Pope Pius XII, in coronation robes and wearing the 1877 Papal Tiara, is carried through St Peter's Basilica on a sedia gestatoria. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
The weather was cloudy and windy over the weekend in the eastern USA, with threats of flooding in low-lying areas. But the sun was out this past weekend in Rome, as over one hundred thousand of the faithful began to gather, for today's celebration of the eightieth birthday of Pope Benedict XVI. While viewing the proceedings on television in the wee hours, "Ken88" of Hallowedground had a vision...
Somehow, in my subconscious mind, I had the crazy idea he brought back the Sedia Gestatoria, and was wearing an old Roman style chasuble, and everyone was covered in brocaded vestments, lace, and all the “Old Triumphalism.”
Of course, the portable throne upon which Popes have been carried for centuries, has not been employed since John Paul I had his arm twisted to use it in 1978. Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI have eschewed it in favor of the "popemobile." But in a city like Rome, little things like this have significance as to the direction a pontificate may take. Yes, even the Pope's wearing of red slippers with white stockings.
The Daily Telegraph tells of major reforms to be announced in the coming weeks. "[T]here are many nervous bishops at the moment - especially in this country." They are referring specifically to the UK. They may just as well have been referring to the USA.
In March, Benedict issued the post-synodal exhortation on the Eucharist entitled Sacramentum Carititatis. While ignored by many bishops in North America and Western Europe, it called for the greater use of Latin and Gregorian chant. The forcefulness of this document was lost in the midst of rather tepid "official" translations, including the English edition, which rendered such admonitions to the level of mere suggestion.
A closer examination reveals otherwise. Father Zuhlsdorf has written at length about deficiencies in the official English translation. He sheds light on one passage in particular:
A section of paragraph 62 is rendered in Latin thus:
"...exceptis lectionibus, homilia et oratione fidelium, aequum est ut huiusmodi celebrationes fiant lingua Latina."
In the initially released English text, this read:
"...with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin."
This passage, among others, has since been corrected...
"...with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, it is fitting that such liturgies be celebrated in Latin."
...in a manner that certain initiatives appear less as an option, and more an understanding of what is proper.
The difficulty in obtaining accurate translations betrays a larger problem in explaining the message of the Church in recent decades, that of a diminishing role of a proper understanding of Latin. As the official language of the universal Church, to understand Latin is to understand what the Church is trying to say when it comes to the details. In the November 2006 issue of New Oxford Review, Father Daniel B Gallagher of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, explains why seminarians need to learn Latin, in a piece entitled "Apologia pro Munere Suo ('A Defense of His Work')." (Subscription required to read entire article.)
ABC News also reports that the Holy Father is set to announce the appointment of a number of key bishops in the USA, a move which is already long overdue, as roughly two dozen American prelates are near or at retirement age. The resulting turnover of personnel will inevitably lead to a paradigm shift in the functioning of the Church in America, if appointments of the last two years are any indication.
Of course, there is also the "motu proprio" (a document released on the Pope's own initiative, without concurrence of any curial departments) which has been signed and is expected to be released at any time -- the latest bets are on next month -- which will allow for greater use of the pre-conciliar form of the Roman Missal, the so-called "Tridentine Mass." Presumedly, priests would be able to exercise their own discretion regarding its use, rather than await the approval of the local bishop (a scenario which, on a practical level, this writer would consider easier said than done). This would occur in addition to a revised English translation of the reformed Roman liturgy, the one in normative use throughout the Catholic world, expected by the end of the decade.
The onset of more sacral language and reverent conduct, and the subsequent increase of theological precision in official worship, will result in a fundamental change in how Mass is celebrated in the average parish -- regardless of which set of books are used. One effect will be to force some in the intellectual elite to either accept the situation, or create one of their own. Either way, there is no getting around it.
Things should get interesting, eh?
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