Pro Sanctis et Fidelibus

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

From Jonny Dymond, the BBC's correspondent in Helsinki, a sign that Latin may once again become the language of Europe:

Finland is one of the quieter members of the EU. But now its turn at the EU presidency has thrust it into the spotlight - and exposed an unusual passion.

Like the boy at the party with cheese straws stuck up his nose, it has been caught doing something vaguely disturbing - indulging a penchant for Latin. It is the only country in the world which broadcasts the news in Latin.

On its EU presidency website one can find descriptions of meetings in Latin. But love of the language of Rome goes deep.

I am in a hotel somewhere comfortably north of Helsinki. It is off-season, so the place is deserted. There are dark brown mock logs, lining one side of the room. Fake beams on the ceiling, chocolate-box pictures on the walls.

There is also a man in the corner of the room singing Elvis Presley's songs in Latin, like Can't Help Falling In Love - or Non adamare non possum. It sounds a little like Italian but rather more stilted - like Italian sung by a Finnish person. We are a long way from Memphis. The singer is Dr Jukka Ammondt, an academic whose twin passions, it appears to him, march in lock-step.

"The legend of Elvis Presley lives for ever, and it's of course very important to sing Elvis Presley's songs in the Latin language, because Latin is the eternal language," he says.

Mia Lahti, who edits the EU presidency website, is like many Finns an optimist at heart. But why do a website in Latin?

"The website is in English and French," she says.

But they have their secret language: Conspectus rerum Latinus, or "Latin News in Brief".

"I know there are people who are angry because, for example, in their childhood they had to read compulsory Latin. But also I think it might be interesting to read the news in brief in Latin," Ms Lahti believes.

Lurking within the world of EU Latin, which is only marginally more difficult to comprehend than EU English, is one delightful statistic - more people subscribe to the newsletter in Latin than to the one in French.

The Finns are clearly having their revenge on French President Jacques Chirac, who once dismissed their food as the worst in the EU.

The news in Latin on national radio gets 75,000 listeners, which may not sound like much, but on a per capita basis is more than some BBC Radio 4 programmes get.

This is the final piece in the Finland Latin jigsaw.

"In Latin we have more listeners in the world than for Finnish broadcasts," explains Professor Tuomo Pekannen, who does the translations.

"Latin is more known abroad than Finnish," he adds.

Perhaps Finland wants to dominate the global news agenda in the same way Elvis once dominated the music scene.

Dangerous Times

There is so much fear and distraction these days over the state of the world - there is sadness in the Pope's messages, in articles, in letters, in all endeavours. And yet surely, "all times" as St. Teresa of Avila said, "are dangerous times."

We may be living on the verge of eternity - but that should not make us dismal. The early Christians rejoiced to think that the end of the world was near, as they thought. Over and over again, even the Seventh Day Adventists of our time, people have been expecting the end of the world. Are we so unready to face God? Are we so avid for joys here, that we perceive so darkly those to come?

From On Pilgrimage by Dorothy Day as quoted in Meditations by Dorothy Day, selected and arranged by Stanley Vishnewski.

I could not help thinking how little penance we have done these last years, how little mortification, how little dying to self, which is what mortificaiton is ... If our cause is a mighty one, and surely peace on earth in these days is the great issue of the day, and if we are opposing the powers of darkness, of nothingness, of destruction, and working on the side of light and life, then surely we must use our greatest weapons - the life forces that are in each one of us. To stand on the side of life we must give up our own lives. "He who would save his life must lose it."

From the Catholic Worker, September 1965 as quoted in Meditations by Dorothy Day, selected and arranged by Stanley Vishnewski

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

A Little Political Incorrectness

This year is the 50th anniversary of the student uprising in Hungary which called for an end to Soviet occupation but was quickly and brutally crushed by the Communists, who subjected them to 33 more years of domination.

It is also the 650th anniversary of the Battle of Belgrade when Sultan Mehmet II laid siege to the city, prompting Pope Callistus III to send St. John of Capistrano to rouse the Hungarians to defend the 'Shield of Christianity' while awaiting the forces of Janos Hunyadi. Pope Callistus ordered bells to be tolled at midday 'till eternity' throughout Christendom as fervent prayers ascended to God for victory. Despite being outnumbered the citizens of Belgrade resisted heroically and their efforts were rewarded when Hunyadi surrounded and destroyed the Turks. The bells then continued to toll in praise and thanksgiving for Christendom's defense and Hunyadi's courage.

Monday, October 23, 2006

The central act of devotional life in the Catholic Church is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The sacrifice of the Mass is the unbloody repetition of the Sacrifice of the Cross.
On the Cross of Calvary Christ gave His life to redeem the world.
The life of Christ was a life of sacrifice.
The life of a Christian must be a life of sacrifice.
We cannot imitate the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary by trying to get all we can.
We can only imitate the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary by trying to give all we can.

From Easy Essays by Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement with Dorothy Day.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Some Thoughts on a Universal Indult

News around Traditional circles is that the long awaited universal indult has been signed and will be made public in a few months. For many Traditionalists this is welcome news because the right to offer the sacrifice of the Mass and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion according to the rite which has been the mainstay of the Catholic Church for centuries has been denied them for the last forty years. Even the indult issued in 1988 by Pope John Paul placed a significant limitation on the Traditional Mass by placing it in the hands of the bishops, many of whom had little experience of what Fr. Faber called 'the greatest thing this side of heaven' or were so caught up in the modernist 'spirit of Vatican II' they vehemently opposed any such return to the old rite. Thus we find many Catholics who desired to retain or return to this treasure of the Catholic Church left in the cold because of their bishop's ignorance or hostility.

However amidst the cries of Dei Gratias, which are no doubt being uttered throughout Traditional communities, there remains a great deal of apprehension and even a little suspicion. For a start the only news that has come out is that a document has been signed but few details as to its contents, or rather conditions. In the aforementioned indult of Pope John Paul II one of the conditions was the recognition of the validity of the Novus Ordo Missae and this caused many Traditionalists some pain because it appeared to be nothing more than the Protestant Service of the Lord's Supper to which were added a few references to Our Lady, the Pope and Purgatory. Despite the Church's attempts to justify the Novus Ordo Missae, the evidence suggests that what is been celebrated is no different to what Cranmer and Luther had created, or rather mutilated, centuries before.

That said let us consider some of the other aspects of a universal indult beginning with its effect on the liturgical landscape. It has already been pointed out that bishops are either ignorant of or hostile to the Traditional Mass, so there is little hope the clergy and laity will be any different. There has been in recent years a desire to correct liturgical abuses in the Novus Ordo Missae by interpreting Sacrosanctum Concillium according to the letter not the spirit, the so called 'reform of the reform', but many Catholics have become so complacent with the present state of the liturgy that any reform will be greeted with a mere shrug of the shoulders. As long as reforms do not involve the elimination of altar girls, guitars or whatever else might take their fancy, the faithful would in principle accept them. In this atmosphere the universalisation of the Traditional Mass will be no more than a blip on the Catholic radar. Certainly there will be those who are curious to see what liturgy was like in the 'good ol days', others who are annoyed with the constant evolution of the parish Mass and even a few who actually want to experience beauty and mystery but it only amounts to placating a minority within the Church, something in which the modern Church is well versed.

A far more important consideration is preparing priests who have only celebrated the Novus Ordo Missae to offer the Traditional Mass, if they so choose. This is not simply a case of learning a new set of rubrics but also the history, spirituality and theology behind those rubrics, so that they are conscious of the significance of every action and word. Only then will they be able to approach the sacred mysteries with due reverence and offer them with the proper intention. Coupled with the priest's preparation will be the faithful's formation in the Church's teaching on the Mass so they will be able to understand the ceremonies and prayers. Only when they are conscious of the great drama which takes place upon the altar will they be able to engage in actual participation.

From the reports which have appeared it would appear priests would be able to revert to the Traditional Mass without consulting the faithful, which could present a pastoral nightmare if those same faithful are reluctant to follow their priest's lead. What then? Canon law states the parish is the property of the parishoners not the bishops nor the priests, so they could request the removal of a priest who imposes the Traditional Mass, though one would hope any such action would come after actually experiencing the rite first and even then, if there was some genuine concern, though what that might be I leave to bishops and canon lawyers.

So much for concerns among Catholics, what about the other 'churches'. The Orthodox for one should view a return to the Traditional Mass as a positive step towards reunion because it presents in a distinctly Latin manner much of what they themselves believe and practice. However there may be fears among some that such a return will be the beginning of a reclamation by the Catholic Church of its glorious past and their being 'schismatics' once more. By far the greatest challenge the Traditional Mass poses is to the 'heretical' Protestants because it represents everything which their forefathers 'protested' against and which they, even subconsciously, have been led to deny. As one author notes, the Protestant Reformation opened the door to the removal of sacrifice, fellowship and ultimately God. Since the Second Vatican Council great efforts have been taken to enter into dialogue but without actually closing that door, instead opening another door for Catholics to embrace a Protestant understanding of everything. If this seems a little harsh, consider how much is done on the Catholic side to open this door by way of organising these dialogues compared with the Protestant side.

From what has been said thus far it is clear a universal indult may not be a God send after all but that is no reason for those who are already assisting and attending the Traditional Mass to give up. On the contrary they must persevere as normal in the hope that through the sacrifice of the Mass humanity may be sanctified and saved. [It might also help if Russia is consecrated to the Immaculate Heart] While others may have itching ears for new doctrines, let them remain faithful to what has come down from Christ and his Apostles over the centuries, let them remain signs of contradiction, living in the world but not of it.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

The blogger is currently on an extended hiatus undertaking more important work. He will be back with a few retrospective and more current pieces in a few days.