Turning back the liturgical clock?

Frank Flinn, adjunct professor of religious studies at Washington University in St. Louis provides his normal foolish public opinions on the affairs of the Catholic Church. This time, it concerns the Holy Father's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum...

The move may well trigger liturgical schisms in dioceses throughout the world.

One may rightly wonder if the man is completely oblivious to the grave abuses that have taken place at Masses for the past 40 years as these "liturgical schisms" have been proceeding full throttle despite papal attempts to stop the abuses.

In this rite [the 'Tridentine'] the priest stands on an elevated altar, facing away from the people and mumbling the most sacred parts of the liturgy in Latin.

It appears that all of the so-called 'progressives' (read dissenters) are copying material from the same source, seeing that "Sister" Joan Chittister recently opined:

The Latin Mass, for instance, in which the priest celebrates the Eucharist with his back to the people, in a foreign language -- much of it said silently or at best whispered -- makes the congregation, the laity, observers of the rite rather than participants in it.

Apparently, ignorance is quite contagious in the community of dissent.

Frank continues:

Around the world, liturgical music expanded to include gospel music, African chants and drumming, Mexican mariachi bands, folk music and even pop rhythms.

Real sacred stuff, this hodgepodge of self-indulgent 'music'...Apparently few of them seem to have actually read Sacrosanctum Concilium or any of the authoritative documents regarding sacred music or the liturgy.

...progressives wanted to advance the openings begun at Vatican II, not only in the liturgy but also in ecumenism, lay involvement, Christian social action (liberation theology, feminism, ecology), and ethical theory (priestly celibacy, birth control).

Actually, though most of them refuse to admit it, 'progressives' wanted to create their own 'church', complete with changeable 'truths' and 'doctrines' and they wanted to call this the "Catholic" church. Presumably this is because they are not imaginative enough to think of a new name or phrase for their rebellion.

Why do I say farewell to Vatican II? . . .By turning back the liturgical clock not to the creative multiplicity of the early Christian communities but to the heyday of the Inquisition and papal monarchism at Trent, Pope Benedict XVI is abandoning the principle of collegiality that embraces all bishops, all priests, all deacons and all lay people as the worshiping community of the beloved faithful. That says to Vatican II, "Farewell!"

Without a doubt, many so-called 'progressives' said good-bye to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church years ago. It would be intellectually dishonest to admit otherwise. The Church refuses to be reshaped according the the desires, wants, and demands of the 'progressives' (or their counterparts) and this is what makes them unhappy. Many want the Church to confirm them in their obstinancy and their sins - and the Church, following the example of our Lord, cannot do that.

We see examples of this everyday. For instance, one of the comments on "Sister" Joan's column says, in part:

Yes, you're right, the Tridentine mass and the Vatican II mass offer us two different kind of churches...

I want to say that as a Feminist Catholic, as a woman who 'dissent in place', as a woman who is waiting for the Church to open wide its heart to homosexuals, divorced, pro Choice, poor, etc., this recent decision is just one more confirmation that the Catholic Church has shifted into a putrescent mode.

I'm ready to write my own Eucharistic prayers and liturgies. I am ready to break the bread praying over it...

On the other hand, I remember that our Godde is a Godde of history -- or should I say, herstory or theirstory -- hence our Godde is muddling through the male hierarchical egos with us... our Godde has to come through and clean up the mess.

How much farther removed from the Catholic Church can one possibly be? These are not the words of disciple of Christ, a member of His Mystical Body - these are the words of Satan. And people like these, as well as far right-wing 'Trads' who deny the legitimacy of a lawful Ecumenical Council, are on the wrong path.

Flinn's article can be read here (for those who can stomach it).