Traditional Latin Mass Goes Home to Rome

ROME: Former Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera—current Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments—will be the celebrant of the Pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form that will close the International Traditional Pilgrimage Una Cum Papa Nostro in support of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.  This was officially announced this week by CISP "Coetus Internationalis Pro Summorum Pontificum"—the organizational group which will bring together multiple traditionalist Catholic organizations from different countries for this event.

Following the announcement, the organisers also released the itinerary for November 3, 2012: The pilgrimage day will open at 10.30 am with a Eucharistic Adoration and a welcoming ceremony to San Salvatore in Lauro, Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro, in Rome’s historic city centre—a church well known to members of the Roman traditional community (including the author of this article), since the vetus Ordo was celebrated there for a few years under the “Ecclesia Dei adflicta” indult. After the Angelus the faithful will depart in procession to St. Peter’s Square at 1:30 pm through Ponte Sant'Angelo, past Castel Sant’Angelo and then along Via della Conciliazione. The Pontifical Mass will commence at three.

Another event, not part of the pilgrimage, was also announced for that day. Taking place after the mass, a conference in nearby Russia Ecumenica centre in Borgo Pio 141 organised by Centro Culturale Lepanto will commemorate two giants in the defence and promotion of the traditional liturgy: Cardinal Alfons Stickler (1910-2007) and Michael Davies (1936-2004). After an introduction by the Lepanto president Fabio Bernabei, the floor will be taken by Leo Darroch, President of Federatio Internationalis Una Voce (FIUV); Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro Carambula, director of the Rome office of Human Life International; and Thomas Murphy, the FIUV secretary.

The announcement that Cardinal Canizares will be the celebrant for the Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter puts to rest the rumour that the Pope himself would be the celebrant. According to a website in Germany (www.Kreuz.net), major television networks such as CNN, Fox News, BBC, and even Al Jazeera, were prepared to cover the event, had the Pope actually decided to be the celebrant on November 3^rd. 

Father Claude Barthe, official chaplain of the International Traditional Pilgrimage (ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1979 in Ecône and now a diocesan priest), offered a comment on Cardinal Canizares’ decision to be the celebrant.  When asked about the implications of the participation of the Prefect of Divine Worship in this important event, Abbé Claude Barthe said:

“If we take into account the spiritual goals of the celebration in the Vatican Basilica, the fact that the celebrant is Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera is particularly moving. Indeed, we know that the celebration is intended: 

- to offer a Holy Mass in the extraordinary form as a sign of gratitude and filial support to the Holy Father on the fifth anniversary of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum;

- for the pilgrims to demonstrate their love to the Church and their fidelity to the See of Peter;

- to visibly express the contribution of the traditional liturgy for the new evangelization that the Holy Father intends to promote with the Year of Faith”.

The profile of the celebrant, who is responsible for the Roman Liturgy in the name of the Pope, offers a significant impact to this event. The Abbé goes on. “Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, in fact, has already celebrated several times and in many places the Mass in the extraordinary form, especially on the occasion of priestly ordinations, in most cases at the invitation of Ecclesia Dei congregations, but also for the Franciscans of the Immaculate, and always with great benevolence”.

But now there's more, since this Mass at the Tomb of Peter will certainly be solemn, but also "popular”:  “In fact, all those who, thanks to the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, can benefit from the Mass in the extraordinary form in their parishes – priests caring for souls, seminarians and faithful – will gather around Cardinal Canizares who, as a delegate of the Holy Father for the liturgy on that day, will be a sort of universal ‘pastor’ for all of them. Priests, seminarians and faithful will sing the Missa de Angelis in St. Peter's in Rome, just as they do, or should by now be able to do, every Sunday in their own parishes”.

For those familiar with the warm disposition of the Cardinal, the Abbé concludes, “the celebration side by side with Don Antonio takes on the appearance of a warm family reunion”.

Cardinal Cañizares supports the Holy Father’s call for a correct interpretation of the Vatican II documents, and therefore the need to correct liturgical abuses and restore all the due reverence to the liturgical celebrations. In fact, during his visit to Lima in Peru and on other occasions, he recommended that Catholics receive Communion on the tongue, while kneeling so as to to “simply know that we are before God himself and that He came to us and that we are undeserving”, he was quoted as saying in an interview with CNA (Jul 28, 2011).
 
The cardinal’s remarks came in response to a question on whether Catholics should receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue. Receiving Communion “on the tongue and while kneeling”, the cardinal answered, “is the sign of adoration that needs to be recovered. I think the entire Church needs to receive Communion while kneeling… In fact, if one receives while standing, a genuflection or profound bow should be made, but this is not happening. If we trivialize Communion, we trivialize everything, and we cannot lose a moment as important as that of receiving Communion, of recognizing the real presence of Christ, of God who is love above all loves, as we sing in a hymn in Spanish”.

(Note: There is still time to join the US contingent on this important pilgrimage. Please contact Syversen Touring for more information.)