Relevant excerpt of an interview granted by Monsignor Nicola Bux, consultant to the Office of Liturgical celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, to Italian daily Avanti, and published today:
At what point is the "reform of the reform" desired by Benedict XVI?
With this expression, which Ratzinger used when he still was the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he meant that the reform that took place after the Council had to be resumed, and in some ways corrected there where, always using his words, the restoration of the painting had been too much, that is, by trying to clean, it had taken the risk of removing too many layers of color. He started this restoration through his own style. The Pope celebrates the liturgy in a subdued, not loud, way. He also wants the prayers, songs, and anything else not to be in exhibitionist tones. And two special actions in his liturgies that are obvious should be noticed: he places the Cross between himself and the assembly, indicating that the liturgical rite is not addressed to the priestly minister, but to Christ; and kneeling in the reception of Communion, indicating that this is not a supper, in the worldly sense of the word, but a communion with the body of Jesus Christ, that is worshiped first, in the words of St. Augustine, and only then eaten.
How many obstacles is the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on the pre-Conciliar Mass facing?
I believe that, currently, the obstacles are becoming feebler than at the time in which the Motu proprio was issued, in 2007. Through the internet, one can see how there is a discreet movement of young people who look for and, as much as it is possible, go to the Traditional Mass, also called the Latin Mass or Mass of All Time. And this, I believe, is a very important sign to gather.
It is clear that the pastors of the Church, first the bishops and then the parish priests, although often saying that we must be able to grasp the signs of the times, an expression very much in use after Vatican II, often fail to understand that the signs of the times are not defined by them, but they happen and are regulated mainly by young people. I think this is the most interesting symptom, because, if [only] the elderly, the adults, went to the Traditional Mass, one might harbor a suspicion that it is nostalgia. The fact that it is mostly young people who seek and participate in the Latin Mass is completely unexpected and therefore deserves to be read, understood, and particularly accompanied by the bishops.
I think the Pope acknowledges this and that is why he intends to make a further contribution through an instruction on the application of the motu proprio, to help everyone understand that, in addition to the new form of the Roman Rite, there is the ancient or extraordinary form.
[Tip and text: Papa Ratzinger Blog]
