Fr Matias Augé CMF (born in 1936) is a well-known figure in the liberal establishment of liturgical scholars, having being a disciple of the late Abp Bugnini (to whom he even administered the last rites) and a long-time professor at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgical Studies in Rome. On his blog (one of several "progressivist" liturgical blogs that have arisen in response to the dominance of Traditionalist and pro-Reform of the Reform blogs), he champions the superiority of the Novus Ordo and takes issue with Fr Nicola Bux or other exponents of the "reform of the reform" (without directly attacking the Pope).
The following is a translation of the report that he posted yesterday, September 7, on the situation of the Traditional Latin Mass and of the Reform of the Reform in Latin America, based on a survey of his Claretian confreres. The report is informative not so much on the movement (or lack of it) towards liturgical restoration in Latin America, as on the sheer hostility that continues to face it there (perhaps accounting for the lack of progress) and the insistence of liberals that this movement has right-wing political undertones. This vicious accusation is particularly dangerous to tradition-minded Catholics, given Latin America's past with dictatorships and its current swing to the Left.
It is pleasant to note that the Heralds of the Gospel -- better known for their devotion to the solemn celebration of the Novus Ordo -- is also helping to establish the Missal of 1962 in this continent. CAP.
From August 12 to September 6 the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians), to which Institute I belong, celebrated in Rome their XXIVth General Chapter. As our Institute is present in almost all Latin American republics I got the idea of making an "informal" survey of the liturgical situation in Latin America. The following report is the result of my conversations with the heads of the chapters (i capitolari), delegates from the various Geographical areas of the South American continent.
CENTRAL AMERICA (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador…)
Here there are no special problems regarding the acceptance of the Mass of Pope Paul VI. There are small groups in Panama whose members celebrate using the Missal of 1962. In El Salvador it is the Heralds of the Gospel who celebrate according to this missal, but they are an insignificant group.
ARGENTINA
It is a well-known fact that we have here a Lefebvrist seminary, today led by Mons. Alfonso de Galarreta. For the rest, there are no particular requests in this country for the Missal of 1962. The Cardinal of Buenos Aires has given the permission to celebrate a Sunday mass in the extraordinary form, in which participates a reduced group of around 20 persons. This is the situation in almost all the other dioceses. The eventuality of a Reform of the Reform is viewed by many priests with great concern (con grande preoccupazione). They are of the opinion that this might disturb liturgical peace, which they consider to be well consolidated in their country.
(There have been reports that the Sunday TLM in Buenos Aires is celebrated facing the people. If those reports are true, the small size of the congregation wouldn't be surprising. CAP)
BOLIVIA
The representative from Bolivia gave me the following answer: "Padre, we have other problems. The Missal of Pope Paul VI is not part of these problems". (Perhaps what is meant is that there is little movement in Bolivia to question or critique the Pauline Missal – CAP)
BRAZIL
The two bishops of Lefebvrist tendency, Geraldo Sigaud and Antonio de Castro Mayer, died a long time ago. There exists a pro-Missal 1962 group but as a whole, it does not represent a relevant movement. The Holy See has given the Church in Brazil the permission to introduce into the Mass of Paul VI some elements typical of it, or inculturation. (It should be noted that while Archbishop Geraldo de Proenca Sigaud of Diamantina was one of the most prominent members of the Coetus Internationalis Patrum in Vatican II, he did not actively support the resistance versus the imposition of the new Missal in 1969-1970 – CAP)
COLOMBIA
Here we have liturgical peace, even if we have some groups “promoting” the Missal of 1962, for example the Heralds of the Gospel in Medellin. In the pastoral meetings the priests do not lend much importance to this phenomenon and they consider a reform of the reform to be impractical.
CHILE
The use of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite is seen as something irrelevant. Unfortunately, here and there we find a liaison between this extraordinary form and extreme right-wing tendencies of political nature. Then there is a certain malaise regarding the translation of the Missal of Pope Paul VI into the special kind of Spanish spoken in Chile.
CUBA, PORTO RICO , DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI
In Puerto Rico there are a few individual priests who are for the return of the pre-Vatican II liturgy, but it is certain that groups of this kind are not of any relevance in any of these republics.
MEXICO
As a whole, we have to affirm that the liturgical books of the last Reform have been well received. Here and there we find small groups who adhere to the pre-Vatican II books. However, these are groups that politically stand near the extreme right.
PERU
The celebration according to the extraordinary form of the Roman rite is to be found in small groups that refer themselves to determined ecclesial movements, but who do not constitute a significant pastoral phenomenon.
URUGAY
The situation is similar to the one in Argentina. There are no special tensions in this respect.
The situation is similar to the one in Argentina. There are no special tensions in this respect.
VENEZUELA
There is no wish to come back [i.e. to the preconciliar era] and the Reform of Paul VI is not discussed. On the contrary, in some circles there is the wish to have more up-to-date texts, texts nearer to the sensibility of the people. What some people would wish is a Reform of the Reform which goes further than the one that came after Vatican II. (We can only imagine what that will be like -- CAP)
I repeat what I said in the beginning: the facts that I have gathered here are not the result of a survey conducted according to scientific criteria. However, I believe that as a whole they give a correct picture, showing that the Latin American Catholicity (representing almost half of the Catholics of the world) does not concern itself with the problem of a Reform of the Reform. This does not mean that in those countries everything runs smoothly. We know that there are abuses in how the Mass is celebrated, abuses that are to be eliminated with firmness and pastoral sagacity.
H/t to Zoltan Rihmer of Capitulum Laicorum S. Michaelis Archangeli in Budapest for alerting me to this post and for providing the information of Fr. Auge.
