Another Voice in Defense of Summorum Pontificum. And Some Calming Words.

Father Zed comments on Joan Lewis's article I shared on Wednesday and, wisely, reminds us that so far this is all just rumours. Keep praying, but don't panic.

From Fr Z's Blog

While not a seismic surprise, I didn’t expect a strong defense of Summorum Pontificum (aka the “emancipation proclamation) from Joan Lewis, the cordial veteran Vatican correspondent who has since 1990 worked for VIS and EWTN.

Joan, after some introductory point, goes on to cite Phil Lawler’s piece (which I wrote about HERE).  But she adds two points that are so obvious, so common-sensical, so concise that they bear sharing.

First…

As I have been reading about the possible changes the Pope will make to Summorum Pontificum, I have been wondering about the number of vocations born within a TLM setting. Has anyone researched this?

Yes, in France there has been.  Including the numbers of men entering traditional groups, the percentage of TLM oriented priests in France being ordained each year is significant and growing.

Also, since the plural of anecdote is data, I get reports of ordination classes here in these USA.  For example, the other day a friend who watches these things and who is an insider wrote that a major archdiocese ordained half a dozen men and, of them, three are known as “trad”.

This is what I keep hearing.   Many men want to say their 1st Mass in the Traditional Form, although sometimes their bishops bully them into something else.

Second… quoting Eric Sammons:

Among other things, he asks the question on most lips: “No matter what we guess the impact might be, the question remains: Why would Pope Francis do this? If a CEO decided to shut down the fastest-growing division in his company, it would be a head-scratcher for sure. So why would Pope Francis look to limit the reach of what is, in terms of growth, the most successful movement in the Church today?”

Vocations and pews filling with families with young children.  And the TLM participants in general give more in the collection than the Novus Ordo participant.

None of it makes sense.  So, non-sense makes sense.

It’s ideological to the point of irrational.  Or rather it follows a rationale that is so foreign to anything … Catholic that it is hard to fathom.

Friends… I keep saying that these rumors are rumors.  They are to be considered unsubstantiated because the are substantially unsourced.   Someone says something happened or said something isn’t quite enough.  And we are talking about Italy, here.

There is always the possibility that there is, at least partially, a campaign of disinformation, even a “false flag” operation.   It probably didn’t start that way, but once the situation was created, some people on both sides took advantage.  Think about a virus getting out of a Chinese lab.  It probably wasn’t intentional, but once it was out, the CCP took advantage of the situation, as the the Dems, everyone knowing that, during the US summer, some flash-point event would take place to exacerbate the situation (i.e., Minneapolis).

Let everyone keep calm.  Let’s get more and more birettas for seminarians (the nightmare of the libs = today’s seminarians).

Meanwhile, FATHERS, get to work.

Let not your hearts be overly troubled. A little anxiety, by the way, can produce clear thought and hard work. Too much can produce paralysis.

Get your Masses established NOW.

NOW.