The “Traditional Ordinariate”: A Ghetto for Traditionalists?
Fr. Antoine-Marie de Araujo
Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer, France
In a recent article, Father de Blignières proposed the creation of a “traditional ordinariate,” similar to that created in Brazil for the Union of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney and to the personal ordinariates created for Anglicans who wish to join the Catholic Church while preserving their traditions. (1) This complementary hierarchical structure would allow the faithful to have access to the sacraments in the old Latin rite and to benefit from the traditional disciplines and teachings. Father de Blignières’ proposal is specifically intended for France, but people in other countries could ask for a similar “traditional ordinariate.”
The idea of a traditional ordinariate prompted a debate between Father de Blignières and Dr. Joseph Shaw, president of Una Voce International, in the review Sedes Sapientiae (English edition, May 2024) and on the Catholic website onepeterfive.com. Dr. Shaw echoes a concern expressed by many: that the traditional ordinariate will confine the traditional liturgy to a kind of ghetto from which it cannot emerge. This fear, while understandable in itself, seems to be based on an inaccurate interpretation of Father de Blignières’ proposal. Let us clear up some misunderstandings.
First, the proposed traditional ordinariate is not intended to replace, or even encompass, the traditional institutes (FSSP, ICKSP, etc.), parishes, or communities that celebrate the ancient rite today. There is no question of establishing a structure into which all traditional Catholics should fall.
The creation of an ordinariate is specifically aimed at obtaining a bishop (or bishops) from whom the faithful can request the sacraments according to the ancient Latin rite. However, the traditional ordinariate would not be exclusive to this rite; it would not be “above,” but rather “alongside,” other institutes, communities, and parishes.
This is an essential point: there is no question of restricting the use of the old liturgy to this ordinariate. Membership of this structure would be optional. It would be possible to be a traditionalist outside it. Its bishop would call on the institutes according to his needs. He himself may offer service elsewhere. The ordinariate is by no means a closed, universal, and compulsory system. It merely provides an additional means of guaranteeing the faithful access to the sacraments in the form best suited to their spiritual well-being. This means would add to the existing proposals, providing the traditional network with a missing piece: a bishop with a mandate, and the possibility of opening places of worship after consultation with the local bishop.
Secondly, when we hear of a “traditional ordinariate,” our mind turns to the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, which are autonomous Churches, liturgically and hierarchically distinct from the Latin Church (although in full communion with the Holy See).
However, a distinction should here be made.
In its purpose, the traditional ordinariate is similar to the Eastern Catholic Churches: it is established to promote unity in diversity, to ensure the good of Catholics attached to the See of Peter and their liturgical traditions. But from a canonical point of view, the ordinariate proposed by Fr. de Blignières is not modelled on the Eastern Churches or rites. Canonically, ritual churches are relatively “closed” structures. A member of an Eastern Catholic Church, as such, cannot be a member of the Latin Church, and vice-versa. Eastern Catholics are generally under the exclusive jurisdiction of their bishop or patriarch. They are governed by special laws (the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches) and, in many areas of life, are obliged to follow their particular customs.
The proposed “traditional ordinariate,” as a canonical structure, looks very different. It is more like a military ordinariate. Now, as I will explain, military ordinariates are flexible and “open” entities.
A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. The apostolic constitution Spirituali militum curae of April 21, 1986 likens the military ordinariates to dioceses. Each is headed by a bishop. According to current law, the bishop at the head of a military ordinariate exercises “personal” jurisdiction over those who are members of the ordinariate. In other words, the members depend on this bishop not because of where they live, but because of what they are: military personnel. (2) Military personnel can thus access the sacraments according to their needs, even when they are far from their diocese of origin. For example, an American soldier on a mission in Aviano, Italy, can benefit from an adapted chaplaincy, in his own language: to receive the sacraments, he does not need to ask a local Italian priest or depend on the diocesan bishop of Aviano.
On the other hand, a soldier’s personal link to the military ordinariate is not exclusive of other jurisdictions: “persons belonging to the Ordinariate do not cease to be the faithful of the local Church of which they are members by reason of their domicile or rite” (Spirituali militum curae, IV, 3). Accordingly, if the American soldier we are talking about wants to have his wedding celebrated in the town of Aviano by a local parish priest, that is perfectly possible. He does not need any special permission to do so.
Because it is modeled after a military ordinariate, the proposed traditional ordinariate, by its very nature, cannot isolate traditionalists. On the contrary, it would provide them with an additional means of obtaining the pastoral assistance they need. These faithful would no longer fear being cornered, since they would have one or more bishops capable of understanding them and responding to their legitimate requests.
Far from being a “ghetto,” the ordinariate would thus provide a flexible and permeable instrument, well-adapted to the diverse situation of Catholics attached to the old Latin traditions.
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Notes:
1 Louis-Marie de Blignières, FSVF, “An Ecclesiastical Circumscription for the Older Form of the Latin Rite”, in Sedes Sapientiae, Special English-language issue n. 2, 2024, Arouca Press, 38–68.
2. See, e.g., the website of the ordinariate for the U.S. Armed Forces, or Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA: “The Archdiocese for the Military Services was created by Pope Saint John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the USA in 134 countries. Numerically, the AMS is responsible for more than 1.8 million men, women, and children.” (https://www.milarch.org/who-we-are/)
