SOME WONDERFUL ADVICE FOR OUR WONDERFUL PASTORAL NEW POPE, POPE LEO XIV: WILL HIS HOLINESS HEED THIS ADVICE? STORM HEAVEN WITH PRAYERS THAT HE WILL DO SO!

 RORATE CAELI HAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF ARCHBISHOP GEORG GANSWEIN INTERVIEW WHICH YOU CAN READ IN FULL HERE. BUT BELOW ARE IMPORTANT MONEY BYTES:

REPORTER: Cardinal Kurt Koch recently said in an interview that Pope Benedict had shown a helpful way forward by being convinced that something practiced for centuries could not simply be forbidden. Indeed, the restrictions on the classical liturgy clearly pained Pope Benedict.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein:

It was not only painful [for him], but he also saw, in his role as Pope, that something had to be done to change this state of affairs. He repeatedly stated that the so-called ‘old liturgy,’ that is, the Tridentine liturgy, was never abolished. This is absolutely not the case since, of course, the Tridentine liturgy became the Novus Ordo; that is to say, the language was retained, but the content was somewhat changed. And it is precisely this liturgy that, for centuries, has allowed the Church not only to live, but to live well; the Saints have nourished themselves on it and from it. It cannot be the case that it was legitimate and precious yesterday, but then no longer so from tomorrow. This is, therefore, an unnatural situation, and that was the driving force, along with the experience he gained after the Second Vatican Council—his experience that those who have lost their spiritual and liturgical homeland just need to be returned to this spiritual homeland. This is where his motu proprio and accompanying letter came 

 

REPORTER: What is your assessment of Traditionis custodes and the new regulations for the classical rite?

Archbishop Georg Gänswein:

I have never understood why Pope Francis introduced this restriction. At the time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was tasked with conducting an investigation, or survey, of the bishops worldwide. What do you think about Benedict‘s motu proprio? Have the experiences been positive? Have the experiences been desirable? Did anything need to be changed? The results were never published, but of course, we know about them. The result, ultimately, was that a sense of peace had been achieved. It was a path to peace, especially in the liturgy, the most important place of religious life, and there should not be any changes. Why Pope Francis still did this anyway is and remains a mystery to me. Have we not seen, especially in the English-speaking world, the difficulties that arose from this? Even in the accompanying letter from Pope Francis, where he repeatedly referred to John Paul II and Benedict, it is impossible to discern what purpose his restrictions serve.

So, I suspect that for most bishops, today [the classical rite] still remains in the way it had done until Traditionis custodes. But it is, of course, the case that the motu proprioof Francis has indeed been a great burden with regard to this important question of the extraordinary form. 

 

 

REPORTER: What path do you yourself envision now for the future of the liturgical tradition?
Archbishop Georg Gänswein:
I believe that Pope Benedict’s wise approach is the right way—and this has been the case for over ten years now—it is the right way, and this path should be continued without difficulty or restriction. And I can only hope that Pope Leo will also move in this direction and simply continue the process of reconciliation, that this cooperation may also bear fruit.