Folia Theologica et Canonica 10. 32/24 (2021)

Ius canonicum

FOLIA THEOLOGICA ET CANONICA (2021) 117-135

Alberto Soria Jimenez, OSB

EXEGESIS ON MOTU PROPRIO SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM BY BENEDICT XVI*

To my parents, Juan and Berta

Introduction; I. Context of the Canonical Facts; II. Immediate precedents to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum; III. Rights which recognized by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum; IV. The Theological Issue Regarding the Liturgical Reform; V. The Magisterial Teaching of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum; VI. The Theological Fundament of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum; VII. The FIistoric Perennial Nature of the Sacred Rites; Conclusion: A Just and Theologically Correct Solution

Keywords: Summorum Pontificum, Benedict XVI, St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Tex orandi’, Tex credendi’

Introduction

Almost fifteen years have already spent since Pope Benedict XVI promulgated his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum (= SP), given as motu proprio, on July 7th 2007.' This is a document of extraordinary canonical, theological

* Now, I gladly fulfil my filial duty with the dedication of this research to my parents, as I similarly did when I dedicated my doctoral thesis and the 552-page monograph which supports it (see note 2 further on), to Pope Benedict XVI. This article reproduces the one published with an identical title, in Ius Comunionis 5 (2017) 285-306; the only changes being the erasing of the bilingual summary at the beginning of the article and the additions to this initial note, which is un-numbered, and the bibliographical references incorporated in footnotes 2 and 18. The original version in Spanish will soon be published by ed. Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia. See also the brief summary I made of my research in La liturgia de la fe apostólica, in Ecclesia 75 (2015) 450 and in the three interviews I gave on this subject: ‘Summorum Pontificum ’debe interpretarse en sentido favorable a los fieles, on the web page religionenlibertad.com/articulo.asp7idarticulo=36939 (29th July 2014); Las riquezas vivas de la Liturgia, in Alfay Omega. Semanario católico de információn. Edición nációnál 20(II)/927 (30th April 2015) 26; Los valores permanentes de la liturgia de la Iglesia, in Buenanueva 9/52 (2015) 82-83. See finally my references to this subject in my conference La teológia litúrgica de Benedicto XVI (pro manuscripto), given on 7th June 2014 at the Abbey of the Holy Cross (Valle de los Caldos - Spain), in the closing session of the Ciclo formativo de liturgia para seglares "Sabiduríay belleza de la liturgia: de san Benito a Benedicto XVI" (Seminar for lay people on the liturgy “Knowledge and Beauty of the Liturgy; from St. Benedict to Benedict XVI").

1 Cf. Benedictus XVI, MP. Summorum Pontificum (1 iul. 2007): AAS 99 (2007) 777-781. See its Spanish translation in Litterce Apostolicce Motu Proprio dates Summorum Pontificum sobre e! uso de la liturgia romana anterior a la reforma efectuada en 1970, in L 'Osservatore Romano. Edición en lengua espahola (13th July 2007) 7.