Pope Leo XIV, already in continuity with his pre-Vatican II model, Pope Leo XIII, in one of his first talks praised the Eastern Rite Churches and the liturgical heritage of mystery and transcendence which His Holiness said that the Latin Rite could and should recover. Pope Leo XIV like Pope Leo XIII wanted to safeguard all that is the liturgical patrimony of the Eastern Churches. Pope Leo XIV knows that even in the Eastern Churches, there were and are those who want to do to the Eastern Liturgies what iconoclastic liturgists have done to the Post-Vatican II Latin Rite Mass and liturgies, strip liturgies of mystery, transcendence and liturgical heritage and organic development.
But Pope Leo XIII was also concerned about the state of liturgical music in the Mass of his period and was involved in the first liturgical movement to return the liturgical patrimony of the Church to local parishes. He emphasized Gregorian Chant and polyphonic forms of chant for the Latin Rite Mass.
I Peter 5 blog, in March 2 of 2020 had a great piece on Pope Leo XIII’s liturgical magisterium. The piece has links to some of his teachings on the matter.
This is a great article from 2020. Who would have thought in 2025 we would have a pope in continuity with Pope Leo XIII, Pope Leo XIV!
Press title for this prophetic article:
Moneybyte: In a time so ripe for certain practical reforms, Leo XIII on September 24, 1884 issued, by means of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, Regulations for sacred music, in Latin and in Italian, “in order to bring an effective remedy to serious abuses, which got into sacred music in various Italy’s Churches” (cfr. Acta Sanctæ Sedis, XVII, 1884, p. 340). In 23 articles, the norms already given by the Church in this matter are condensed, and the work started by the Cecilian movement for the reform of Catholic Church music: more intelligible texts and less theatrical music. On July 6, 1894 the Normæ pro musica sacra were published: a set of new regulations that, “wider and more forgiving,” confirmed the previous decisions regarding Gregorian chant and polyphony and urged, without any imposition, to use the edition of Regensburg (cfr. ASS, XXVII, 1894–95, p. 42)
2 comments:
And yet, 50+ years on, the RC almost in entirety continues to thumb its nose at the suggestion of its sacred VII Council that Latin and chant are to be preserved.
To me, the difference between Leo XIII and XIV is, of course, the liturgical aspect. Without addressing one, the other will just wallow. Perhaps after the "generation" has past will such reform become possible. Certainly their children have no appreciation, or love for the quaint and dated hymns they so favor. If they did, the younger generations wouldn't be packing the TLM's, or have left to become "nones" or "spiritual". I remember reading an "letter to" column in some periodical where a frustrated Catholic college student was asking what to do in the absence of meaningful worship wherever she was. The respondent, older, suggested only that she "get herself to a good guitar mass". I nearly spit out the coffee I was drinking.....
Note: "Modernization" did sweep into the Eastern Church, particularly the Ruthenian Church, 65-ish years after Leo XIII's decree. This occurred from within, not outside. Juridically, external demands for "reform" and "modernization" are not possible. It then took roughly 50 years to sweep these "reforms" back out from within, where a willingness to do so took root.
ByzRus,
Excellent commentary
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