Today's headline in Catholic news was a meeting of the FSSP with Bergoglio, who it is said assured them his draconian motu proprio against the universal right to the Latin Mass did not apply specifically to them, that they still had a right to all 1962 liturgical books, per their founding, while praising their example of promoting unity in the Church. LINK
Hogwash, as we say here in the South. That don't pass the smell test, or rather as I prefer the "makes you so nauseous you might vomit" test.
Just look at the dang motu proprio. Article 7 now places the liturgical question of the Latin Mass under the Congregation for Divine Worship -- instead of the Ecclesia Dei commission --that congregation and its current head being notorious for both the most extreme of liturgical liberalism, and disdain for the Mass of the Ages. The FSSP etc. answer to the Congregation for societies of apostolic life, but also for that of Divine Worship regarding the liturgy.
That is a reasonable conclusion. No where in the motu proprio, or this latest press statement does it say, no, all Ecclesia Dei liturgical matters are only under the Congregation for societies of apostolic life. The question of the liturgy would not even be within their competence. Until a document says that, then the liturgical question of the FSSP etc, per the motu proprio, will be dictated by the wants of the liturgical modernists at the Congregation for Divine Worship. Otherwise, you would expect Bergoglio to explicitly say that's not the case.
He didn't.
Plain reading then says that the FSSP etc will a) continue to be allowed the TLM, b) for now, but c) expect "some changes" to be imposed by the Congregation for Divine Worship.
See what he did there? He made it look like the FSSP will be allowed in perpetuity to say only the TLM, while not actually saying that. That the Vatican loves and cares about them, so will protect their liturgical rights as stated in their founding documents. When the real goal is to get them to start "opening up" to the spirit of Vatican II and liturgical reform.
This part he/they will never explicitly admit out loud to the public. That they want to bridge ALL trads over to the conciliar reform. Why wouldn't they want to do this, if they treat the "conciliar reform" like "irreformable dogma."
Let's not forget Article 1. The Novus Ordo Missae is the "UNIQUE expression of the lex orandi of the Roman rite." "Unique" means excluding other factors that would make it, you know, NOT "unique." To say the 1970 version of the Roman rite is the unique expression, clearly means that the Masses of the FSSP, etc are NOT to be included as a legitimate expression of the Roman rite. Only the Novus Ordo.
Until that get's "clarified," if ever, then that plain reading stands.
And then there is Article 3, section 1. Every Ecclesia Dei priest, parish, and layperson must accept in TOTALITY the legitimacy of the liturgical reform.
But guess what? The priestly members of the FSSP, etc generally DO NOT accept at least SOME aspects of the "liturgical reform" as being "legitimate." I would dare say every priest in every group would agree to that statement. Whether lamenting the loss of the sacred, Latin, chant, or ad orientem worship. Or going deeper to call into question the loss of clarity in the Canon of the NOM as to the Church's actual teachings on what the Holy Sacrifice actually is.
The FSSP as an organization has signed the dotted line on that, but not at the level of individual priests and laity. In fact, most would fall into the category of discipline for the supposed reason the motu proprio was released, that is that many call into question the Novus Ordo, and Vatican II.
Trads of all stripes, including those going to approved Ecclesia Dei institute's Masses, generally do. Yet THAT is unacceptable to Francis-Church. If Bergoglio were honest, he would admit that yeah, his motu proprio, from the fiery pits of hell, is in fact also targeting all of those "rad trads" that attend FSSP and Institute Masses.
He knows what we object to after the TLM, standing around the coffee pot at the parish coffee and doughnuts, the whispers in the church parking lot against the Novus Ordo, and the massive support of diocesan Trads for online, Traditional Catholic blogs.
Blogs that yes, uphold the"True Church," and the "True Mass." Just as Traditional Catholics did since 1970 before there ever were such as thing as the Internet or blogs.
What bloggers are saying is not their own invention, but rather an expression of what was already professed by the Traditional Movement, and in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Bergoglio knows this full well. It's not just a few "nutty bloggers" protesting the "liturgical reform," ruining the previous provisions of Summorum Pontificum. It's also ALL traditional Catholic priests of Ecclesia Dei institutes, IN SO FAR as, to this date, they WILL NOT say your "bastard rite," as Archbishop Lefebvre called it.
Furthermore, there is Article 3, section 2 -- no "new personal parishes," or per section 6 no "new groups." Well, guess what, an exclusively FSSP-run parish is a personal parish for the purpose of preserving the Latin Mass. And it is a "group." Logically, that means NO NEW FSSP, etc parishes can be established in any diocese.
That reading stands until Bergoglio tries to issue another confused clarification.
So TC doesn't affect the FSSP, etc?? Yeah right.
Oh, and let's not forget that Ecclesia Dei groups like the FSSP do not only establish their own personal parishes. They also establish Latin Masses within diocesan parishes, in many dioceses, where they also serve. Now, per Bergoglio's December guidelines on TC, a) no TLMs in diocesan parishes, b) unless the Vatican gives permission, c) it is proven no other building can be found, d) then it can't even be mentioned in the dang bulletin, e) or included at all in the "life of the parish," but f) as soon as possible, moved out of the parish church to some other location.
That WILL NOT just affect diocesan TLMs, but certain TLMs maintained by ED groups within PAROCHIAL churches by groups like the FSSP.
So yeah, it's going to affect them on that level too. Nice try.
If none of the above was enough to convince you that today's story is nothing but public relations, consider what the actual letter said, the one sent to bishops that accompanied the motu proprio from hell.
That letter, which gives legal force as the legislative INTENT of the motu proprio, states:
Indications about how to proceed in your dioceses are chiefly dictated...to provide for the good of those who are rooted in the previous form of celebration and need to return in due time to the Roman Rite promulgated by Saints Paul VI and John Paul II.
Bergoglio on one hand tells the FSSP, etc they will still have the right to the Latin Mass. On the other hand, he did not revoke the above intention of the motu proprio, or specify that this purpose does not also apply to them. He wants every Roman rite Catholic to eventually "return to," participate in, and make use of the Novus Ordo, that is the 1970 missal. Period.
The FSSP etc "in due time," while still technically being given "provision" to use the 1962 rite (i.e. the True Mass), will be expected to bridge over to the Novus Ordo.
That was always the plan.
Of course a progressive, trusting reading of all this might be that the motu proprio only will apply to priests other than those of the already approved Ecclesia Dei institutes. That everyone except the FSSP, Institute, and the like, must eventually transition from their attachment to the True Mass, and embrace the "unique" Novus Ordo. "In due time."
If that were the case, a mere meeting with two priests of the FSSP affirming their use of the 1962 missal, saying TC doesn't remove this, isn't enough to answer all the confusion and objections poured out by thousands of people these last months. Which makes blog posts like this necessary.
If 99% of Roman rite priests and seminarians are expected to put aside one day any desire for the TLM, per the motu proprio's accompanying letter, but somehow the FSSP, Institute, etc (1% of Roman rite priests if that) will retain permanent permission, then the other 99% will not tolerate that nor set aside their own intrinsic right to the traditional, ancient liturgy of the Rite to which they belong. Diocesan Roman rite priests have been applying for TLM indults since the 1970's. There is no way in hell they will one day abandon the TLM in total, while only a privileged, protected 1% are allowed to celebrate the Mass of the Ages, in some far off, quarantined church.
That situation would be absurd, and therefore clearly not what Bergoglio has in mind.
And, consider that 1% itself won't sit back in silence while that happens, but continue to encourage the spread of Tradition as it has for the last several decades.
By deduction then, the common sense conclusion is that the FSSP etc are in fact also the target of this motu proprio, the new guidelines, and the upcoming Ecclesia Dei clampdown document said to be released before this Lent, in a matter of days.
When it comes out, compare the details of that document with today's FSSP press release. To be expected, the clampdown will start bringing the hammer down on the FSSP etc to conform "little by little" to the Council and "liturgical reform."
The facts speak for themselves. Everything points to the high likelihood that very soon all FSSP and Institute priests will be required to start learning the Novus Ordo. And then, unfortunately, it's going to be another phase of the liturgical war, with every Catholic blogger and his dog discussing it.
Because most FSSP etc priests WILL NOT obey this. Most will probably end up leaving active ministry before going SSPX or independent, because of jurisdiction scruples (i.e. not seeing how deep this doctrinal Crisis really goes), but most will not say a Protestant version of the Mass. Period.
Either Bergoglio know this will be the outcome which he desires as part of the chess game plan to squash Catholic Tradition once and for all, or he should know this will happen if his advisors are telling him the truth about how FSSP etc priests really think about the Novus Ordo.
As I suspect, he knows. It is part of the plan. Let's stop falling for their traps.
My two cents.