The other-than-human hatred for the Traditional Mass continues even after death - in January, our contributor Joseph Shaw presented the Latin Mass Society's guide on a way of ensuring your own Funeral Rites are conducted according to the Traditional Roman Rite (at least in some jurisdictions, see here: A Practical guide to having a Traditional Funeral Mass).
Now, used as he was to the diabolical hatred for the Latin Mass, the late Mario Palmaro (requiescat in pace) devised, during the several months of excruciating suffering and pain caused by the disease that led to his death, another way to ensure the pastor of the cathedral of his city, Monza, would "allow" his funeral Mass to be performed in the Traditional Roman Rite in the Duomo:
"Mario Palmaro leaves a wife and four young children, yet in order to have a Catholic funeral he had to resort to a sort of ploy: while still alive he asked the pastor (archpriest) of [the Cathedral of] Monza, to have the Holy Catholic Mass (V.O.) [i.e. Vetus Ordo] celebrated at his death; the priest answered - 'no way.' But Mario had already written to the Mayor [for a permit], if the funeral were to be refused in the Church, that it be done by a Catholic priest (faithful to the Vetus Ordo) in the square [outside the cathedral]. And the Mayor gave his consent. So, faced with something that could have become a shameful scandal, the pastor had the Mass of All Ages celebrated inside the Cathedral in the presence of a deeply moved crowd." [Riscossa Cristiana, in Italian]*
A great friend of Rorate was present in the Duomo, and he tells us well over one thousand faithful attended the Funeral Mass. Palmaro acted based on experience: one of the first articles we published in translation here by Mario Palmaro and Alessandro Gnocchi was on the denial of the Traditional Funeral Mass for Alessandro Gnocchi's own father (Another traditional funeral Mass denied by a diocese, Nov. 11, 2011).
A subitanea et improvisa morte, libera nos, Domine.
*[Important update, Mar 19, 9:00pm]: the original text of this note, translated above, was the following: "Mario Palmaro lascia la moglie e quattro figli in giovane età e per avere il funerale cattolico ha dovuto ricorrere ad una astuzia: ancor vivo ha chiesto all’arciprete di Monza che nel duomo, alla sua morte, fosse celebrata la S. Messa cattolica; l’arciprete rispose picche. Ma Mario aveva già scritto al sindaco che nel caso gli fossero state vietate le esequie in Chiesa, fossero fatte da un sacerdote cattolico (fedele al vetus ordo) in piazza. E il Sindaco acconsentì. Così, di fronte a quello che poteva divenire uno scandalo vergognoso, l’arciprete ha fatto celebrare la S. Messa di sempre nel duomo alla presenza di una immensa e commossa folla di fedeli." || Several days after our publication, it was changed to this in Riscossa Cristiana, which was brought to our attention today, and changes the order of events: "Ma Mario minacciò di chiedere al Sindaco l’autorizzazione a celebrare le esequie in piazza, con un sacerdote cattolico (fedele al vetus ordo). Così, di fronte a quello che poteva divenire uno scandalo vergognoso, l’arciprete ha fatto celebrare la S. Messa di sempre nel duomo alla presenza di una immensa e commossa folla di fedeli." [Translation: "But Mario threatened to ask the Mayor for a city permit to celebrate the funeral in the square with a Catholic priest (faithful to the vetus ordo). So, faced with something which could have become a shameful scandal, the archpriest allowed the Holy Mass of Ages to be celebrated in the Duomo in the presence of a deeply-moved crowd of people."]
