Hello Everyone,
So, the Trads on the Blogosphere are getting all mad again because 'Big Bad, Novus Ordo loving' (I'm being sarcastic here) Pope Francis has either severely restricted or is eliminating in a certain order of priests called the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (different from the ones we're used to, the OFM, the Order of Francis Minor), the saying of the Extraordinary Form.
Honestly, it's depressing. I'm even seeing calls of thought or discouragement to abandon Holy Mother Church on a specific Radical Traditionalist site, where the commenters are thinking of willfully being schismatic and joining the SSPX, believing the whole "Rome is evil" type of mentality at this event, not to mention thinking that the Pope is the fake humanist not canonically voted in who will poison the seat of the Bishop of Rome. What lies and falsehoods!
Now, I know there had to be more to this. Why would a guy who tells a bunch of Italian bishops, in essence "I am not killing Summorum Pontificum and hurting my predecessor, especially while he's currently alive," and then go and do this?
Fr. Angelo Geiger, of Mary Victrix, one of my featured sites on the left hand side of the blog under Defenders against Radical Traditionalism, chimes in, being a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate himself. Here's what he has to say here, with I taking the important points in the quotation marks:
".... The restrictions on our community are specific to us and have been put in place for reasons specific to us. Pope Francis has not contradicted Pope Benedict. The visitation of our community began under Pope Benedict and the Commission was recommended by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz who was appointed to the Congregation by Pope Benedict.
What is being reported in the press and what has actually transpired within our community over the course of a number of years are two different things ...."
So there you have it. Straight from a horse's mouth, who is parked in the stable, so to speak. This isn't some covert attempt by the modernists or Masons or whatever claptrap the rad/mad trads throw out so say he's the Anti-Christ or whatever else about Pope Francis. Remember Matthew 16:18.
Pax, Julian.
UPDATE 02/08/2013
So I was rechecking posts on Fr. Z and another blog and I happened to find that Fr. Z gave some insightful commentary on the situation, but above all, necessary "marching orders" for us trads, based on the FFI situation. Think of the FFI situation as a warning of what will happen should EF/Traditional Catholic Communities go "Rad-Trad/Mad-Trad". It didn't come from my mouth this time. See here: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/07/card-braz-de-aviz-moves-on-the-franciscan-friars-of-the-immaculate-curtails-use-of-usus-antiquior-fr-z-rants-offers-tough-love/. I have highlighted the warnings from the Holy and Noble Fr. Z:
".... At this point, I remind everyone that the provisions of Summorum Pontificum are still in effect… but they can be lost.
Therefore, I urge all of you who are interested in the older form, who want to obtain celebrations of the older form of Mass in your parishes or communities, to push ahead with energy and a cheerful attitude. Do not relax. Do not slow down. Do not flag in your resolve. Get to work. Now. And be smart about it. Get whatever chips there may be off your shoulders and get to work.
Traditional, hard-identity Catholics, need to press forward and be prudent. Leave aside harsh polemics or comments about Vatican II. Stow them, at least for now. Be smart. There will be time in the future for people to sort what Vatican II means and what it doesn’t mean. But, mark my words, if you gripe about Vatican II right now, in this present environment, you could lose what you have attained.
I have some suggestions.
Make some holy “lío”, as Francis would call it. Stir things up in your dioceses. But make it a smart and a positive ruckus.
First, work to get Masses established and work to get as many young priests and seminarians trained up as quickly as possible and as well as you can. Stick a crowbar in your wallets and spend money if you have to. Set aside the smaller differences you have over certain hotly-debated issues and band together. Encourage and persuade with good cheer and without sticking your thumb in the eyes of those who can help you.
Second, get involved in your parishes or in the place where you attend the older form of Mass. [Editor's note: I'd also say to do this ESPECIALLY in the NOVUS ORDO PARISHES, particularly ones who have orthodox or good, solid priests and laity working the run of the place. If you do you might be tilling the soil for further "seeds" to be place to grow "Extraordinary" fruit. Get it?] Get involved especially in what the parish might have going in regard to spiritual and corporal works of mercy. If that means getting involved in a less-than-perfect RCIA program as a group leader, do it. If that means volunteering to visit the sick, do it. If that means offering to wash altar linens, do it. If that means helping with a food or clothing drive, or even starting them, do it. Do these things, firstly, because they are the right things to do. Do them also because traditional, hard identity Catholics are treated like second-class citizens in the Church. You need to give the lie to the impression which the controlling liberal class has about you. Don’t just go to your Mass and then go home without thinking about the parish again for another 6 days.
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You more conservative or traditional Catholics out there and in here. clean up your act and be smarter.
Liberals and progressivists seem to be able to set aside some of their differences to band together to create a larger force and lobby. Together with the effects of Original Sin and the help of the Devil, their ability to work together is one of the reasons why they usually win. They still control most of the structures and entities in the Church. The Biological Solution is working on them, but slowly. It works on all of us, by the way.
On the other hand, traddies, conservatives, call them what you will – self-righteous debating about these imperfect labels is tedious and you know what I mean by them – seem to want to defend every wrinkle of turf they think they own. They don’t want anyone who doesn’t agree with them perfectly in the sandbox with them. They bite at those with whom they have far more in common than they have differences. That has got to stop now. The terrain is shifting quickly and we need a new approach lest we screw up and lose the good ground we have gained.
Be smart about this. I’ve watched the combox here and on other more traditional blogs which have some focus on the Extraordinary Form and blogs which would surely identify as being “moderate” but which manifest a kind of no-risk conservatism. All of us still over here on the ‘C’atholic side of things have to do better.
Nevertheless, I’ve also been watching the growing division between hard-identity Catholics and those who are a little squishy around the edges. We have to do better! We can’t afford mud fights with those who are for the most part fellow travelers.
I call on both traddies and – I don’t know what word to use – neo-cons? You probably know the range of people and bloggers, etc., I am talking about – to find more common ground.
To those on the trad side of things, you are going to have to stop biting in such a nasty way at those with whom you mostly agree. Moreover, bitchy moaning about Pope Francis in the comboxs of blogs is going to bring about the realization of your fears. Cui bono? You are going to spoil everything gained in the last years through your petulance.
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So, you hear that Traditional Catholic ladies and gents? You have gotten your marching orders from the superior general of the Traditional Catholic army, the mighty Fr. Z. Go out there and do operation "Glad Trad". MOVE OUT SOLDIERS!!!!!!
Pax, Julian.
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