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Dear
Faithful,
The Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum
of July 7, 2007 reinstates the Tridentine Mass in its right. In the
text it is clearly acknowledged that it had never been abrogated.
Thus fidelity to this Mass – for the sake of which many priests and
lay people have been persecuted or even penalized for almost forty
years – this fidelity never was a disobedience. Today it is merely a
matter of justice to thank Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for having
maintained us in this fidelity to the Mass of all times in the name
of true obedience, and against all the abuses of power. There is
also no doubt that this recognition of the right of the traditional
Mass is the fruit of the very many rosaries addressed to Our Lady
during our Rosary Crusade last October; we must now know how to tell
her our gratitude.
Beyond the re-establishment of the Mass
of Saint Pius V in its legitimate right, it is important to study
the concrete measures issued by the Motu Proprio and the
justification given by Benedict XVI in the letter accompanying the
text:
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By right,
the practical dispositions taken by the pope must enable the
traditional liturgy – not only the Mass, but also the sacraments –
to be celebrated normally. This is an immense spiritual benefit for
the whole Church, for the priests and faithful who were up to now
paralyzed by the unjust authority of the bishops. However, in the
coming months it will be good to observe how these measures are
applied in fact by the bishops and parish priests. For this
reason, we will continue to pray for the pope so that he may remain
steadfast after the courageous act he has done.
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The letter accompanying the Motu Proprio gives the pope's
reasons. The affirmation of the existence of one single rite under
two forms – the ordinary and the extraordinary forms --, of equal
rights and especially the rejection of the exclusive celebration of
the traditional liturgy, may, it is true, be interpreted as the
expression of a political desire not to confront the Bishops'
Conferences which are openly opposed to any liberalization of the
Tridentine Mass. But we may also see in this an expression of the
"reform of the reform" desired by the pope himself, and in which, as
he himself writes in this letter, the Mass of Saint Pius V and of
Paul VI would fecundate each other.
In any case, there is with Benedict XVI
the clear desire to re-affirm the continuity of Vatican II and the
Mass issued from it, with the bimillenary Tradition. This denial of
a rupture caused by the last council – already made manifest in his
address to the Curia on December 22, 2005 – shows that what is at
stakes in the debate between Rome and the Priestly Society of Saint
Pius X is essentially doctrinal. For this reason, the undeniable
step forward made by the Motu Proprio in the liturgical domain must
be followed – after the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication
– by theological discussions.
The reference to Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X
made in the accompanying letter, as well as the acknowledgment of
the testimony given by the young generations which take up the torch
of Tradition, clearly point out that our constancy to defend the
lex orandi has been taken into account. With God's help, we must
continue the combat for the lex credendi, the combat for the
faith, with the same firmness.
+Bernard Fellay, Superior General
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