Vatican denies pope celebrates Latin Mass privately

The Vatican says that Pope Benedict concelebrates his daily morning Mass in Italian using the current edition of the Roman Missal, denying claims that he is using the Tridentine rite.

Claims that the pope celebrates his private Mass using the Tridentine rite are incorrect, Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi said, according to Catholic News Service.

The Tridentine Mass is the Latin-language liturgy that predates the Second Vatican Council; it was last revised in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal.

Less than 10 days after Pope Benedict issued his letter on 7 July providing greater opportunity for the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, news reports claimed Pope Benedict already had been celebrating the old rite privately.

"The confusion probably was caused by our footage of the pope celebrating facing the altar, which is due to the fact that the altar is against the wall" in the private chapel of the Apostolic Palace, Fr Lombardi said.

With the altar against the wall, the concelebrants in the private chapel end up having their backs toward the congregation during the eucharistic prayer, he told Catholic News Service.

Fr Lombardi also said the fact that the pope's two private secretaries concelebrate the Mass with him each morning "obviously means he is using the new Missal," since the Tridentine Mass strictly limits concelebration.

At public Masses with an international congregation, Pope Benedict uses the post-Vatican II Mass with most of the prayers in Latin. However, on occasions such as the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, which is considered a Rome diocesan celebration although there is an international congregation, the pope recites the prayers in Italian.

Next encyclical will have "social theme"

Meanwhile, Fr Lombardi has confirmed that the Pope is dedicating part of his holiday to writing the second part of his book Jesus of Nazareth, and to reflecting upon his next encyclical "which will have a social theme."

Fr Lombardi also said in a statement that next year, apart from visiting Sydney in July for World Youth Day, it is "highly probable" that Benedict will make a trip to the UN headquarters in New York, and a pilgrimage to Lourdes for the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin at the site.

SOURCE
Vatican spokesman: Pope concelebrates daily Mass using current missal (Catholic News Service, 17/7/07)
Vatican Information Service statement (17/7/07)

LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Unofficial translation of papal text on use of Tridentine Mass (Catholic News Service, 7/7/07)
Text of Pope Benedict XVI's letter to bishops on Tridentine Ma

Fr. Z’s blog yesterday. Please see the site to get the photos of the Papal Chapel which has a “high altar.”

CNS v CWN on Benedict XVI using older Mass in private
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 12:56 pm

You know that Catholic World News has issued a story that the Holy Father says the older form of Mass in private. Here are the salient bits:

Pope Benedict uses older ritual for his private Mass

Vatican, Jul. 16, 2007 (CWNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news), who recently issued a motu proprio allowing all Catholic priests to celebrate the old Latin Mass, uses the older ritual himself for his private Mass, CWN has learned.

Informed sources at the Vatican have confirmed reports that the Holy Father regularly celebrates Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal.

...

Since becoming Roman Pontiff, Benedict XVI has always used the new ritual—which he identifies in Summorum Pontificum as the “ordinary form” of the Roman rite—for public celebrations of the Eucharistic liturgy. However few people have witnessed the Pope celebrating his private daily Mass.

I can’t get into the details of this report. But there is something I can bring to your attention.

What I find really amusing, and what gives the CWN story legs, is how Catholic News Service (owned and operated by the USCCB) rushed to post a denial!

Please note that the denial lacks some really important direct quotes.

Vatican spokesman: Pope concelebrates daily Mass using current missal

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Benedict XVI concelebrates his daily morning Mass in Italian using the current edition of the Roman Missal, the Vatican spokesman said.

Claims that the pope celebrates his private Mass using the Tridentine rite are incorrect, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi told Catholic News Service July 17.

....

Less than 10 days after Pope Benedict July 7 issued his letter and norms providing greater opportunity for the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, news reports claimed Pope Benedict already had been celebrating the old rite privately.

“The confusion probably was caused by our footage of the pope celebrating facing the altar, which is due to the fact that the altar is against the wall” in the private chapel of the Apostolic Palace, Father Lombardi said. [I am reasonably sure that the editor of CWN, Phil Lawler, is smarter than that. However, when so many people are totally bound up in the idea that the older form of Mass is about “mumbling in Latin” or that the priest has “his back to the people”, this is what I expect.]

With the altar against the wall, the concelebrants in the private chapel end up having their backs toward the congregation during the eucharistic prayer. [I still think the people at CWN are smarter than that.] The congregation at the morning Mass generally is made up of the pope’s valet and the consecrated women who staff the papal apartment.

The images Father Lombardi referred to were released by the Vatican to coincide with celebrations of Pope Benedict’s 80th birthday April 16. Father Lombardi heads the Vatican Television Center, which produced the footage, as well as serving as director of the Vatican press office and Vatican Radio. [A trifecta, I’d say.]

Father Lombardi also said the fact that the pope’s two private secretaries concelebrate the Mass with him each morning [I wonder if Fr. Lombardi said “each morning”....] “obviously means he is using the new Missal,” since the Tridentine Mass strictly limits concelebration.

....

Meanwhile, and what follows is entirely circumstantial, here are photos of the Holy Father’s Redemptoris Mater chapel in the Apostolic Palace:

Fr. Zuhlsdorf commented on the "rush" by CNS (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the USCCB) to deny this: CNS v CWN on Benedict XVI using older Mass in private. Be sure to look at the pictures and read the comments. Here's one:

I have it on authority of an archbishop, who incidentally, has quite a reputation as a liturgist, that the Holy Father regularly celebrates Mass according to the 1962 Missal: I first heard of this in January this year. Having said that, I have also seen a short programme about the daily life of the Pope and it was clear when he was saying Mass he was concelebrating with his secretaries. So, like many priests, he probably celebrates with both Missals.

And another:

Normally in this sort of case I would too, except we already knew that when he was cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sometimes celebrated the Tridentine Mass, and we have been hearing that now as Pope he sometimes celebrates it privately. So the CNS assertion that he never celebrates it privately lacks credibility. So, perhaps Fr. Lombardi misspoke, or CNS misquoted him or misparaphrased him.
CWN is sticking to their story.

Phil Lawler of CWN stands by his story (see the comments section:

In answer to Charles, and for the benefit of readers who might have missed my 7/17 message to CWN subscribers:
CWN stands by the accuracy of our original report.
There is no doubt that the Holy Father celebrates the Novus Ordo Mass; that was never in question. The thrust of our story was that the Pope also uses the 1962 Missal. Nor should that news be particularly surprising, in light of the recent motu proprio underlining the rightful place of the older liturgy in the Catholic tradition.

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