Friday, February 29, 2008

Italian Jesuits Not Quite In Synch With Holy Father

This from Father Z. at WDTPRS

SJ superior lines up against Pope Benedict and Summorum Pontificum.
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 10:39 am
The provisions of Summorum Pontificum are meeting with resistance on the part of some diocesan bishops. However, the Motu Proprio also speaks of the role of religious major superiors. Some parishes are run not by diocesan priests, but by religious. While they are not entirely autonomous from the local bishop, they are very much influenced by the will of the superiors of the order or institute that take care of them. Some religious superiors are showing their real attitude toward the Holy Father, his provisions, the rights of the faithful and the Roman Rite.


On 23 December 2007 Holy Mass in the TLM was celebrated with great success and participation at a church, S. Stefano, held by the Jesuits at Sanremo, in Northern Italy. The Jesuits freaked out.
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Here is part of a press release from Una Voce in my translation.
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But, so much enthusiasm notwithstanding, or perhaps really because of it (if only a few people, maybe even old people, were interested in the old rite, no one would bother to block it) the Superior of the Jesuits in northern Italy, the vice-provincial Fr. Alberto Remondini, immediately went to check out the convent at Sanremo and, a few days before the next Mass was to be celebrated, he decreed, in accord with the Provincial of the Province of Italy of the Jesuits, Fr. Francesco Tata, that
"in all the churches in Italy cared for by the Company of Jesus, the Pope’s Motu Proprio cannot be applied and Masses in Latin cannot be celebrated, except for occasional events to be pastorally justified on a case by case basis"
(naturally what those "pastoral" exigencies are are not specified). "In any case, " Fr. Remondini continues, "in no case can Mass in Latin have fixed or periodical term, even were it be to be only monthly as in the case of Sanremo."

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Was the word "Italian" needed in the title?

Joseph Fromm said...

Just a point of clarification, I guess.