Pope Pius XII on the diaconate

Just came across this quote this morning:

We have not yet considered those Orders which precede the priesthood, and which, in the present practice of the Church, are only conferred in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. The duties connected with Minor Orders have long been performed by laymen, and We know that thought is being given at present to the introduction of a diaconate conceived as an ecclesiastical office independent of the priesthood. Today, at least, the idea is not yet ready for application. Should it someday become so, what We have just said would still hold true and this diaconate would take its place with the priesthood in the distinctions We have just drawn. (Pope Pius XII, October 5, 1957, Guiding Principles of the Lay Apostolate 1)

Sure enough, over the next 15 years, conditions became favorable. In 1964, the Second Vatican Council said the following:

At a lower level of the hierarchy are deacons, upon whom hands are imposed "not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service." ... [T]he diaconate can in the future be restored as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. It pertains to the competent territorial bodies of bishops, of one kind or another, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, to decide whether and where it is opportune for such deacons to be established for the care of souls. With the consent of the Roman Pontiff, this diaconate can, in the future, be conferred upon men of more mature age, even upon those living in the married state. It may also be conferred upon suitable young men, for whom the law of celibacy must remain intact. (Lumen Gentium 29)

In 1967 (a mere decade after Pope Pius XII's statement), Pope Paul VI promulgated an Apostolic Letter motu proprio, Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, restoring the permanent diaconate to the Church.  (It's not a very long document, and I'd recommend it for anyone interested in knowing about the vocation and duties of the permanent diaconate.)

Then, five years later, Pope Paul VI promulgated another Apostolic Letter Ad Pascendum, containing further norms for the permanent diaconate.  (This too is a short document and recommended reading.)

1967 Address of Paul VI to altar servers

Here is an address that Pope Paul VI gave in March of 1967 to a pilgrimage of (male) altar servers from across Europe to Rome. I just read it this evening, and I think it's rather timely and appropriate.

Dear sons, in your beautiful white albs you present us with a splendid sight that is a joy to our eyes and our heart. We are happy to address a few words to you, in response to the request expressed in your name by your friend and protector in Rome, the Cardinal Archpriest of St. Peters.

His words introducing you to us suggest the thought that the whiteness of your vestments is a reflection of the whiteness of your souls. Your contact with the altar sustains and develops in your souls faith, devotion, purity, and all the other virtues that are pleasing to God.

You will remember the young man in the gospel who had faithfully cultivated those same virtues since childhood. The evangelist tells us that Jesus looked up him with love: Iesus, intuitus eum, dilexit eum, "Looking on him, Jesus loved him." (Mark 10:21)

We believe that we see the Savior's look also resting upon each one of you with special favor. Are you not the ones who come so very near to him as you serve at the altar? Is it then surprising that his call to an even greater nearness to him should at some time -- as has just been said to us -- sound in the hearts of some of you?

Dear sons, the charge that we wish to commit to you consists in two points: be faithful to carry out in exemplary fashion the liturgical functions assigned to you; listen to the voice of Christ if he graciously calls you to follow him more closely.

To be faithful: that is a whole program for life. As you know the word "faithfulness" includes the word "faith". To revivify that faith at the tombs of the Apostles is the reason you have come to Rome. In that faith St. Paul summarized his whole life as an apostle when he came to the end of his earthly life: fidem servavi, "I have kept the faith," he said to his disciple Timothy. (2 Timothy 4:7) I have been faithful to God, to Christ, to the Church. I have been faithful to my calling, to the ministry entrusted to me. May such a faithfulness be yours and may it be particularly true of those concerns involved in your functions as servers at the altar.

You might at times think that the liturgy is made up of a lot of minor details: posture, genuflections, bows, handling the censer, missal, cruets, etc. It is then that you must remember the words of Christ in the gospel: "He that is faithful in the smallest things is faithful also in the great." (Luke 16:10) Moreover, in the liturgy nothing is little, when we realize the greatness of the one to whom it is directed.

Therefore, dear sons, be outstanding in faithfulness toward carrying out your sacred functions. To that devote your attention, all your heart, and all your love.

Next, listen to the divine call. We will share with you one of our worries. In the face of the vastness of the task of evangelization that the modern world sets before us, we often put the question to ourself: How are we going to find enough priests, enough religious to meet this need? Does it not seem as though God is calling in vain -- that today's young people have no wish to hear him; that they no longer have the taste for God, the response to the ideal, the attraction toward sacrifice?

Dear sons, a good number of those older than you have resoundingly repudiated such fears. May it come true that a great many of you also will follow in their footsteps! Be on your guard against letting the voice that calls you go unheard and unanswered. Pray ardently that from among your ranks Christ may choose many to carry on his priesthood.

(Documents on the Liturgy 338, paragraphs 2919-2920)

The link between St. Paul and the Pope's call to revisit the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

At the close of the International Eucharistic Congress, the Pope called the Church (individually and in groups) to revisit Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

Today (or last night, starting with vespers) marks the beginning of the Pauline year, celebrating the 2000th anniversary of his birth.

And there's a link between them.

St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, reminded them of the traditions he had handed onto them, which he had received from the Lord. (cf. 1 Cor. 11:2,23). He gives them a reminder of the liturgical tradition (as it were) of the universal Church of which the church in Corinth is a member. The reason he felt urged to do so was because the celebration of the Eucharist was falling prey to abuses, and was becoming an occasion of division and sacrilege! (cf. 1 Cor. 11:18ff)

Sacrosanctum Concilium, which described the ways in which the Roman liturgy should be reformed and revised, speaks highly of the tradition the Church has received from the Apostles:

4. Lastly, in faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that holy Mother Church holds all lawfully acknowledged rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way. The Council also desires that, where necessary, the rites be revised carefully in the light of sound tradition, and that they be given new vigor to meet the circumstances and needs of modern times.

23. That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress Careful investigation is always to be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised. This investigation should be theological, historical, and pastoral. Also the general laws governing the structure and meaning of the liturgy must be studied in conjunction with the experience derived from recent liturgical reforms and from the indults conceded to various places. Finally, there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them; and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing.

106. By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ's resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day; with good reason this, then, bears the name of the Lord's day or Sunday. For on this day Christ's faithful are bound to come together into one place so that; by hearing the word of God and taking part in the Eucharist, they may call to mind the Passion, the Resurrection and the glorification of the Lord Jesus, and may thank God who "has begotten them again, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto a living hope" (1 Pet. 1:3). ...

107. The liturgical year is to be revised so that the traditional customs and discipline of the sacred seasons shall be preserved or restored to suit the conditions of modern times; their specific character is to be retained, so that they duly nourish the piety of the faithful who celebrate the mysteries of Christian redemption, and above all the paschal mystery. ...

111. The saints have been traditionally honored in the Church and their authentic relics and images held in veneration. ...

112. The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy. ...

120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things. But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship, with the knowledge and consent of the competent territorial authority, as laid down in Art. 22, 52, 37, and 40. This may be done, however, only on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful.

Now, there has been no little debate over the past 40 years (since the publication of that Constitution) about the "organic" nature of the reform of the Roman Rite that followed the Second Vatican Council. Pope Paul VI hoped that the 1969 reform of the Roman Rite would "[put] an end to uncertainties, to discussions, to arbitrary abuses." But it appears that was not the case.

Many changes were introduced that were never mentioned in the Constitution. Some practices were illegally introduced and legalized (via indult in some occasions) after the fact. Elements traditional to the Roman Rite (such as Latin, chant, and worship ad orientem) were silently lost. And abuses crept in; some abuses barged in.

Consider the words of the late Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003):

10. In some places the practice of Eucharistic adoration has been almost completely abandoned. In various parts of the Church abuses have occurred, leading to confusion with regard to sound faith and Catholic doctrine concerning this wonderful sacrament. At times one encounters an extremely reductive understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. Stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet. Furthermore, the necessity of the ministerial priesthood, grounded in apostolic succession, is at times obscured and the sacramental nature of the Eucharist is reduced to its mere effectiveness as a form of proclamation. This has led here and there to ecumenical initiatives which, albeit well-intentioned, indulge in Eucharistic practices contrary to the discipline by which the Church expresses her faith. How can we not express profound grief at all this? The Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation.

It must be lamented that, especially in the years following the post-conciliar liturgical reform, as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and adaptation there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many. A certain reaction against "formalism" has led some, especially in certain regions, to consider the "forms" chosen by the Church's great liturgical tradition and her Magisterium as non-binding and to introduce unauthorized innovations which are often completely inappropriate.

52. ... I consider it my duty, therefore to appeal urgently that the liturgical norms for the celebration of the Eucharist be observed with great fidelity. These norms are a concrete expression of the authentically ecclesial nature of the Eucharist; this is their deepest meaning. Liturgy is never anyone's private property, be it of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated. The Apostle Paul had to address fiery words to the community of Corinth because of grave shortcomings in their celebration of the Eucharist resulting in divisions (schismata) and the emergence of factions (haireseis) (cf. 1 Cor 11:17-34). Our time, too, calls for a renewed awareness and appreciation of liturgical norms as a reflection of, and a witness to, the one universal Church made present in every celebration of the Eucharist. Priests who faithfully celebrate Mass according to the liturgical norms, and communities which conform to those norms, quietly but eloquently demonstrate their love for the Church.

This letter was followed by the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, one of the documents against liturgical abuses which, in the words of Bishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith, "unfortunately have remained a dead letter, forgotten in libraries full of dust, or even worse, thrown into the waste basket."

The cry of the Church against these liturgical abuses has been going up for many years:

• 2007: Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis: nn. 3, 54
• 2004: Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Redemptionis Sacramentum
• 2003: Pope John Paul II, Spiritus et Sponsa: n. 15
• 1997: Congregation for the Clergy, Ecclesia de Mysterio: n. 4; Art. 6, n. 2
• 1993: Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Applications of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism: n. 6
• 1988: Pope John Paul II, Vicesimus Quintus Annus: n. 13
• 1988: Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Paschale Solemnitatis: nn. 49, 78
• 1980: Pope John Paul II, Inaestimabile Donum: preface; nn. 1, 4, 5
• 1976: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Inter Insigniores: n. 4
• 1973: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Mysterium Ecclesiae: n. 6

Even before the Council, Pope Pius warned against abuses (and doctrinal errors creeping in because of them) in his encyclical Mediator Dei (in 1947).

The Pope liberated the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (also called the "Gregorian Rite"). He celebrated Mass ad orientem (well, ad Dominum, anyway!) and has re-introduced the placement of candles and crucifix on the altar. He has been distributing Communion to people on the tongue as they kneel recently (including today). He has restored the organic development of the Papal pallium (and has been restoring to use many traditional vestments and liturgical objects). There is a call from the Pope to revisit the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, to re-examine that tradition which was handed down to us through the centuries by the Church, by Her Apostles, and ultimately by the Lord himself. He hinted at this two and a half years ago, speaking to the Roman Curia at Christmas. The Pope is trying to tell us something. Perhaps it is time to recall the whole of our Catholic identity.

Let us pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to settle upon the Church and Her leaders and all the faithful, that we might again receive the sacred tradition and pass it on uncorrupted to the future of the Church.

Solemni Hac Liturgia - 40th Anniversary

With this weekend, on which we celebrate the martyrdom of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and which inaugurates a Pauline year, celebrating the 2000th anniversary of his birth, I would like to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of a great work of orthodoxy and defense of the Catholic faith by His Holiness Pope Paul VI, may he rest in peace.

On June 30, 1968, Pope Paul celebrated the closing solemn liturgy of the nineteenth centenary of the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul. At this liturgy, the Holy Father gave a Catholic exposition of the profession of faith, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Although he made it clear it was not "strictly speaking a dogmatic definition" (n. 3), nonetheless he called it a "true confession" (n. 7) modeled after that of the apostle Peter at Caesarea Philippi, speaking "beyond human opinions" (ibid.); he would be giving "a firm witness to the divine Truth entrusted to the Church to be announced to all nations" (ibid.), and that this "profession of faith" would be "to a high degree complete and explicit." (ibid.)

This exposition on the Creed came to be known as "The Credo of the People of God" (Confessio Populi Dei, if my Latin is not mistaken). Earlier this year, I learned from Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's blog "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" that this document was, in fact, authored by the Pope's philosopher-friend Jacques Maritain.

I strongly encourage everyone to read this document. It provides the Catholic perspective on the Creed. I would reproduce it below with my emphases added, except that I would end up emphasizing nearly every sentence! That is how concise and thorough this profession has been presented. It is an astonishing defense of the Catholic faith in the midst of a tumultuous time of turmoil, explained to a T.

Pope Paul VI - An enigmatic figure

I am continually surprised by Pope Paul VI. On the one hand, he authored encyclicals like Humanae Vitae and Mysterium Fidei, and preached about the Church's understanding of the Nicene Creed (in the speech Solemnia hac liturgia, on the "Credo of the People of God"). On the other hand, he was responsible -- directly or indirectly -- for some of disappointing liturgical changes that took place following the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

For instance, whereas the bishops of the Council affirmed that "the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (n. 36/1) and that "steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them" (n. 54) and that "Gregorian chant ... should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (n. 116), five years later Pope Paul VI lamented the loss of Latin (and subsequently Gregorian chant) as practically necessary sacrifices of the liturgical reform:

It is here that the greatest newness is going to be noticed, the newness of language. No longer Latin, but the spoken language will be the principal language of the Mass. The introduction of the vernacular will certainly be a great sacrifice for those who know the beauty, the power and the expressive sacrality of Latin. We are parting with the speech of the Christian centuries; we are becoming like profane intruders in the literary preserve of sacred utterance. We will lose a great part of that stupendous and incomparable artistic and spiritual thing, the Gregorian chant.

We have reason indeed for regret, reason almost for bewilderment. What can we put in the place of that language of the angels? We are giving up something of priceless worth. But why? What is more precious than these loftiest of our Church's values?

[...]

But, let us bear this well in mind, for our counsel and our comfort: the Latin language will not thereby disappear. It will continue to be the noble language of the Holy See's official acts; it will remain as the means of teaching in ecclesiastical studies and as the key to the patrimony of our religious, historical and human culture. If possible, it will reflourish in splendor.

In an effort to reverse the immediate and regrettable obliteration of Latin from the Mass, he presented a gift to the bishops of the Church in 1974 (less than five years since the promulgation of the Pauline Rite): a booklet of a minimum repertoire of Gregorian chant for the faithful to be familiar with, Jubilate Deo. One wonders to whom the bishops "re-gifted" this booklet; it does not appear to have been received well (if at all). His hope that Latin would "reflourish in splendor" did not come to pass within his lifetime.

Anyway, this brings me to the latest gift/surprise from Pope Paul VI: his first encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam, promulgated in the midst of the Council (in August of 1964, three months before the promulgation of Lumen Gentium, the Council's Constitution on the Church). The topic is the Church. I've only just started reading it (not like I don't have a hundred other things on my reading list) and already I can tell it will not be a disappointing read.

Faith: Pope Paul VI on the Nicene Creed

Wow. Add this Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI -- Solemni Hac Liturgia -- to the list of documents from the era around Vatican II that people have just plum overlooked! (Another document on that list is Pope Bl. John XXIII's Veterum Sapientia, about the importance of the Latin language in the Church and the education thereof.)

It is an aggiornamento (bringing up-to-date) of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed... in a good way. His Holiness expounds on the elements of the Creed, reinforcing the Catholic faith in a time of "disquiet which agitates certain modern quarters with regard to the faith", "in which so many certainties are being disputed". Without being "strictly speaking a dogmatic definition", it is a bold re-affirmation of so many elements of the Catholic faith.

This document should be required reading in every RCIA session around the world!

The Pope speaks of the Trinity and its Persons, Mary the Mother of God (specifically her perpetual virginity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, and universal Motherhood), original sin, being reborn in the Holy Spirit, baptism, the Church of Jesus Christ founded on Peter and its four marks, the Word (in Scripture, Tradition, and Authority), the single Shepherd of the Church, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being the sacramental presentation of the Sacrifice of Calvary, the transubtantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the temporal concern of the Church, purgatory, the communion of saints, and the Resurrection.

Blessed be God Thrice Holy. Amen.