GOOD ADVICE TO SAN ANTONIO, CHARLOTTE AND DETROIT: IT’S NOT EITHER/OR BUT BOTH/AND WHEN IT COMES TO AD ORIENTEM AND FACING THE CONGREGATION, NOT TO MENTION KNEELING AT THE ALTAR RAILING OR STANDING AT IT TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION!

 

I have often commented on the Syro-Malabar fiasco concerning how they are to celebrate their Divine Liturgy.

For decades, many priests and parishes followed the Latin Rite’s abandonment of the Latin Rite’s historic posture at Mass, ad orientem, in favor of facing the nave. 

Facing the nave is not the East’s or the West’s tradition as facing the nave was a novelty that gained traction in the mid 1960’s and was blamed on Vatican II. But Vatican II never mandated such a position as it isn’t the Church tradition in the east or the west. 

Thus, to recover their tradition of ad orientem (also the Latin Rite’s tradition) the Syro-Malabar bishops demanded and made exclusive that the Liturgy of the Eucharist had to be celebrated in a uniform way, that is facing the east, or ad orientem. 

This created push-back and ugliness from the Liturgical progressives of the Syro-Malabar rite. They did not want to go ad orientem and there was even liturgical violence and sacrilege as is the case with the heterodox left when they don’t get what they want.

Even Pope Francis, not a friend of traditional backwardness, supported the uniform posture of ad orientem for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. 

Nothing seemed to work to calm the hatred and violence of the heterodox left though. They demanded and I mean demanded their Divine Liturgy facing the nave! 

THAT IS UNTIL POPE LEO XIV!

Basically, His Holiness has ditched the uniformity of ad orientem and is allowing by way of exception the Liturgy of the Eucharist facing the nave. 

Read all about Pope Leo XIV’s genius in this regard from Catholic World News! Can the Holy Father concoct such a comprise for His Holiness’ Latin Rite brothers and sisters in a greater allowance the Summorum Pontificum and ad orientem for the Novus Ordo? After all the Catholic way isn’t either/or but both/and! 

From Catholic World News:

July 08, 2025

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches announced on July 7 that Pope Leo XIV has ended the mandate of Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, SJ, as pontifical delegate in liturgical matters for the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India.

In doing so, the Pontiff expressed his “deep gratitude to the prelate for the work carried out” and signaled the end of the at-times violent dispute over the sacred liturgy that has roiled the archeparchy (archdiocese) over the past four years. The archeparchy’s head is the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (CNEWA profile), an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See.

Led by the Major Archbishop, the Syro-Malabar Church’s hierarchy sought to implement a uniform method of celebrating the sacred liturgy. The uniform method envisions the celebrant turning towards the faithful in the initial rites but then turning towards the altar (ad orientem) during the Eucharistic sacrifice. In some eparchies, however, including the Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly, the entire liturgy has been offered facing the people in recent decades.

With near unanimity, the archeparchy’s priests protested the decision of the Major Archbishop and other bishops, and the priests continued to celebrate the sacred liturgy facing the people. Pope Francis exhorted the faithful to obey the hierarchy’s decision, entrusted day-to-day governance of the archeparchy to a series of apostolic administrators (2022-2025), and appointed Archbishop Vasil’ in 2023 as his pontifical delegate in liturgical matters. Archbishop Vasil’, like the administrators, insisted on obedience to the Syro-Malabar hierarchy’s decision on the uniform method.

(AND THIS IS THE BOMBSHELL!!! WHY YOU ASK? BECAUSE THIS COULD WELL BE THE MODEL FOR POPE LEO XIV TO RESTORE LITURGICAL PEACE TO THE LATIN RITE BY ALLOWING THE TLM AND AD ORIENTEM FOR THE NOVUS ORDO AS WELL AS KNEELING FOR HOLY COMMUNIOIN AT AN ALTAR RAILING AND ALSO STANDIING AT IT TOO! AND WHICH OFFICIALS COULD POPE LEO XIV ELIMINATE OR REPLACE FROM THE VATICAN’S DYCASTERY FOR DIVINE WORSHIP???):

Under the terms of the new agreement, priests will be permitted to celebrate a Sunday liturgy facing the people as long as they also offer a Sunday liturgy ad orientem. In addition, newly ordained priests will be permitted to offer the liturgy facing the people; recently, they have been required to pledge, as a condition for ordination. not to offer the liturgy facing the people. Finally, several officials of the archeparchy will be replaced.