I like hearing from readers. I really do.
However, every now and then I write a national “On Religion” column and I just know that I am going to hear from readers about a specific angle that — for reasons of space — I had to leave out. This happens less often here at GetReligion, since length is not an issue in online forums of this kind.
Anyway, this week’s “On Religion” column was about the tensions among Catholics about Pope Francis and his crackdown on use of the old Latin Mass. I focused on developments in the Archdiocese of Chicago, where it is clear that there’s more to these “worship wars” than use o the Tridentine rite.
That column is already online in some mainstream newspapers, with headlines such as this: “Latin Mass meets Chicago rules.” That column served as the launching pad for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (CLICK HERE to tune that in), which also looked at an important analysis piece at Crux about five kids of Pope Francis stories — both doctrinal and political — that readers can expect to see in 2022.
When I clicked “send” on that column (including my private listserv to family and friends), I knew that some Catholics would ask why I didn’t address a, well, colorful Mass that recently took place at the progressive St. Sabina Parish in Chicago. Here is the top of the Catholic News Agency story about that:
Outraged by a freewheeling Christmas Eve Mass that featured jazz musicians, choreographed dances around the altar, and theatrical lighting effects, some Catholics are calling on Cardinal Blase Cupich to crack down on liturgical abuses in Novus Ordo Masses in the Archdiocese of Chicago, rather than imposing severe restrictions on reverential Traditional Latin Masses.
Father Michael L. Pfleger, a well-known social activist in Chicago, celebrated the Dec. 24 evening Mass. … Many of those upset by the Mass say it crossed the line from worship to entertainment. That view is fueled, in part, by the fact that it is not clear from the nearly 2½ hour video of the service, billed as "Christmas Eve at Sabina," when the liturgy actually begins. There is no apparent greeting, penitential act, or opening prayer, all required Introductory Rites of the Novus Ordo liturgy.
In the video, posted on YouTube, Pfleger does not appear on the altar until after nearly an hour of musical and dance performances.
Well, it is unusual for a Mass to include music by Stevie Wonder and the classic Vincent Guaraldi soundtrack from the Peanuts Christmas special.
Then there was the moment, during a dramatic monologue about racism and gun violence, when actors dressed in Ku Klux Klan-style robes approached the altar. The CNA piece also noted this:
During his homily, Pfleger, wearing a peace sign dangling from a beaded necklace, urges members of the congregation to lift up their illuminated cell phones in the darkened church, as is often done at concerts.
“It’s Christmas. It’s Christmas. Jesus, the Light of the World, is with us,” he says. “Now go turn on the damn light and curse the darkness! Come on, wave your lights! Wave your lights!”
Yes, I read all about that. Ditto for information about that Chinese New Year rite in which, before a Mass, Cardinal Cupich recited the prayer (it’s not a Catholic prayer, needless to say) to bless the sacred “third eye” of a traditional dancing lion that symbolizes efforts to drive away evil demons and, thus, bring good luck.
I didn’t get into that for a simple reason: My column was not about abuses of the Vatican II Novus Ordo Mass. It was about debates about efforts on the Catholic left to phase out forms of Catholic worship — not just the old Latin Mass — that are popular with traditional Catholics.
In other words, in some parts of the country priests can get into trouble without advocating use of the Tridentine rite. They can anger some (repeat “some”) bishops by doing the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin, or by using Gregorian chant, or by taking a traditional Ad Orientem stance (back to the congregation) during prayers at the altar. Thus, my column opened with this:
Since the late 19th century, Catholics have recited the Prayer to St. Michael when facing disease, disaster and despair.
It proclaims, in part: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. ... O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
Before Vatican II, this prayer was often recited after Mass, although it wasn’t in the rubrics. In 1994, St. Pope John Paul II urged Catholics to embrace it — while preaching on threats to the unborn.
The faithful at St. Joseph’s Parish in Libertyville, Illinois, stopped reciting the Prayer to St. Michael aloud after Masses this past summer. While debate continues about what the Archdiocese of Chicago instructed, livestreamed remarks by the associate pastor went viral during a “worship wars” surge in modern Catholicism.
“What I’m going to say, I’m going to say this with a lot of respect. Following the directive of Cardinal Cupich, we want to remind everyone that the Prayer of St. Michael is not to be said publicly following Mass,” said Father Emanuel Torres-Fuentes. “As a priest, I have to obey, and I obey this at peace.”
While Cardinal Blase Cupich’s actions have made news, this drama opened in July with a Pope Francis apostolic letter entitled “Traditionis Custodes (Guardians of the Tradition).” It restricted use of the old Latin Mass, thus undercutting “Summorum Pontificum (Of the Supreme Pontiffs)” by the retired Pope Benedict XVI. That document said the post-Vatican II Novus Ordo was the “ordinary form” for the Mass, but the Tridentine rite was an “extraordinary form” that could be encouraged.
Why do these issues matter so much to some progressive leaders?
It appears that there is a logical answer to that. Liberal Catholics worry about traditional forms of worship because these symbols and rites matter so much to conservative Catholics — the Catholics that oppose ongoing efforts to modernize the church.
In my column, I quoted a passage from an important Commonweal Magazine essay by scholar Rita Ferrone, author of “Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Rediscovering Vatican II)” and various other books. Here is that passage, with some additional context:
Clearly, some individuals find serene enjoyment in attending Mass according to the older rites and have no other agenda. But, overall, opening up more space for the older rites has deepened conflict in the Church and led to politicization of the Eucharist. …
Opposition to Pope Francis has also found a base in traditionalist communities. His teaching on marriage and family, his call for pastoral accompaniment, and especially his commitment to ecological responsibility and economic justice, have been virulently opposed in such circles. …
One can hardly overstate the noise that freeing the older rites has introduced into liturgical discussions, even though the actual number of traditionalists remains small. A constant stream of criticism has poured forth from traditionalist enclaves challenging liturgical decisions flowing from the reform, such as use of the vernacular, Communion in the hand, women in the sanctuary, and the priest facing the people at Eucharist. This noisy opposition grabs attention and causes distraction.
Read between the lines, especially that phrase “politicization of the Eucharist.”
Traditionalists are the kinds of people who worry about the sacramental status of Catholics who openly, in word and deed, oppose church teachings on things like abortion and same-sex marriage. In other words, people like President Joe Biden.
Also consider these interesting Epiphany sermon words from Pope Francis, care of a Reuters report:
Pope Francis took an apparent dig at conservatives resisting change in the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, lamenting those whose religion he said was self-referential and encased in a "suit of armour".
On the Feast of the Epiphany, Francis seemed to direct specific criticism at those who have balked at his decision to restrict the traditionalist Latin Mass, saying the liturgy could not be trapped in a "dead language."
"Have we been stuck all too long, nestled inside a conventional, external and formal religiosity that no longer warms our hearts and changes our lives?," Francis said. "Do our words and our liturgies ignite in people's hearts a desire to move towards God, or are they a 'dead language' that speaks only of itself and to itself?"
As we would say, down here in the Bible Belt — them’s fightin’ words.
I’ll wrap up with one other familiar issue discussed in the podcast: The fact that way too many journalists view religious events and trends through a strictly political lens and, thus, miss the power and importance of many debates about doctrine and worship.
Well, that’s not quite right. Journalists will care about debates about Holy Communion — when they affect the president of the United States or other political leaders. Thus, stories like the Latin Mass wars are viewed only as political stories. But these issues linger and linger because for millions of Catholics they symbolize efforts to keeping CHANGING THE CHURCH.
With that in mind, read between the lines of this final item from a Crux piece — “Five predictions for Pope Francis and the Vatican in 2022” — by the omnipresent John L. Allen. This is long, but important:
The U.S. is again a headache for Pope Francis
Since he was elected as President of the U.S. Bishops Conference in 2019, the perception has been that Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has led the conference in a somewhat more conservative direction that the tone being set by Francis. Gomez’s term is up in November 2022, so the bishops will have to elect a successor, and whatever they do will be read as a referendum of where they stand now vis-à-vis Francis.
The usual thing would be to choose the conference’s vice-president, currently Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit. Because Vigneron too is generally seen as center-right, should he ascend, many observers would interpret it to mean not much has changed — and that will be especially so if the bishops also choose another perceived conservative as their new vice-president.
All this, by the way, will be unfolding against the madness of mid-term elections in the United States on November 8, which many political observers will see as a verdict on President Joe Biden’s leadership at the two-year mark. Abortion is likely to be a hot issue, especially if the Supreme Court upholds a controversial Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which many analysts say would amount to a de facto reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
All this means the U.S. bishops inevitably will be political players throughout the year, both ecclesiastically and civilly, and at least some may play that role in ways of which Francis and his Vatican team don’t approve.
Note the role of Archbishop Jose Gomez, a Latino who leads the largest diocese in America. One of the most vocal leaders on the other side is Cardinal Cupich, a close ally of Pope Francis, who leads what used to be America’s largest diocese — but one that is now in decline.
That’s Archbishop Gomez and Cardinal Cupich. Think about it.
Enjoy the podcast and, please, pass it on to others!
FIRST IMAGE: From a Lutheran Public Radio feature on the Latin Mass.