Motu Proprio and Careful Wording

Fr. Z’s recent entry in which he says (concerning the Motu Proprio), “When Benedict does this, he must get it as right as he possibly can. The stakes are high in other sectors of the life of the Church,” brings up some thoughts in my mind. I agree, but I have no idea what would be the correct wording. I suspect that one misplaced word could cause serious trouble, but I don’t know what that word would be. The role of bishops and their ability to control when and where the Tridintine Rite is celebrated will have to be addressed, but what will that role be? Although the Motu Proprio will obviously not be enough for some, it will clearly be a “liturgical earthquake.” I seem to imagine some people screaming when it comes out sort of like the scene at the end of The Passion of The Christ that shows Satan screaming in hell.

I don’t intend to learn the Tridintine Rite, although I would obviously learn it if asked by my community. I do enjoy celebrating the Novus Ordo in Latin, and plan on doing so this week as a concelebrant (I’ll say more about this later). As anyone with some Latin knowledge knows, there is no comparison between Eucharistic Prayer I in English and in Latin, although the early draft I saw of the new ICEL translation shows promise. I think the Motu Proprio will help priests to feel more “liberated” to use Latin in general, but it is hard to say how this will play out. At Franciscan U., Matt Maher’s Agnus Dei has been in use for a while. This is certainly not Gregorian Chant, but it is Latin (albeit mixed with English).

I realize you cannot comment on the blog at this time. I hope to do something about this soon.

Update:  A seminarian blogs on The Return of Gregorian Chant .

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