion, and went out the door of the office where he has worked for 21 years for the last time...

 

===========================

 

Here is the story that Cindy Wooden, a very experienced Vatican journalist, wrote today:

Pope says doctrinal congregation will dialogue with traditionalists

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has placed the commission responsible for relations with traditionalist Catholics under the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

With a brief apostolic letter issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative), Pope Benedict said he wanted to "demonstrate paternal care toward the Society of St. Pius X," founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, so members could return to full communion with the church.

The apostolic letter, dated July 2 and published July 8, was titled "Ecclesiae Unitatem" ("The Unity of the Church").

In a brief note published separately, Pope Benedict accepted the resignation of 80-year-old Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos as president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," which since 1988 has been charged with outreach to the Society of St. Pius X and assistance to Catholics attached to the pre-Vatican II liturgy.

As president of the commission, the pope named U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In addition, the pope named Italian Msgr. Guido Pozzo, assistant secretary of the International Theological Commission and a staff member of the doctrinal congregation, to serve as secretary of "Ecclesia Dei."

"The task of safeguarding the unity of the church, with concern for offering everyone assistance in responding to this vocation and divine grace in appropriate ways, is expected particularly of the successor of the apostle Peter, who is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the unity of both bishops and faithful," the pope wrote.

He said that after Archbishop Lefebvre ordained bishops against the orders of Pope John Paul II in 1988 and the bishops were excommunicated, the pope established "Ecclesia Dei" to "facilitate the full communion" of the priests, religious, seminarians and laypeople who had a bond with the traditionalist archbishop and an attachment to the liturgy as it was celebrated before the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Benedict said his 2007 decision to allow Catholics greater and easier access to the older liturgy was motivated by the same concern.

And, he said, his decision in January to lift the excommunications of the four bishops was done to help overcome "every fracture and division within the church and to heal a wound experienced as increasingly painful"...

The pope's July letter said that while the president of "Ecclesia Dei" will be the prefect of the doctrinal congregation, the commission would have its own staff. However, the doctrinal questions that arise during the commission's work and in its contacts with the Society of St. Pius X will be handled by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the doctrinal congregation....

In a March letter to the world's bishops explaining why he had lifted the excommunications, Pope Benedict already announced his intention to place the commission under the guidance of the doctrinal congregation.

Placing "Ecclesia Dei" under the doctrinal congregation, he said, "will make it clear that the problems now to be addressed are essentially doctrinal in nature and concern primarily the acceptance of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar magisterium of the popes."

(Here is the link to the full story by Cindy Wooden: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0903122.htm)

 

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Here is a photo of the two columns in St. Peter's Square which have been cleaned, and the two white angels at the top.

 

The cleaning of the Michelangelo frescoes in the Paoline Chapel took almost seven years.

 

There is no indication that the cleaning of the saints' statues, and of the columns of Bernini's colonnade, will take any less time. But the work has begun, and one wonders already how the Square will look when all the columns are as white as these two, and all the saints' statues gleam under the Roman sun.

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