Main excerpt of Dom Alcuin Reid's piece on Leo XIV on the Sacred Liturgy -- or, more correctly, the excerpt related to our main concern, the Traditional Roman Rite:
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The second area in which the Holy Father will have to exercise leadership is in facilitating a return to the liturgical peace that was violently ended by the abrupt and, as we have recently learnt from new evidence, the carefully manipulated, persecution of those, particularly young people, who have discovered the older liturgical rites and who have “felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them” (Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops, 7 July 2007).
The Pope has spoken often of his desire for unity, peace and reconciliation. There is no more important area for this than in the worship of the Church. But we must be clear: unity does not mean uniformity. The liturgy has always rejoiced in a rich, legitimate diversity, even in the Western rite – as the rites of different religious orders and historic dioceses attest. It is only since the most recent Council that attempts have been made, and recently renewed, to impose a rigid uniformity, falsely appealing to the need for “unity” and “communion”.
Those involved should have learnt in “Theology 101” that these are fundamentally sacramental and theological realities which do not require uniform ritual expression. Proponents of moving on “to the second phase” of liturgical reform know this at least implicitly, but conveniently ignore it in respect of the older rites.
As Supreme Pastor, the Holy Father needs to correct this error and end the Stalinist persecution of the older rites being waged by the Archbishop Secretary of the Dicastery and by certain bishops. This campaign, gleefully presided over by the Cardinal Prefect, has fractured unity and scandalised many good faithful, particularly families, driving them away and forcing them to find solutions at times “outside the system”.
It is hard to see how this is anything other than an ideological campaign by partisans of a particular political liturgical viewpoint, the legitimacy of which is highly questionable. It is certainly not pastoral in the true sense of that word – it does not serve the salvation of souls – and it has given rise to ungodly bitterness on all sides.
The Pope has already given one encouraging sign: his permission for the celebration of Mass in the usus antiquior (the older form) in St Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Burke for the annual pilgrimage of those who worship according to the older rites. The extraordinarily large numbers at this Mass – around 5,000 when only 1,000 were expected – speak loudly. It is hard to imagine Pope Leo seeking to continue to ban such genuine fervour and devotion.
I doubt the Holy Father will wish to address the issue of the “reform of the liturgical reform” spoken of over a decade ago. Those officially “in charge” abhor the mere thought of “correcting” the modern rites in the light of critiques made of their fidelity to the Council itself. And those who celebrate the usus antiquior see little point in any such effort. This minefield may have to wait a little longer before being cleared.
After the Holy Father’s election, our community revived the traditional prayers for the Pope sung during adoration on Sunday after Vespers. Leo XIV is not Benedict XVI, nor is he Francis. But he is the Pope, and as such he needs our fervent prayers that he will teach and govern wisely and prudently, most especially in respect of the Sacred Liturgy, “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed …[and] the font from which all her power flows” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10).
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