Monday 3 March 2014

'Francis Effect': Virus Spreads to Bishops

"Get thee to a Novus Ordo! The Latin Mass will endanger your souls!"
Courtesy of Rorate Caeli

'In a stunning and breathtaking letter, the Most Rev. Michael Olson, the newly-ordained bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese and the second-youngest bishop in the United States, has fully and totally banned the offering of the Traditional Latin Mass in the chapel of Fisher More College, where it has been offered for the last three years on a daily basis by chaplains all approved by his predecessor bishop according to the college. This blow comes after the students of the college raised $300,000 in about a week to keep the school open for the spring semester. 

Rorate has exclusively obtained -- through a source who has requested anonymity -- a copy of the letter sent last week by the bishop after a personal meeting with the college's president, Michael King. Even more striking, the letter from Bishop Olson states that he's doing this "for your own soul," addressing Mr. King, apparently saying in some twisted way the offering of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form is a danger to Mr.King's soul.'

For more read Rorate Caeli.

Comment: Summorum Pontificum explicitly states that permission from a Bishop for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass is not required. Lawlessness among the Hierarchy will see the abuse of power grow to become 'the universal norm' in the Church if it goes unchecked by the Pope and those who govern in Rome.

Unfortunately, the treatment of the FFI suggests that those persecuted by lawless Bishops for desiring or celebrating the Mass of Ages will find few friends in Rome, since Pope Francis has seen fit to over-ride the Church's law in Summorum Pontificum in the case of the Friars of the Immaculate. At the time that this was first reported, many expressed anxieties of the 'message' this action from the Office of the Pope would send to Bishops around the world with suspicion of the traditional Mass.

What is so 'dangerous' to the souls of Catholics about the Mass that nourished, among others, Saint Francis of Assisi?

22 comments:

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

reason, precedence, Tradition, and the Saints would tell us the only thing dangerous to souls in the TLM is believing there is anything dangerous to souls in the TLM.
-
is it just me, or are there many bishops who are becoming superstitious about Traditional Catholicism? this irrational, antiCatholic-catholic bent seems to be gaining momentum.

Genty said...

I think it's a case of like promoting like. As the ageing cohort of Vatican 2 cardinals come to the fore once again we shall see the appointment of more bishops like Olson.
I also believe that Francis will keep a very close watch on appointments and will make his wishes very clear.
I have no great hopes for celebration when the vacant diocesan sees in the UK are filled.

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

there are some, however, who are immune to the F-ex virus:

http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/fr-stehlin-we-must-be-men-principle-3458

Immaculata is obviously important for the spiritual immune system.

Anonymous said...

This has nothing to do with banning TLM. Do not jump to this conclusion. Look into Fisher-More College. MANY have backed away. This college is not loyal to our Church!
Know the facts!!!

Drama

Fr Mark said...

Here we go again, how many times do you need to be corrected - SP does NOT give priests unrestricted permission to celebrate the old rite of mass in all circumstances. There are a number of limitations and restrictions and the bishop remains the moderator of liturgy in his diocese.

Gungarius said...

Before anyone gets to hot under the collar, perhaps norm two of the letter should be aired: "You may only have celebration of the Ordinary Form by priests who explicitly have faculties for such celebration...."

Now exactly why has the Bishop deemed it necessary to state this when it is AUIU in any normal situation a statement of the obvious. Perhaps further enquiry is needed?

Anonymous said...

Are you trying to be on the side of the mainstream media that manipulates and rewrites the facts!
There is no such thing as the Francis effect! Please show more respect to the Holy Father!
If you are not sure about the facts in Fisher More College is better to be careful with what you write.

Mark Latham said...

You seem to be suffering from the ''Spirit of SP'' - your interpretation of this Motu Proprio is over-generalised with over-extended applicability. It does not give priests an unrestricted right to use the EF in any and all circumstances.

Lynda said...

Here again, some people are erroneously mixing extraneous matters or issues that may or may not exist with respect to the particular College with the issue that is at stake in this action by the bishop, the issue that is of great importance to all Catholics. The former is not the issue. The issue is the prohibition of the traditional Mass - and the mandate of its replacement by the new Mass; and this done in a mode that is clearly penal. And a link made by the bishop between his arbitrary prohibition of the traditional Mass with "the good of your soul". Furthermore, as one will see from Fr Z's blog, there is a letter from the Holy See that confirms that such chapels are included in SP.

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

an extra rosary intention for Lent:

http://catholiccollarandtie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/an-important-lenten-programme.html#comment-form

all creed-reciting parrotical rosary counting fashion addicts, forward, march.

Liam Ronan said...

The reason, THE reason, why everyone is speculating and every rumour can run rampant, is that (to the best of my knowledge) the cause for the sanctions suppressing the Latin Mass do not appear in any correspondence released to date.
I would have expected that such an action on the Bishop's part would have outlined in writing what specific and particular offences (i.e. the who, what, where, when, why) gave rise to this punitive action.
It's a matter of fundamental fairness and due process of law, canonical or otherwise.
Has anyone seen such a letter from the Bishop?
It must be well-nigh impossible to defend oneself absent an itemization of charges.

Liam Ronan said...

On second thought, the popularity of the Latin Mass has been recently characterized as just a kind of fashion statement among the young these days. Perhaps, in the same spirit, this is a sort of an episcopal imposition of a 'dress code'.

Fr. Stephen Brown said...

Dr. Taylor Marshall was Chancellor of FMC, but resigned last year. His take on the situation can be read on his facebook timeline [by anyone]. It doesn't make sense to rush to a conclusion without being in possession of all the facts.

Pelerin said...

Fr Z has several updates on his post regarding this. It is not quite as clear cut as first thought. We should not judge without the full facts.

Dennis said...

Does anyone know how one can contact Pope Francis to appeal to him to look into this matter?

Mary Gleeson said...

I see on the college website that they had the suspended Fatima priest Fr Gruner to give a lecture (and he also said Mass). There was also a talk given by the college's Philosophy and Classics Lecturer making very serious assertions about Vatican II. No wonder the Bishop acted and who can blame him. Their souls are in danger because they are well on their way down the slippery to schism.

Gill Locke said...

From the text of the instruction Universae Ecclesiae:

19. The faithful who ask for the celebration of the forma extraordinaria must not in any way support or belong to groups which show themselves to be against the validity or legitimacy of the Holy Mass or the Sacraments celebrated in the forma ordinaria or against the Roman Pontiff as Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church.

Anonymous said...

Amidst all of this and the news of Volpi's handling of the FFI here is good news regarding the Latin mass here in Melbourne Australia.

http://newman-community-melbourne.org/

Unknown said...

Ban the NO Mass at Notre Dame or Georgetown. It'll be for the good of their souls!

Long-Skirts said...

MORE
ASH
WEDNESDAYS

In the graveyard
Litter tosses
Winds blow o’er
Frozen mosses

Hard cold ground
Ashen gray
Kneels a soul
This March Wednesday

Knelt before
A tombstone, prays
On the grave
A rose she lays

Her greatest gift
A rose from God
Marking prayers
Upon this sod

Graveyard keeper’s
Shadowy cloud
Picks up rose
“It’s not allowed.”

In the graveyard
Winds blow dust
From the keeper’s pocket
Drops a piece of crust.

PseudonymousposterJohn said...

Your commenter "Dennis" is clearly a humourist who said...
"Does anyone know how one can contact Pope Francis to appeal to him to look into this matter".

But, THE BONES, you must know his Most Reverence does not mean the college principal's soul is in danger merely because he likes the TLM. NO, he OBVIOUSLY means he intends to say black masses to damn his soul if he doesn't stop them.
So that's fine then.

Is this more of that 'cryptolefebvrism' that volpi invented?

Everyone else who moaned :

Three years practice sounds like a very 'stable group' of the faithful to this reader.

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