“Basta!” Enough!

Francis is at it again. During the recent “ad limina” visit by the French bishops (as reported by the French site Famille chrétienne), the Pope of mercy-and-dialogue™️ took the opportunity to once again decry the traditional Roman Rite of the Catholic Church:

Regarding the Motu proprio Traditionis custodes, the pope “insisted that the celebration of the ancient rite should not be a pretext for refusing Vatican II.” “A limit must be set and that’s it (basta!),” he insisted in front of French prelates, so that a liturgical attraction is not the cover of an ideological stance…

The ironically titled Traditionis custodes (Guardians of the tradition) is of course anything but that. The motu proprio and its accompanying letter is an unprecedented, purely political, and heavy handed attempt by progressives within the Church to impede the growing restoration of tradition among the faithful.

The dilemma for the Holy Father and other ideologically driven churchmen is that their very premise for attacking the Latin Mass contradicts what they themselves have argued in the past: the continuity of the Council and the New Mass.

First, Francis demands an acceptance of Vatican II. This of course is a given and unnecessary if Vatican II introduced nothing new and simply sought to engage an ever changing world in a contemporary manner.

However, the very argument the pope makes refutes the hermeneutic of continuity so long advocated for by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. After all, why does Vatican II require unique and explicit acceptance if it is simply representing Catholicism in a completely consistent and traditional way? Wouldn’t our profession of faith (e.g. the Credo) suffice for his holiness?

And if it is ideological agendas hidden behind liturgical forms that is of such concern, then shouldn’t it be the Novus Ordo that is suppressed? From its creation by the Consilium in the 1960’s, to its multiple choice-Mass of options construct, to doctrinal innovation reinforced by liturgical innovation, it is the New Rite which statistically causes greater disunity of belief.

However, none of us should be so naive as to believe that tradition is actually guarded by attacking it. There is no way to interpret Traditionis custodes (TC) in good faith as it was clearly not promulgated in good faith. If anyone doubts this, simply read the embarrassingly disingenuous and error filled letter accompanying it.

No, when Rome presents the world’s prelates and the lay faithful with such a punitive, vindictive, unmerciful, and unprecedented document such as TC, the only proper response is to signal our fidelity to the Tradition, to the immemorial faith, and to boldly proclaim Basta! Enough!

[Photo credit: CNS/Vatican Media-from last years “ad limina” visit to Rome by the French bishops].