Ostende nobis Domine, misericordiam tuam- and save us from the return of the Latin Mass

"Right turn, Clyde." Clint Eastwood used this famous phrase in the classic 70s hit, "Every Which Way but Loose." With those three magic words he was able to transform his seemingly docile orangutan companion into a four-foot high Joe Frazier.

Pope Benedict the XVI has a mean right hook of his own. Faster than you can say "dignum et justum est," the Pope is fast approaching a decision on the reinstatement of the Latin Mass. Clyde's right turn came in the form of a jarring right jab, where Benedict's right turn comes in the form of an awkward lurch backwards to a pre-Vatican II liturgical practice that has been frozen in time since it was established in 1570.

A little Vatican II background... With the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the Latin Mass was replaced by a liturgy celebrated in the common tongue of parishioners in parishes worldwide. This important and historic shift dramatically underscored the theme of reform embodied by Pope John XXIII who convoked the council in 1962. Although he did not live to see the council complete its work and implement the reforms he had envisioned, Pope John passionately advocated for the Church to reinvigorate itself though a renewed mission to serve all of humanity and to modernize its practices as a means of accomplishing this. On his very deathbed, this visionary leader exhorted his fellow Catholics to heed the call of modernization and reform as necessary means to ensuring that all that is good about the Catholic faith would continue to be relevant: "‘Today more than ever, we are called to serve mankind as such, and not merely Catholics; to defend above all and everywhere, the rights of the human person and not merely those of the Catholic Church. It is not that the Gospel has changed: it is that we have begun to understand it better... the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead."

Or not. The reforms instituted by Vatican II met with enthusiastic support among the laity, mainly because for the first time in Church history they were made to feel like fully human participants in the shape and direction of their faith. And while the reforms offended the traditional sensibilities of old school Catholics, a great many clergy did support the reforms. But, just like the culture wars here in America, a conservative backlash has been coiling in the corners of the Catholic Church and waiting for its moment to remake the Church in its former image. Now, with the installation of Benedict (the former Cardinal Ratzinger) as Pope, the Empire is definitely striking back. As Cardinal Ratzinger he served as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he established a reputation as a conservative hard-liner. He is apparently not interested in moderating any of his views on Church policy and teaching now that he is Pope.

But whom does Benedict think that he is serving by reinstating the Latin Mass? Does he even care, i.e., is this something that he believes in so strenuously that he would support it no matter the backlash it might, and has, provoked? It certainly does not seem plausible that a majority of Catholics worldwide have blitzed the Vatican with letters demanding that Mass be celebrated in Latin. The question has even been raised as to whether there are even more than a handful of priests who are capable of celebrating Mass in this language.

Nevertheless, there is apparently a constituency for 16th century liturgical practices among the Church faithful. A cursory Internet search using the term "Latin Mass" quickly turned up the following Web URLs, among others:


* Latin Mass Magazine

* Latin Mass.org

* Una Voce.org ("One Voice")

While organizations such as these may constitute a minority of worldwide Catholics, they are apparently the ones who have the Pope's ear. Never mind how alienating this move may be to a majority of Catholics: what type of ecumenical message does this send to other Christian churches, to other non-Christian faiths in general? Vatican II was intended to transform the Church into a more outward looking institution more fully integrated into the modern world. Reinstating a dusty relic such as the Latin Mass appears to be a full-scale retreat from engagement back to a more conservative, triumphalist dogma of an older time.

While a traditionalist minority might cheer Benedict’s rightward lunge, this move can likely have critical, negative consequences for relations between the Church and Judaism. As a part of the Vatican II reforms, the Council struck the following prayer from the Good Friday liturgy: ""Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ..." In 1970 this was replaced by the following: "Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant. (Silent prayer) Almighty and eternal God, long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and his posterity. Listen to your Church as we pray that the people you first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen." Which version will be used if and when Benedict brings Latin back home to roost? Why should we even have to ask this question? Benedict himself could have issued a statement clarifying the Church's position on this months ago.

I am a product of the post-Vatican II Church, and for whatever flaws inherent to this process, the willingness to engage in honest and open dialogue with lay Catholics, with other Christian churches, and with non-Christian faiths was not one of them. Pope John XXIII's vision for the Church was that it fulfill its potential for greatness by adopting a more expansive view of its own mission and striving to meet the material and spiritual needs of believers and non-believers alike. Benedict's rightward tilt gives me the impression that the Church has now abandoned that stance and is only willing to meet the needs of its most fervent and unwavering supporters. What a tragic, and wholly unnecessary, blunder. What good can the Church do for the world when it is only relevant unto itself?

-Doug L. FOR FURTHER REFERENCE (UPDATED, July 9, 2007):

"It's All Greek to Me: Unkosher Jesus and the Latin Mass." (UnkosherJesus.net, July 9, 2007.)

Vatican II: Voice of the Church

"Rite Turn: Can the Latin Mass Make a Comback?" (Slate.com, May 4, 2007)

"Latin Mass May Offend Jews" (London Telegraph, April 28, 2007)

"French Clerics Warn Against Return of Latin Mass Traditionalists" (Catholic News.com)

"The Return of the Latin Mass" (Time.com, October 12, 2006)