Rorate Caeli

The Commentary of Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro on Universae Ecclesiae

(For the background to this post, see this article: Luc Perrin on Catholic Traditionalism in France.)



The first part of the address touches upon an issue that is rarely addressed in a formal manner:
There has been some concern on the name used to call the older liturgy. In these documents it is called Extraordinary Form and also “Antiquior Usus” (the “more ancient use”). Some commentators have pointed out that the name “extraordinary” is pejorative. If we read objectively both the Summorum Pontificum and the Instruction there is no way that this concern can be proven. But nevertheless it can be stated that the term “extraordinary” places the traditional rite in a certain condition of inferiority with regards to the ordinary form, because this denomination seems to underlines that the “normal” form is the missal of Paul VI, so it might be prudent to use a different name. This perceived inferiority can injure the legal equivalency as proclaimed in art. 6th of the Instruction. The documents refer also to the traditional rite as the “Antiquior Usus” (the “more ancient use”) so we could use that name more frequently. But even “Antiquior Usus” as a denomination has the limitations that it could be construed as somewhat like an object taken from a museum, so we should explore options to find an appropriate denomination. One possibility is to call it the Latin-Gregorian Liturgy as it has been denominated in the inform (sic) of the Ecclesia Dei Commission published in the report “The Activities of the Holy See 2010”. 

Photo: Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro in cope. Source: Orbis Catholicus