Santiago, Chile, Sep 12, 2007 / 14:35 pm
Just days before Pope Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio allowing for the universal celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal takes effect, Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez Errazuriz said more than “putting an end to the schism of Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers,” one of the most important objectives of the initiative would be the promotion of unity among Chinese Catholics.
In an article entitled, “Much more than Mass in Latin,” the bishop explained the “profound meaning” of this “transcendent” decision; the dynamic of “continuity and change;” the liturgical abuses that have “darkened the face of the Church;” the need for a serious revision on the part of those who propose “liturgical creationism;” and the attitudes to have and those to avoid.
After underscoring the complete validity as of September 14 of the two forms of the celebrating the liturgy—the ordinary form in place since Vatican II, and the extraordinary form contained in the Missal of 1962 approved by John XXIII—Bishop Gonzalez Errazuriz noted that Benedict XVI “has not asked for a return to the ancient rite or that Mass be celebrated in Latin,” and much less “has he asked that the current right be abandoned in favor of using the old books.”
Explaining the pontifical decision, Bishop Errazuriz indicated, “Never in the two thousand year history of the Church has it occurred that a more modern form of celebrating the liturgy leaves the previous form out of use, in a sort of tacit derogation.” He rejected arguments that the decision would mean rolling back the reforms of Vatican II. Nevertheless, he pointed out, “The opinion that everything should simply continue as is, is simply wrong.”