THUS, IN RECENT YEARS, A GENERATION OF “BI-RITUALISTS” HAS EMERGED, CATHOLICS WHO APPRECIATE BOTH MISSALS, FAR REMOVED FROM THE HISTORICAL DIVISIONS BETWEEN TRADITIONALSTS AND PROGRESSIVE HETERODOX…

Read this interesting article from “La Croix” a progressive Catholic news outlet, by way of Rorate Caeli by pressing the title, with my most humble, but most astute commentary below the title:

French Semi-Official Catholic Daily "La Croix": The "Normalization" of the Latin Mass is Here

Prior to the most flawed Motu Proprio ever to come from a pope, Traditionis Custodis, priests throughout the world had the ability to be bi-ritual, meaning they could celebrate the Mass of Pope Paul VI and the Tridentine Mass and find no contradiction between the two when it comes to the Real Presence of Christ present in both forms of the Mass and any valid Mass in any of the multitudinous rites of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

La Croix, linked above, reports this:

Thus, in recent years, a generation of "bi-ritualists" has emerged, Catholics who appreciate both missals, far removed from the historical divisions between traditionalists and those who follow the Second Vatican Council. The record attendance at the Chartres pilgrimage at Pentecost attests to this trend: the gathering now attracts people far beyond the "traditionalist" sphere.

For me, prior to that dreadful document, TC, my parishioners in two parishes could easily go back and forth between the two forms of the one Latin Rite as Pope Benedict called it. They love the ancient form and they loved the modern form. 

It’s like parents who love their eldest child and their youngest child. There may be different aspects to this love because there are two different children, but there is continuity between the two in terms of parentage. 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

My intent since 2007 was to heal the unfortunate hermeneutic that so many bishops, priests, religious and laity used to promote what was wrongly called the “new and improved” and that was to denigrate the old and unimproved. And that ideology applied not only to the pre-Vatican II and Post Vatican II evaluations, but also to those who held to the old and the new. Those who loved the old were stuck in the past and those who loved the new were “hip!” 

Pope Francis recovered the ugliness of this ideology and promoted it anew in his papacy. Those who loved the old were rigid, backwardist and disobedient. They were bad, mentally ill people. They had to be marginalized and ridiculed as they were immediately after Vatican II. What a sad return to the past was Pope Francis’ recovery.

Hopefully, Pope Leo in his pastoral solicitude will eradicate this ugly ideology and allow the old and the new to co-exist. That is the only way forward! 

Please read this commentary I wrote on November 7, 2011 that supports the Johnny-come-lately commentary by La Croix:

Press title:

THE BEAUTY OF THE MASS IN BOTH FORMS