Happy 16th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum!

A short reflection on Summorum Pontificum and the things Francis has done to try to 'modernise' the timeless Catholic Faith, 'that was handed down, once for all, to the saints'. (Epistle of St Jude, 3)

From Rorate Cæli

Sixteen years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI liberated the traditional Latin Mass and made clear that this treasure of the Church must be open to all, priests or laity, without any special permissions, and could never be restricted: "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place." In other words, access to the traditional Mass and sacraments are a permanent, "juridicial right" of the faithful, never a privilege.

The result of Summorum was that celebration of the traditional Latin Mass boomed worldwide. In nearly every location it was celebrated, it nurtured, sustained and built strong, faithful, orthodox communities of Catholics. It is clear on the ground that Pope Benedict XVI's vision for the Church was the right one: the renewed celebration of the traditional Latin Mass at every parish church worldwide, supporting orthodoxy in worship and morals.

Of course, as part of his hermeneutic of chaos, Pope Francis has sought to limit the traditional Latin Mass. But the move has only intensified interest in the celebration of the traditional Roman Rite-- especially when combined with Francis's attempts to impose his own magisterium upon the Church and uproot settled doctrine. Now, we see a Pelagian burst of activity around the Synod on Synodality and yet more attempts to "modernize" Catholic doctrine. We see the disgusting art of the predator Rupnik continue to be promoted by the Vatican, and we see the ugly, worldly aesthetic of the Synod, with its attempts to introduce post-modern errors into Catholic doctrines. Amidst all this ugliness, the traditional Latin Mass, the Holy Sacrifice of Our Lord, continues to do what it has always done- strengthen the faithful, transmit orthodoxy, and honor Our Lord with right worship. Get to Mass today!