More than a century ago the Vatican cracked down on a small liturgical group within the Church in an effort to establish unity, to disastrous results. Is history repeating itself with today’s traditionalists?
At present, the Vatican has not yet seen fit to close down all of the “Old Rite” Masses in the United States and elsewhere; instead, it has limited itself to shutting them out of parish churches and micromanaging parish bulletins. However, Traditionis Custodes made clear its expectation that those attending these Masses should eventually “return to the one Roman Rite,” i.e., that of the missal promulgated by Paul VI. And in recent weeks, rumors have circulated in Rome that a move to shut these Masses down completely is coming, especially after the death of Joseph Ratzinger.
If this is the case, it will be a grave injustice and an error on the part of the pope, who prides himself on being “pastoral.” Moreover, it is an example of terrible governance. Kicking members out of your organization when it is bleeding them virtually everywhere, for what look like reasons of ecclesiastical politics, is a sign of poor leadership. There is a good chance that many of the people that worship at these Masses will find succor elsewhere, either in chapels of the religious orders that celebrate the old Mass (assuming they are allowed to exist), or in those of the Society of St. Pius X.
Sadly, this is not the first time that the Catholic Church has, in pursuit of a spurious uniformity, allowed poor leadership to drive people out of the Church. A similar event took place in the late 19th century in the United States (with a later assist from Rome).
In the late 1800s, the U.S. experienced a massive immigration boom. Among those coming to the United States were peoples from the Carpathian mountains in Eastern Europe, normally called the Rusyns or the Ruthenians, in what is today parts of Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia. Most of those who came to America in the 19th century arrived from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
These peoples brought their culture with them; most importantly, they brought their religious beliefs and customs. For most, that meant those of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, founded in 1646 when 63 Orthodox priests and their parishes came into communion with Rome. They were allowed to retain their liturgical heritage, including the Slavonic liturgical language and tradition of married priests.
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Is the Vatican Resurrecting the Failed “Ruthenian Option” for Traditionalists? – Crisis Magazine
Is the Vatican Resurrecting the Failed “Ruthenian Option” for Traditionalists? – Crisis Magazine
