My dear Brother Bishops,
With great trust and hope, I am consigning to you as Pastors the text of a
new Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" on the use of the Roman liturgy prior
to the reform of 1970. The document is the fruit of much reflection, numerous
consultations and prayer.
News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no
little confusion. There have been very divergent reactions ranging from joyful
acceptance to harsh opposition, about a plan whose contents were in reality unknown.
This document was most directly opposed on account of two fears, which I would
like to address somewhat more closely in this letter.
* * *
In the first place, there is the fear that the document detracts from the authority
of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose essential decisions � the liturgical
reform � is being called into question. This fear is unfounded. In this regard,
it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished
in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the
normal Form � the Forma ordinaria � of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version
of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority
of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used
as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration. It is not appropriate to
speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were "two Rites". Rather,
it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.
As for the use of the 1962 Missal as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgy of the Mass,
I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically
abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted. At the time of the
introduction of the new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for
the possible use of the earlier Missal. Probably it was thought that it would be a matter
of a few individual cases which would be resolved, case by case, on the local level.
Afterwards, however, it soon became apparent that a good number of people remained
strongly attached to this usage of the Roman Rite, which had been familiar to them from
childhood. This was especially the case in countries where the liturgical movement had
provided many people with a notable liturgical formation and a deep, personal familiarity
with the earlier Form of the liturgical celebration. We all know that, in the movement
led by Archbishop Lefebvre, fidelity to the old Missal became an external mark of identity;
the reasons for the break which arose over this, however, were at a deeper level.
Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council,
and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the
form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them. This occurred above all because in many
places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the
latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently
led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear. I am speaking from experience,
since I too lived through that period with all its hopes and its confusion. And I have seen
how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in
the faith of the Church.
Pope John Paul II thus felt obliged to provide, in his Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei (2 July 1988),
guidelines for the use of the 1962 Missal; that document, however, did not contain detailed
prescriptions but appealed in a general way to the generous response of Bishops towards the
"legitimate aspirations" of those members of the faithful who requested this usage of the
Roman Rite. At the time, the Pope primarily wanted to assist the Society of Saint Pius X to
recover full unity with the Successor of Peter, and sought to heal a wound experienced ever
more painfully. Unfortunately this reconciliation has not yet come about. Nonetheless, a number
of communities have gratefully made use of the possibilities provided by the Motu Proprio. On
the other hand, difficulties remain concerning the use of the 1962 Missal outside of these
groups, because of the lack of precise juridical norms, particularly because Bishops, in such
cases, frequently feared that the authority of the Council would be called into question.
Immediately after the Second Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of
the 1962 Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with it, but
in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered
this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the
Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them. Thus the need has arisen for
a clearer juridical regulation which had not been foreseen at the time of the 1988 Motu
Proprio. The present Norms are also meant to free Bishops from constantly having to evaluate
anew how they are to respond to various situations.
* * *
In the second place, the fear was expressed in discussions about the awaited Motu Proprio,
that the possibility of a wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray or even
divisions within parish communities. This fear also strikes me as quite unfounded. The
use of the old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some
knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is found very often. Already from these
concrete presuppositions, it is clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the
ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because
of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.
It is true that there have been exaggerations and at times social aspects unduly linked to
the attitude of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition. Your
charity and pastoral prudence will be an incentive and guide for improving these. For
that matter, the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new
Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The
"Ecclesia Dei" Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the usus antiquior,
will study the practical possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according
to the Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the
case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure
guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them
consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical
directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this
Missal.
* * *
I now come to the positive reason which motivated my decision to issue this Motu Proprio
updating that of 1988. It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart
of the Church. Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the
centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical
moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church�s leaders to
maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the
part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were
able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every
effort to unable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain
it anew. I think of a sentence in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, where Paul writes:
"Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us,
but you are restricted in your own affections. In return � widen your hearts also!"
(2 Cor 6:11-13). Paul was certainly speaking in another context, but his exhortation
can and must touch us too, precisely on this subject. Let us generously open our hearts
and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.
There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of
the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as
sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely
forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which
have developed in the Church�s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.
Needless to say, in order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities
adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according
to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with
the recognition of its value and holiness.
* * *
In conclusion, dear Brothers, I very much wish to stress that these new norms do not in any
way lessen your own authority and responsibility, either for the liturgy or for the pastoral
care of your faithful. Each Bishop, in fact, is the moderator of the liturgy in his own
Diocese (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22: "Sacrae Liturgiae moderatio ab Ecclesiae auctoritate
unice pendet quae quidem est apud Apostolicam Sedem et, ad normam iuris, apud Episcopum").
Nothing is taken away, then, from the authority of the Bishop, whose role remains that of
being watchful that all is done in peace and serenity. Should some problem arise which the
parish priest cannot resolve, the local Ordinary will always be able to intervene, in full
harmony, however, with all that has been laid down by the new norms of the Motu Proprio.
Furthermore, I invite you, dear Brothers, to send to the Holy See an account of your
experiences, three years after this Motu Proprio has taken effect. If truly serious
difficulties come to light, ways to remedy them can be sought.
Dear Brothers, with gratitude and trust, I entrust to your hearts as Pastors these pages
and the norms of the Motu Proprio. Let us always be mindful of the words of the Apostle
Paul addressed to the presbyters of Ephesus: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church of God which he
obtained with the blood of his own Son" (Acts 20:28).
I entrust these norms to the powerful intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and I
cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, dear Brothers, to the parish priests of your
dioceses, and to all the priests, your co-workers, as well as to all your faithful.
Given at Saint Peter�s, 7 July 2007
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI