Interview with Archbishop Burke on the Tridentine Indult

A short except of this excellent report:

(From the May 18 edition of The Wanderer)

Archbishop Raymond Burke, who previously consecrated his former Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is known as one of very few bishops in the United States who has sincerely been "wide and generous" (Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, by Pope John Paul II, June 1988) in allowing all of the Classical Roman rite sacraments in his diocese. He has begun to show his benevolence toward the Classical Roman liturgy and sacraments also in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, as will be shown later in this interview.

Q. What has your experience been with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest?

A. Given the demands on priests today, as I experienced both in the Diocese of La Crosse, and as I am now experiencing in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, I have always tried to establish some centers of the apostolate for the Old Mass. I have been very blessed to come to know the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest in a little way while I was working in Rome, and then after I came to the Diocese of La Crosse and I was looking for some priests to help with this apostolate, they were willing to give me that help. It has been a very good relationship.

In the Diocese of La Crosse, there was a very large territory. There were four centers where the Mass and the other sacraments were being celebrated, and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest had charge of two of them. At the two other places, diocesan priests were doing it.

In St. Louis, we have two centers now. One is at St. Francis de Sales right in the heart of the city, and then the other one is at the Passionist Monastery. The Institute of Christ the King has charge of the one at St. Francis de Sales. A new community in its first years of existence, the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem, have charge of the one at the Passionist Monastery. [Editor's Note: Dom Daniel Augustine Oppenheimer is the founder of this new traditionalist community.]
---------------

And this one on Latin!

Q. Do you see any benefit to the unity Latin and Gregorian chant breeds with the continuing influx of Spanish-speaking Catholics into the United States?

A. I think that is one of the great blessings of Gregorian chant and the Latin language is its universality and drawing us together. I think it certainly can be a great help.

In particular, if one sees the celebration of the pontifical liturgies in Rome — the liturgies of our Holy Father — if we are able to sing some of the responses in Gregorian chant, and some of the responses, that Latin is the language that draws us all together.

I remember when I was a boy — we were farmers, so we didn't travel very much — but I remember people who traveled that would come and visit our home, this was the great thing: Everywhere they traveled, wherever they went to Mass, it was the same. You could be in Hong Kong or New York City or Paris, and Mass was always the same.

So I think if there could be recovery of at least some standard elements — in terms of the music such as the use of Gregorian chant and the use of the Latin texts in communities that are diverse — this would be wonderful!

Archbishop Burke confirms much of has been posted recently on the use Latin.

Read more of this interview here.