Pope decries divisions caused by old-school liturgy fans

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pope decries divisions caused by old-school liturgy fans

By FRANCES D'EMILIO
May 7, 2022

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday blasted Catholics who, hewing to old-school versions of liturgy like the Latin Mass, have made an ideological battleground of the issue, decrying what he described as devil-inspired divisiveness in the church.

Francis pressed his papacy’s battle against traditionalists, whose prominent members include some ultra-conservative cardinals. They have resisted restrictions, imposed last year by the Vatican, on celebrations of the old Mass in Latin in St. Peter’s Basilica and, more generally, for years have disparaged the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

Speaking at the Vatican to instructors and students of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute, Francis said it’s not possible to worship God while using the liturgy as a “battleground” for nonessential questions that divide the church.

Francis has made clear he prefers Mass celebrated in local languages, with the priest facing the congregation instead of with his back to the pews. That was the way Mass was celebrated before the revolutionary Vatican Council reforms, more than a half century-ago, which aimed at making rank-and-file Catholics feel more connected to liturgical celebrations.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-religion-6159c7d4da9ad08ffa807f444f3a0cf1

[mobeau69]

1. The old Latin High Mass was pretty cool though.

[Karadeniz]

2. The Vatican needs to sell off all the materialistic wealth they can and create welfare funds.

I think it was John Paul I who wanted to do that, as well as encouraging contraception. Despite passing several health exams during his brief tenure, he woke up dead after just one month on the job. If there's one thing that every Christian should strive for, it is eschewing materialism in order to not distract from soul growth.

Oh, dear...I just noticed this was posted under religion and probably not wanting a negative opinion. Sorry, but I'll keep it here.

[No Vested Interest]

3. Let's start with selling the Pieta to the highest bidder.

Perhaps Elon Musk would buy the Sistine Chapel and install it in his home a la Hearst Castle.
Then the vellum pages of Bibles can be sold page by page to brighten the walls of living rooms and dens.
Melt down the chalices so that Kardashians and common folk can have rings and earrings to adorn their fingers.

[Igel]

4. My old church schismed and schismed.

In each case, it was a group of upstarts saying, "We are changing doctrines."

Those who refused to go along were fomenting division. Those who insisted their *new* way of doing things was the only way was the *only* right way were those who liked, um, unity.

Those who didn't go along watched as the "new way" folk gradually maneuvered to positions of power and foisted their new way on the majority. Some just looked and said, "Blessed be the minister who cometh ... um ... in the name of ... whatever." And the majority were like, "They teach. Hey, minister, my mouth is open and I'm on my knees! Teach me!"

Those who were really believers left, reviled for their division-making. *They* were the heretics, as prior church materials were recalled, reinterpreted, and some forgiven after repenting in public for teaching what was suddenly deemed error.

This struck me as stupid. You *change* things and insist others accept, *you* are the one causing division. Or, to use the English word borrowed from the Koine Greek word for "faction", "heresy."

Were I Catholic, I'd have spent the time to learn Latin. (Not Catholic, I still know the proper of the Mass, and have 1.5 years of Latin under my belt). Don't think it's a big deal, which language to use--so when vernacular Mass became a thing I'd have gone to that. But to *ban* the Latin Mass? *That* I don't understand, and that's the heresy. (Yeah, I said the pope was a heretic(k). Then again, I've thought that for a long, long time. They lost me when the 7th day was declared a fast day because, well, Jews observed it, and only Sunday was the proper day of worship. Nicaea? Not a problem. But I have a side in the Quartodeciman controversy, and it's not Pope Frankie's.)

Then again, a lot of this is a proxy war. The Latinate Mass is symbol of those who often uphold old, pre-Vatican II doctrine and traditions against more "modern" doctrine and tradition. Fight the symbol, you fight the underlying reality. Some believe.

I feel sorry for Frankie. He's put in the position of being Pope and upholding Catholic tradition and canon and doctrine, but at the same time his true interests seem to lie entirely elsewhere and he'd like to repurpose the entire enterprise, without diminishing its (presumed) power. But the lure of power and fame ...

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. Let this be a lesson, I guess.

Claim to be God's appointed representatives here on Earth for a thousand years and you're bound to get some pushback when you start making changes to the program.