The New Liturgical Movement has an interview with the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, Francis Cardinal Arinze.
There are perhaps a few hints here of the contents of the Exhortation on the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist.
When I raise ongoing concerns such as continued lack of reverence at Mass, and cite as examples Holy Communion in the hand and standing up, and ubiquitous banal hymns, his own reservations about these practices are obvious. Certain bishops, he says, “pushed and pushed and pushed” for Communion in the hand to be accepted practice for past 40 years, in effect forcing Rome to ratify it. Now, he says, “we have problems”, and he speaks with visible anger about the dropping of particles of the Sacred Host on the ground, tourists putting the Host in a photo album as a souvenir of their trip to Rome, and desecration of the Host through black magic.
On Church music, he blames the “banalising” and “secularising” of hymns on both priests and laity. “There’s a type of music suitable for the parish hall, for a picnic, for dancing, for enjoyment,” he says, “but there’s another music suitable for prayer and adoration.”
On whether priests should celebrate Mass facing the congregation or facing East as they did before the Second Vatican Council, he sees arguments for both positions, although his preferences are clear. “The Mass is not a mutual entertainment gathering between the priest and the people – you admire me and I admire you,” he explains. “The priest is not a reverend showman.”
Still, Cardinal Arinze is not prepared to make changes, believing it unwise “to order the people of God around again and tell them to shift around the altar again”. “If you were in my shoes would you go so far?” he asks.
Indeed, he quickly dismisses the mere suggestion that wielding a little more authority would help. “You do not create reverence by decree from the Vatican,” he says with an enormous smile. “It’s not a work that one person alone can do. Reverence is based on faith.”
4 comments:
And faith is strengthened through reverence.
When the liturgical reforms were first implemented after Vatican II all priests everywhere did as they were told, whether they liked them or not. Choice did not come into the question. They were the children of the 1917 Code of Canon Law which centralised authority on the Apostoilic See. Now, forty-two years later, fewer priests take much notice of what comes from Rome. Look at the way the regulations set out in Liturgicum Authenticum have been travestied by the Bishops of England and Wales. It would be helpful if clearer regulations were promulgated, if only to help individual priests and the laity who want better standards, but for Cardinal Arrinze, and the Holy Father come to that, to wring hands over abuses and take no action achieves nothing and disempowers those who seek higher standards,
But 40 years ago the bishops made decisions themselves (even if some priests of the day didn't like them). Now the most anyone can hope for is that the bishops, in their emasculated conference, ratify the lowest common denominator decisions for their own self-perpetuating lay-led quangos.
Well the Cardinal doesn't seem to that the liturgical "reform" of 1969 was going too "far" does he?
Really incredible - they smash the altars, rip the rails, butcher the mass and banish the sacred language and then say we shouldn't go back because we don't want to "upset" people.
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