Folia Theologica 20. (2009)
Caban Peter: Features and new impulses of the Pope Benedict XVI in the area of liturgy
FEATURES AND NEW IMPULSES... 49 The possibility of celebrations of Holy Masses according to so called Tridentine rite was given by the letter Quattuor abhinc annos from 1984. It was published before issuing of this motu proprio. This document is the legal directive of the Congregation for divine cult and discipline of sacraments which was addressed to all the chairpersons of national bishop's conferences of the whole world.16 In 1988 John Paul II by his apostolic letter motu proprio Ecclesia Dei encouraged bishops to use widely this indult for the wellbeing of all the faithful who request it. to the past or negation of the reform from 1970 but "it is the grandanimous offer of the Pope who wants to make all the treasures of the Latin liturgy available. These treasures nourished the spiritual life of many generations and Catholic faithful for many centuries." Cardinal Hoyos mentioned the "intention" of the Holy Father to "extend the possibility of celebration of Holy Mass and sacraments for the whole Latin church according to liturgical books issued by the Blessed John XXIII in 1962." He stated: "Holy Father is interested in this liturgy which was never abolished and he thinks that now it is the time to facilitate the access to this liturgy and establish it as the extraordinary form of one Roman rite." 16 The Pope desiring to help these groups offered diocesan bishops the possibility to use the indult which allows the priests and the faithful who are mentioned in the submitted request to celebrate Holy Mass using Roman Missal from 1962 under the following conditions: • Priests and the faithful who are interested in this indult must publicly and clearly declare that they do not doubt legitimacy and accuracy of the teaching of the Roman Missal declared by the Pope Paul VI. • Tridentine Massed may be celebrated only for groups of the faithful who request it. • Mass in the Tridentine rite may be celebrated only in a church or chapel determined by the bishop (it cannot be a parish church, exception is possible in extraordinary cases), a bishop determines the day and conditions of the celebration. • Mass may be celebration only in Latin according to 1962 Missal. • It is forbidden to combine texts from various Missals. • A bishop must inform the Congregation for divine cult and discipline of sacraments about priests and the faithful who were given indult for the celebration of the Mass in Tridentine rite. The letter is found in Acta apostolicae sedis 76 from 1984 pp. 1088-1089. CABAN, P., Medzi Tridentom a Druhÿm Vatikánom, in Impulz year 3, nr. 1/2007, p. 130-131.
