Via L.A. Catholic
A Catholic News Service article in this
week’s issue of The Tidings quotes Vatican II luminary Cardinal
Gottfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, as making an
interesting admission:
“‘The active involvement of the people in the liturgy is an
unparalleled gift of the [Second Vatican] council to the people of
God,’ he said.
“While endorsing that participation, he also cautioned that ‘there is a
shadow side’ to it.
“‘Participation and mutual celebration can lead to a subtle form of
manipulation…. Those who serve the liturgy, both priests and laity,
become its owners’ instead of its servants, he said. This can lead to
trivializing the liturgy, eliminating the sacred and turning it from
the worship it is supposed to be into a mere social event, he added.
“Cardinal Danneels said the trend he was describing is not universal,
but it would be wrong to ignore it in any serious attempt to evaluate
the state of liturgical practice some 40 years after the council.”
Cardinal Danneels said these things, and others, on Oct. 25 at a
liturgical conference at the Catholic Univetsity of America.
These points by Cardinal Danneels have also been made for the past 40
years by so many Catholics whom the liberals continue to deride as
“traditionalists.”
Wow, I didn’t know Cardinal Danneels was a traditionalist. Did you?
The Cardinal could easily be
the most progressive member of the college with his support for condom
use and being a past president of Pax Christi, so this makes
his commentary all the more interesting and harder to dismiss.
The experimentation that has taken place within the liturgy
shows exactly this idea of people seeing themselves as owners of the
liturgy than as servants to it.
8 comments
“”‘Participation and mutual celebration can lead to a subtle form of manipulation…. Those who serve the liturgy, both priests and laity, become its owners’ instead of its servants, he said. This can lead to trivializing the liturgy, eliminating the sacred and turning it from the worship it is supposed to be into a mere social event, he added.”
Not “can lead” Eminence…does lead! So many, many masses, at least in the Chicago area, are exactly manipulated by bands performing on the altar, priests celebrating the mass who imagine themselves Jay Leno, tacky liturgical dancers, and musik by the Haugen-Haas-Duck-Joncas-St.Louis Jesuit crowd that could easily be transformed into Budweiser and chewing gum commercials. Not to mention hordes of pushing and shoving “eucharistic ministers” vying for that center front position alongslide of the priest.
Moreover, in a more loving, compassionate society, a number of parish music directors and their cooperative pastors would be mercifully shot at sunrise, without or without blindfolds and a final Marlboro.
So when will the Bishops and Cardinals get up enough nerve to just admit the entire council and reform have been a horrible disaster and borders on not being Catholic?
The Holy father admitted as such in his book and others have touched on it, but for some reason they are willing to sacrifice these same souls they are ordained to protect and lead to salvation
No, the Holy Father has never even come close to admitting that “the council was a horrible disaster”. V-II was an Ecumenical Council of the Universal Church – not only is it infallible, it is by definition a spring of goodness to the faith. What the Pontiff _has_ said, however, is that the interpretation and implementation of Council declarations and directives has been manipulated and misdirected. This is very different to the position you are advocating, and must always be pointed out without regard for apparent tedium or pedantry.
It all comes down to the age old principle, “say the black, do the red”. It’s about obedience, not just to letter but to spirit – and of course, obedience of this kind requires us to pay attention to what has actually been handed down by the Council. This means paying attention to the valid interpretation of the only valid interpreter, Holy Mother Church.
Brother
With due respect, the Holy Father called for a “reform of the reform”-what does that tell you
We have been hearing by those who really are in love with the guitar masses and that are professing and teaching our children in our very own catholic schools by clergy like yourself for example that all faiths are equal and that if you are a good “Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu….” you to can get to heaven, when we know this is fallacy as even scripture says so, as Our Lord made it clear that only through him will one get to his Father. What about the Council of Florence? Have you ever taken the time to look at past infallible church teachings and then at the Council as well as what is being taught today and see any deviation from past teachings at all? Is not Sacred Tradition, what the Pope per Vatican I infallibly supposed to protect yet has been thrown to the waste side for a “renewal”
For years we keep hearing how the council has been “misintrepreted”. You say we should go by the correct interpretation of the Vatican. Well then you as a clergy fill us in here and tell us what it is. Is the the Cardinal Mahoney interpretation, the Bishop Burke’s interpretation or lets take it one step further, is it the SSPX interpretation?
Please help us here then
Simon, you’ve obviously read other Church documents, so why don’t you read those that were issued for Vatican II? Read what the Pope has written about the Eucharist also.
BTW your comment about “by clergy like yourself” looks like you’re lumping Brother Anthony in with the bad clergy. I’ve been on a few other websites where laity have taken to using such phrases when addressing clergy; e.g. regarding pedophilia. It’s uncharitable.
The Mass of Vatican II was the Tridentine Mass…Notthe Mass of Paul VI
Ok… Looks like the freak show has started in this combox…
This cardinal supported condom use? But isn’t that an “idea of people seeing themselves as owners of” the creation of human life rather “than as servants to it” as is proper?
Couldn’t resist. 🙂