"The Ottaviani Intervention"

Letter from Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci to His Holiness Pope Paul VI September 25th, !"! Most Holy Father, Having carefully examined, and presented for the scrutiny of others, the Novus Ordo Missae prepared by the experts of the Consilium ad exequendam Constitutionem de Sacra iturgia, and after lengthy prayer and reflection, !e feel it to be our bounden duty in the sight of "od and to!ards #our Holiness, to put before you the follo!ing considerations$ %& 'he accompanying critical study of the Novus Ordo Missae, the !or( of a group of theologians, liturgists and pastors of souls, sho!s quite clearly in spite of its brevity that if !e consider the innovations implied or ta(en for granted !hich may of course be evaluated in different !ays, the Novus Ordo represents, both as a !hole and in its details, a stri(ing departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as it !as formulated in Session ))** of the Council of 'rent& 'he +canons+ of the rite definitively fixed at that time provided an insurmountable barrier to any heresy directed against the integrity of the Mystery& ,& 'he pastoral reasons adduced to support such a grave brea( !ith tradition, even if such reasons could be regarded as holding good in the face of doctrinal considerations, do not seem to us sufficient& 'he innovations in the Novus Ordo and the fact that all that is of perennial value finds only a minor place, if it subsists at all, could !ell turn into a certainty the suspicions already prevalent, alas, in many circles, that truths !hich have al!ays been believed by the Christian people, can be changed or ignored !ithout infidelity to that sacred deposit of doctrine to !hich the Catholic faith is bound for ever& -ecent reforms have amply demonstrated that fresh changes in the liturgy could lead to nothing but complete be!ilderment on the part of the faithful !ho are already sho!ing signs of restiveness and of an indubitable lessening of faith& .mongst the best of the clergy the practical result is an agonising crisis of conscience of !hich innumerable instances come tour notice daily& /& 0e are certain that these considerations, !hich can only reach #our Holiness by the living voice of both shepherds and floc(, cannot but find an echo in #our paternal heart, al!ays so profoundly solicitous for the spiritual needs of the children of the Church& *t has al!ays been the case that !hen a la! meant for the good of sub1ects proves to be on the contrary harmful, those sub1ects have the right, nay the duty of as(ing !ith filial trust for the abrogation of that la!& 'herefore !e most earnestly beseech #our Holiness, at a time of such painful divisions and ever2 increasing perils for the purity of the Faith and the unity of the church, lamented by #ou our common Father, not to deprive us of the possibility of continuing to have recourse to the fruitful integrity of that Missale -omanum of St& 3ius 4, so highly praised by #our Holiness and so deeply loved and venerated by the !hole Catholic !orld& A. Card. Ottaviani A. Card. Bacci

Brief Summary
I Histor# of the Chan$e 'he ne! form of Mass !as substantially re1ected by the 5piscopal Synod, !as never submitted to the collegial 1udgement of the 5piscopal Conferences and !as never as(ed for by the people& *t has every possibility of satisfying the most modernist of 3rotestants&

II %efinition of the &ass 6y a series of equivocations the emphasis is obsessively placed upon the 7supper7 and the 7memorial7 instead of on the unbloody rene!al of the Sacrifice of Calvary& III Presentation of the 'nds 'he three ends of the Mass are altered$2 no distinction is allo!ed to remain bet!een 8ivine and human sacrifice9 bread and !ine are only +spiritually+ :not substantially; changed& IV (he 'ssence 'he -eal 3resence of Christ is never alluded to and belief in it is implicitly repudiated& V (he 'lements of the Sacrifice 'he position of both priest and people is falsified and the Celebrant appears as nothing more than a 3rotestant minister, !hile the true nature of the Church is intolerably misrepresented& VI (he %estruction of )nit# 'he abandonment of atin s!eeps a!ay for good and all unity of !orship& 'his may have its effect on unity of belief and the Ne! Order has no intention of standing for the Faith as taught by the Council of 'rent to !hich the Catholic conscience is bound& VII* (he +lienation of the Orthodo, 0hile pleasing various dissenting groups, the Ne! Order !ill alienate the 5ast& VIII (he +bandonment of %efences 'he Ne! Order teems !ith insinuations or manifest errors against the purity of the Catholic religion and dismantles all defences of the deposit of Faith&

I History of the Change

*n October %<=>, the 5piscopal Synod called in -ome !as required to pass 1udgement on the experimental celebration of a so2called +normative Mass+ :Ne! Mass;, devised by the Consilium ad exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra iturgia& 'his Mass aroused the most serious misgivings& 'he voting sho!ed considerable opposition :?/ non placet;, very many substantial reservations :=, 1uxta modum;, and ? abstentions out of %@> voters& 'he international press spo(e of a +refusal+ of the proposed +normative Mass+ :Ne! Mass; on the part of the Synod& 3rogressively2inclined papers made no mention of it& *n the Novus Ordo Missae lately promulgated by the .postolic Constitution Missale -omanum, !e once again find this +normative Mass+ :Ne! Mass;, identical in substance, nor does it appear that in the intervening period the 5piscopal Conference, at least as such, !ere ever as(ed to give their vie!s about it& *n the .postolic Constitution, it is stated that the ancient Missal promulgated by St& 3ius 4, %/th Auly %B>C, but going bac( in great part to St& "regory the "reat and still remoter antiquity, !as for four centuries the norm for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice for priests of the atin rite, and that, ta(en to every part of the !orld, +it has moreover been an abundant source of spiritual nourishment to many holy people in their devotion to "od+& #et, the present reform, putting it definitely out of use, !as claimed to be necessary since +from that time the study of the Sacred iturgy has become more !idespread and intensive among Christians+& 'his assertion seems to us to embody a serious equivocation& For the desire of the people !as expressed, if at all, !hen 2 than(s to 3ius ) 2 they began to discover the true and everlasting treasures of the liturgy& 'he people never on any account as(ed for the liturgy to be changed, or mutilated so as to understand it better& 'hey as(ed for a better understanding of the changeless liturgy, and one !hich they !ould never have !anted changed& 'he -oman Missal of St& 3ius 4 !as religiously venerated and most dear to Catholics, both priests and laity& One fails to see ho! its use, together !ith suitable catechesis, could have hindered a fuller participation in, and great (no!ledge of the Sacred iturgy, nor !hy, !hen its many outstanding virtues are recognised, this should not have been considered !orthy to continue to foster the liturgical piety of Christians& -e.ected b# S#nod

Since the +normative+ Mass :Ne! Mass;, no! reintroduced and imposed as the Novus Ordo Missae :Ne! Order of the Mass;, !as in substance re1ected by the Synod of 6ishops, !as never submitted to the collegial 1udgement of the 5piscopal Conferences, nor have the people 2 least of all in mission lands 2 ever as(ed for any reform of Holy Mass !hatsoever, one fails to comprehend the motives behind the ne! legislation !hich overthro!s a tradition unchanged in the Church since the ?th and Bth centuries, as the .postolic Constitution itself ac(no!ledges& .s no popular demand exists to support this reform, it appears devoid of any logical grounds to 1ustify it and ma(es it acceptable to the Catholic people& 'he 4atican Council did indeed express a desire :para& BC Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium; for the various parts of the Mass to be reordered +ut singularum partium propria ratio nec non mutua connexio clarius pateant&+ 0e shall see ho! the Ordo recently promulgated corresponds !ith this original intention& .n attentive examination of the Novus Ordo reveals changes of such magnitude as to 1ustify in themselves the 1udgement already made !ith regard to the +normative+ Mass& 6oth have in many points every possibility of satisfying the most Modernists of 3rotestants&

II Definition of the Mass

et us begin !ith the definition of the Mass given in No& > of the +*nstitutio "eneralis+ at the beginning of the second chapter on the Novus Ordo$ +8e structura Missae+$ +'he ord7s Supper or Mass is a sacred meeting or assembly of the 3eople of "od, met together under the presidency of the priest, to celebrate the memorial of the ord& 'hus the promise of Christ, +!here t!o or three are gathered together in my name, there am * in the midst of them+, is eminently true of the local community in the Church :Mt& )4***, ,C;+& 'he definition of the Mass is thus limited to that of the +supper+, and this term is found constantly repeated :nos& @, ?@, BBd, B=;& 'his supper is further characterised as an assembly presided over by the priest and held as a memorial of the ord, recalling !hat He did on the first Maundy 'hursday& None of this in the very least implies either the -eal 3resence, or the reality of sacrifice, or the Sacramental function of the consecrating priest, or the intrinsic value of the 5ucharistic Sacrifice independently of the people7s presence& *t does not, in a !ord, imply any of the essential dogmatic values of the Mass !hich together provide its true definition& Here, the deliberate omission of these dogmatic values amounts to their having been superseded and therefore, at least in practice, to their denial& *n the second part of this paragraph > it is asserted, aggravating the already serious equivocation, that there holds good, +eminently+, for this assembly Christ7s promise that +0here t!o or three are gathered together in my name, there am * in the midst of them+ :Matt& )4***, ,C;& 'his promise !hich refers only to the spiritual presence of Christ !ith His grace, is thus put on the same qualitative plane, save for the greater intensity, as the substantial and physical reality of the Sacramental 5ucharistic 3resence& *n no& @ a subdivision of the Mass into +liturgy of the !ord+ and 5ucharistic liturgy immediately follo!s, !ith the affirmation that in the Mass is made ready +the table of the "od7s !ord+ as of +the 6ody of Christ+, so that the faithful +may be built up and refreshed+9 an altogether improper assimilation of the t!o parts of the liturgy, as though bet!een t!o points of equal symbol value& More !ill be said about this point later& 'his Mass is designed by a great many different expressions, all acceptable relatively, all unacceptable if employed, as they are, separately in an absolute sense& 0e cite a fe!$ 'he .ction of the 3eople of "od9 'he ord7s Supper or Mass, the 3ascal 6anquet9 'he Common 3articipation of the ord7s 'able9 'he 5ucharistic 3rayer9 'he iturgy of the 0ord and the 5ucharistic iturgy& .s is only too evident, the emphasis is obsessively placed upon the supper and the memorial instead of upon the unbloody rene!al of the Sacrifice of Calvary& 'he formula +'he Memorial of the 3assion and -esurrection of the ord+, besides, is inexact, the Mass being the memorial of the Sacrifice alone, in itself redemptive, !hile the -esurrection is the consequent fruit of it&

0e shall later see ho!, in the very consecratory formula, and throughout the Novus Ordo, such equivocations are rene!ed and reiterated&

III Presentation of the Ends

0e no! come to the ends of the Mass& %& Dltimate 5nd& 'his is that of the Sacrifice of praise to the Most Holy 'rinity according to the explicit declaration of Christ in the primary purpose of His very *ncarnation$ +Coming into the !orld he saith$ 7sacrifice and oblation thou !ouldst not but a body thou hast fitted me7 +& :3s& )))*), >2< in Heb& ), B;& 'his end has disappeared$ from the Offertory, !ith the disappearance of the prayer +Suscipe, Sancta 'rinitas+, from the end of the Mass !ith the omission of the +3lacet tibi Sancta 'rinitas+, and from the 3reface, !hich on Sunday !ill no longer be that of the Most Holy 'rinity, as this 3reface !ill be reserved only to the Feast of the 'rinity, and so in future !ill be heard but once a year& ,& Ordinary 5nd& 'his is the propitiatory Sacrifice& *t too has been deviated from9 for instead of putting the stress on the remission of sins of the living and the dead, it lays emphasis on the nourishment and sanctification of those present :No& B?;& Christ certainly instituted the Sacrament of the ast Supper putting Himself in the state of 4ictim in order that !e might be united to Him in this state but his self2 immolation precedes the eating of the 4ictim, and has an antecedent and full redemptive value :the application of the bloody immolation;& 'his is borne out by the fact that the faithful present are not bound to communicate, sacramentally& /& *mmanent 5nd& 0hatever the nature of the Sacrifice, it is absolutely necessary that it be pleasing and acceptable to "od& .fter the Fall no sacrifice can claim to be acceptable in its o!n right other than the Sacrifice of Christ& 'he Novus Ordo changes the nature of the offering turning it into a sort of exchange of gifts bet!een man and "od$ man brings the bread, and "od turns it into the +bread of life+9 man brings the !ine, and "od turns it into a +spiritual drin(+& +'hou are blessed ord "od of the Dniverse because from thy generosity !e have received the bread :or !ine; !hich !e offer thee, the fruit of the earth :or vine; and of man7s labour& May it become for us the bread of life :or spiritual drin(;+& 'here is no need to comment on the utter indeterminateness of the formulae +bread of life+ and +spiritual drin(+, !hich might mean anything& 'he same capital equivocation is repeated here, as in the definition of the Mass$ there, Christ is present only spiritually among His o!n$ here, bread and !ine are only +spiritually+ :not substantially; changed& Suppression of /reat Pra#ers *n the preparation of the offering, a similar equivocation results from the suppression of t!o great prayers& 'he +8eus qui humanae substantiae dignitatem mirabiliter condidisti et mirabilius reformasti+ !as a reference to man7s former condition of innocence and to his present one of being ransomed by the 6lood of Christ$ a recapitulation of the !hole economy of the Sacrifice, from .dam to the present moment& 'he final propitiatory offering of the chalice, that it might ascend +cum adore suavitatis+, into the presence of the divine ma1esty, !hose clemency !as implored, admirably reaffirmed this plan& 6y suppressing the continual reference of the 5ucharistic prayers to "od, there is no longer any clear distinction bet!een divine and human sacrifice& Having removed the (eystone, the reformers have had to put up scaffolding9 suppressing real ends, they had to substitute fictitious ends of their o!n9 leading to gestures intended to stress to union of priest and faithful, and of the faithful among themselves9 offerings for the poor and for the church superimposed upon the Offering of the Host to be immolated& 'here is a danger that the uniqueness of this offer !ill become blurred, so that participation in the immolation of the 4ictim comes to resemble a philanthropical meeting, or a charity banquet&

IV The Essence

0e no! pass on to the essence of the Sacrifice& 'he mystery of the Cross is no longer explicitly expressed& *t is only there obscurely, veiled, imperceptible for the people& .nd for these reasons$ %& 'he sense given in the Novus Ordo to the so2called +prex 5ucharistica+ is$ +that the !hole congregation of the faithful may be united to Christ in proclaiming the great !onders of "od and in offering sacrifice+ :No& B?& the end; 0hich sacrifice is referred toE 0ho is the offererE No ans!er is given to either of these questions& 'he initial definition of the +prex 5ucharistica+ is as follo!s$ +'he centre and culminating point of the !hole celebration no! has a beginning, namely the 5ucharistic 3rayer, a prayer of than(sgiving and of sanctification+ :No& B?, pr&;& 'he effects thus replace the causes, of !hich not one single !ord is said& 'he explicit mention of the ob1ect of the offering, !hich !as found in the +Suscipe+, has not been replaced by anything& 'he change in formulation reveals the change in doctrine& ,& 'he reason for this non2explicitness concerning the Sacrifice is quite simply that the -eal 3resence has been removed from the central position !hich it occupied so resplendently in the former 5ucharistic liturgy& 'here is but a single reference to the -eal 3resence, :a quotation 2 a footnote 2 from the Council of 'rent; and again the context is that of +nourishment+ :no& ,?%, note =/; 'he -eal and permanent 3resence of Christ, 6ody, 6lood, Soul and 8ivinity, in the transubstantiated Species is never alluded to& 'he very !ord transubstantiation is totally ignored& 'he suppression of the invocation to the 'hird 3erson of the Most Holy 'rinity :+4eni Sanctificator+; that He may descend upon the oblations, as once before into the !omb of the Most 6lessed 4irgin to accomplish the miracle of the divine 3resence, is yet one more instance of the systematic and tacit negation of the -eal 3resence& Note, too, the suppressions$

of the genuflections :no more than three remain to the priest, and one, !ith certain exceptions, to the people, at the Consecration9 of the purification of the priest7s fingers in the chalice9 of the preservation from all profane contact of the priest7s fingers after the Consecration9 of the purification of the vessels, !hich need not be immediate, nor made on the corporal9 of the pall protecting the chalice9 of the internal gilding of sacred vessels9 of the consecration of movable altars9 of the sacred stone and relics in the movable altar or upon the +table+ 2 +!hen celebration does not occur in sacred precincts+ :this distinction leads straight to +5ucharistic suppers+ in private houses;9 of the three altar2cloths, reduced to one only9 of than(sgiving (neeling :replaced by a than(sgiving, seated, on the part of the priest and people, a logical enough complement to Communion standing;9 of all the former prescriptions in the case of the consecrated Host falling, !hich are no! reduced to a single, casual direction$ +reventur accipiatur+ :no& ,/<;

.ll these things only serve to emphasise ho! outrageously faith in the dogma of the -eal 3resence is implicitly repudiated& /& 'he function assigned to the altar :no& ,=,;& 'he altar is almost al!ays called 7table7, +'he altar or table of the ord, !hich is the centre of the !hole 5ucharistic liturgy+ :no& ?<, cf& ,=,;& *t is laid do!n that the altar must be detached from the !alls so that it is possible to !al( round it and celebration may be facing the people :no& ,=,;9 also that the altar must be the centre of the assembly of the faithful so that their attention is dra!n spontaneously to!ards it :ibid;& 6ut a comparison of no& ,=, and ,>= !ould seem to suggest that the reservation of the 6lessed Sacrament on this altar is excluded& 'his !ill mar( an irreparable dichotomy bet!een the presence, in the celebrant, of the eternal High 3riest and that same presence brought about sacramentally& 6efore, they !ere 7one and the same presence7& Separation of +ltar and (abernacle

No! it is recommended that the 6lessed Sacrament be (ept in a place apart for the private devotion of the people :almost as though it !ere a question of devotion to a relic of some (ind; so that, on going into a church, attention !ill no longer be focused upon the 'abernacle but upon a stripped, bare table& Once again the contrast is made bet!een 7private7 piety and 7liturgical7 piety$ altar is set up against altar& *n the insistent recommendation to distribute in Communion the Species consecrated during the same Mass, indeed to consecrate a loaf for the priest to distribute to at least some of the faithful, !e find reasserted disparaging attitude to!ards the 'abernacle, as to!ards every form of 5ucharistic piety outside of the Mass& 'his constitutes yet another violent blo! to faith in the -eal 3resence as long as the consecrated Species remain& 'he formula of Consecration& 'he ancient formula of consecration !as properly a sacramental not a narrative one& 'his !as sho!n above all by three things$ a; 'he Scriptural text not ta(en up !ord for !ord$ the 3auline insertion +mysterium fidei+ !as an immediate confession of the priest7s faith in the mystery realised by the Church through the hierarchical priesthood& b; 'he punctuation and typographical lay2out$ the full stop and ne! paragraph mar(ing the passage from the narrative mode to the sacramental and affirmative one, the sacramental !ords in larger characters at the centre of the page and often in a different colour, clearly detached from the historical context& .ll combined to give the formula a proper and autonomous value& +'o separate the 'abernacle from the .ltar is tantamount to separating t!o things !hich, of their very nature, must remain together+& :3*DS )**, .llocution to the *nternational iturgy Congress, .ssisi2-ome, Sept& %@2,/, %<B=;& cf& also Mediator 8ei, %&B, note ,@& c; 'he anamnesis :+Haec quotiescompque feceritis in mei memoriam facietis+;, !hich in "ree( is +eis emou anamnesin+ :directed to my memory&; 'his referred to Christ operating and not to mere memory of Him, or of the event$ an invitation to recall !hat He did :+Haec & & & in mei memoriam facietis+; in the !ay He did it, not only His 3erson, or the Supper& 'he 3auline formula :+Hoc facite in meam commemorationem+; !hich !ill no! ta(e the place of the old 2 proclaimed as it !ill be daily in vernacular languages !ill irremediably cause the hearers to concentrate on the memory of Christ as the 7end7 of the 5ucharistic action, !hilst it is really the 7beginning7& 'he concluding idea of 7commemoration7 !ill certainly once again ta(e the place of the idea of sacramental action& 'he narrative mode is no! emphasised by the formula +narratio institutionis+ :no& BBd; and repeated by the definition of the anamnesis, in !hich it is said that +'he Church recalls the memory of Himself+ :no& BB=;& *n short$ the theory put for!ard by the epiclesis, the modification of the !ords of Consecration and of the anamnesis, have the effect of modifying the modus significandi of the !ords of Consecration& 'he consecratory formulae are here pronounced by the priest as the constituents of a historical narrative and no longer enunciated as expressing the categorical affirmation uttered by Him in !hole 3erson the priest acts$ +Hoc est Corpus meum+ :not, +Hoc est Corpus Christi+;& Furthermore the acclamation assigned to the people immediately after the Consecration$ :+0e announce thy death, O ord, until 'hou comest+; introduces yet again, under cover of eschatology, the same ambiguity concerning the -eal 3resence& 0ithout interval or distinction, the expectation of Christ7s Second Coming at the end of time is proclaimed 1ust at the moment !hen He is substantially present on the altar, almost as though the former, and not the latter, !ere the true Coming& 'his is brought out even more strongly in the formula of optional acclamation no& , :.ppendix;$ +.s often as !e eat of this bread and drin( of this chalice !e announce thy death, O ord, until thou comest+, !here the 1uxtaposition of the different realities of immolation and eating, of the -eal 3resence and of Christ7s Second Coming, reaches the height of ambiguity&

V The E ements of Sacrifice

0e come no! to the realisation of the Sacrifice, the four elements of !hich !ere$ %; Christ, ,; the priest, /; the Church, ?; the faithful present&

*n the Novus Ordo, the position attributed to the faithful is autonomous :absoluta;, hence totally false 2 from the opening definition$ +Missa est sacra synaxis seu congregatio populi+ to the priest7s salutation to the people !hich is meant to convey to the assembled community the +presence+ of the ord :no& ?@;& +Fua salutatione et populi responsione manifestatur ecclesiae congregatae mysterium+& . true presence, certainly of Christ but only a spiritual one, and a mystery of the Church, but solely as an assembly manifesting and soliciting such a presence& 'his interpretation is constantly underlined$ by the obsessive references to the communal character of the Mass :nos& >?2%B,;9 by the unheard of distinction bet!een +Mass !ith congregation+ and +Mass !ithout congregation+ :nos& ,C/2,/%;9 by the definition of the +oratio universalis seu fidelium+ :no& ?B; !here once more !e find stressed the +sacerdotal office+ of the people :populus sui sacerdotii munus excercens+; presented in an equivocal !ay because its subordination to that of the priest is not mentioned, and all the more since the priest, as consecrated mediator, ma(es himself the interpreter of all the intentions of the people in the 'e igitur and the t!o Memento& *n +5ucharistic 3rayer ***+ :+4ere sanctus+, p& %,/; the follo!ing !ords are addressed to the ord$ +from age to age you gather a people to yourself, in order that from east to !est a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name+, the 7in order that7 ma(ing it appear that the people rather than the priest are the indispensable element in the celebration9 and since not even here is it made clear !ho the offerer is, the people themselves appear to be invested !ith autonomous priestly po!ers& From this step it !ould not be surprising if, before long, the people !ere authorised to 1oin the priest in pronouncing the consecrating formulae :!hich actually seems here and there to have already occurred;& Priest as &ere President ,; 'he priest7s position is minimised, changed and falsified& Firstly in relation to the people for !hom he is, for the most part, a mere president, or brother, instead of the consecrated minister celebrating in persona Christi& Secondly in relation to the Church, as a +quidam de populo+& *n the definition of the epiclesis :no& BB;, the invocations are attributed anonymously to the Church$ the part of the priest has vanished& *n the Confiteor !hich has no! become collective, he is no longer 1udge, !itness and intercessor !ith "od9 so it is logical that his is no longer empo!ered to give the absolution, !hich has been suppressed& He is integrated !ith the fratres& 5ven the server address him as such in the Confiteor of the +Missa sine populo+& .lready, prior to this latest reform, the significant distinction bet!een the Communion of the priest 2 the moment in !hich the 5ternal High 3riest and the one acting in His 3erson !ere brought together in the closest union 2 and the Communion of the faithful has been suppressed& Not a !ord do !e no! find as to the priest7s po!er to sacrifice, or about his act of consecration, the bringing about through him of the 5ucharistic 3resence& He no! appears as nothing more than a 3rotestant minister& 'he disappearance, or optional use, of many sacred vestments :in certain cases the alb and stole are sufficient 2 no& ,<@; obliterate even more the original conformity !ith Christ$ the priest is no more clothed !ith all His virtues, become merely a +non2commissioned officer+ !hom one or t!o signs may distinguish from the mass of the people$ +a little more a man than the rest+, to quite the involuntarily humorous definition of a modern preacher& .gain, as !ith the +table+ and the .ltar, there is separated !hat "od has united$ the sole 3riesthood and the 0ord of "od& /; Finally, there is the Church7s position in relation to Christ& *n one case only, namely the +Mass !ithout congregation+, is the Mass ac(no!ledged to be +.ctio Christi et 5cclesiae+ :no& ?, cf& 3resb& Ord& no& %/;, !hereas in the case of the +Mass !ith congregation+ this is not referred to except for the purpose of +remembering Christ+ and sanctifying those present& 'he !ords used are$ +*n offering the sacrifice through Christ in the Holy "host to "od the Father, the priest associates the people !ith himself+ :no& =C;, instead one ones !hich !ould associate the people !ith Christ 0ho offers Himself +per Spiritum Sanctum 8eo 3atri+& *n this context the follo!s are to be noted$ %; the very serious omission of the phrase +'hrough Christ Our ord+, the guarantee of being heard given to the Church in every age :Aohn, )*4, %/2%?9 %B9 %=9 ,/9 ,?;9

,; the all pervading +paschalism+, almost as though there !ere no other, quite different and equally important, aspects of the communication of grace9 /; the very strange and dubious eschatologism !hereby the communication of supernatural grace, a reality !hich is permanent and eternal, is brought do!n to the dimensions of time$ !e hear of a people on the march, a pilgrim Church 2 no longer militant 2 against the 3o!ers of 8ar(ness 2 loo(ing to!ards a future !hich having lost its line !ith eternity is conceived in purely temporal terms& 'he Church 2 One, Holy, Catholic, .postolic 2 is diminished as such in the formula that, in the +5ucharistic 3rayer No& ?+, has ta(en the place of the prayer of the -oman Cannon +on behalf of all orthodox believers of the Catholic and apostolic faith+& No! !e have merely$ +all !ho see( you !ith a sincere heart+& .gain, in the Memento for the dead, these have no longer passed on +!ith the sign of faith and sleep the sleep of peace+ but only +!ho have died in the peace of thy Christ+, and to them are added, !ith further obvious detriment to the concept of visible unity, the host +of all the dead !hose faith is (no!n to you alone+& Furthermore, in none of three ne! 5ucharistic prayers, is there any reference, as has already been said, to that state of suffering of those !ho have died, in none the possibility of a particular Memento$ all of this again, must undermine faith in the propitiatory and redemptive nature of the Sacrifice& %esacrali0in$ the Church 8esacralising omissions every!here debase the mystery of the Church& .bove all she is not presented as a sacred hierarchy$ .ngels and Saints are reduced to anonymity in the second part of the collective Confiteor$ they have disappeared, as !itnesses and 1udges, in the person of St& Michael, for the first& 'he various hierarchies of angels have also disappeared :and this is !ithout precedent; from the ne! 3reface of +3rayer **+& *n the Communicantes, reminder of the 3ontiffs and holy martyrs on !hom the Church of -ome is founded and !ho !ere, !ithout doubt, the transmitters of the apostolic traditions, destined to be completed in !hat became, !ith St& "regory, the -oman Mass, has been suppressed& *n the ibera nos the 6lessed 4irgin, the .postles and all the Saints are no longer mentioned$ her and their intercession is thus no longer as(ed, even in time of peril& 'he unity of the Church is gravely compromised by the !holly intolerable omission from the entire Ordo, including the three ne! 3rayers, of the names of the .postles 3eter and 3aul, Founders of the Church of -ome, and the names of the other .postles, foundation and mar( of the one and universal Church, the only remaining mention being in the Communicantes of the -oman Canon& . clear attac( upon the dogma of the Communion of Saints is the omission, !hen the priest is celebrating !ithout a server, of all the salutations, and the final 6lessing, not to spea( of the 7*te, missa est7 no! not even said in Masses celebrated !ith a server& 'he double Confiteor sho!ed ho! the priest, in his capacity of Christ7s Minister, bo!ing do!n deeply and ac(no!ledging himself un!orthy of his sublime mission, of the +tremendum mysterium+, about to be accomplished by him and even :in the .ufer a nobis; entering into the Holy of Holies, invo(ed the intercession :in the Oramus te, 8omine; of the merits of the martyrs !hose relics !ere sealed in the altar& 6oth these prayers have been suppressed9 !hat has been said previously in respect of the double Confiteor and the double Communion is equally relevant here& 'he out!ard setting of the Sacrifice, evidence of its sacred character, has been profaned& See, for example, !hat is laid do!n for celebration outside sacred precincts, in !hich the altar may be replaced by a simple +table+ !ithout consecrated stone or relics, and !ith a single cloth :nos& ,=C, ,=B;& Here too all that has been previously said !ith regard to the -eal 3resence applies, the disassociation of the +convivium+ and of the sacrifice of the supper from the -eal 3resence *tself& 'he process of desacralisation is completed than(s to the ne! procedures for the offering$ the reference to ordinary not unleavened bread9 altar2servers :and lay people at Communion sub utraque specie; being allo!ed to handle sacred vessels :no& ,??d;9 the distracting atmosphere created by the ceaseless coming and going of the priest, deacon, subdeacon, psalmist, commentator :the priest becomes commentator himself from his constantly being required to 7explain7 !hat he is about to accomplish; 2 of readings :men and !omen;, of servers or laymen

!elcoming people at the door and escorting them to their places !hilst others carry and sort offerings& .nd in the midst of all this prescribed activity, the 7mulier idonea7 :anti2Scriptural and anti2 3auline; !ho for the first time in the tradition of the Church !ill be authorised to read the lessons and also perform other +ministeria quae extra presbyterium peraguntur+ :no& >C;& Finally, there is the concelebration mania, !hich !ill end by destroying 5ucharistic piety in the priest, by overshado!ing the central figure of Christ, sole 3riest and 4ictim, in a collective presence of concelebrants&

VI The Destruction of !nity

0e have limited ourselves to a summary evaluation of the ne! Ordo !here it deviates most seriously from the theology of the Catholic Mass and our observations touch only those deviations that are typical& . complete evaluation of all the pitfalls, the dangers, and spiritually and psychologically destructive elements contained in the document 2 !hether in text, rubrics or instructions 2 !ould be a vast underta(ing& B# Priest or Parson No more than a passing glance has been ta(en at the three ne! Canons, since these have already come in for repeated and authoritative criticism, both as to form and substance& 'he second of them gave immediate scandal to the faithful on account of its brevity& Of Canon ** it has been !ell said, among other things, that it could be recited !ith perfect tranquillity of conscience by a priest !ho no longer believes either in 'ransubstantiation or in the sacrificial character of the Mass 2 hence even by a 3rotestant minister& 'he ne! Missal !as introduced in -ome as +a text of ample pastoral matter+, and +more pastoral than 1uridical+, !hich the 5piscopal Conferences !ould be able to utilise according to the varying circumstances and genius of different peoples& *n the same .postolic Constitution !e read$ +!e have introduced into the Ne! Missal legitimate variations and adaptations+& 6esides, Section * of the ne! Congregation for 8ivine 0orship !ill be responsible +for the publication and 7constant revision7 of the liturgical boo(s+& 'he last official bulletin of the iturgical *nstitutes of "ermany, S!itGerland and .ustria says$ +'he atin texts !ill no! have to be translated into the languages of the various peoples9 the 7-oman7 style !ill have to be adapted to the individuality of the local Churches$ that !hich !as conceived beyond time must be transposed into the changing context of concrete situations in the constant flux of the Dniversal Church and of its myriad congregations&+ 'he .postolic Constitution itself gives the coup de grace to the Church7s universal language :contrary to the express !ill of 4atican Council **; !ith the bland affirmation that +in such a variety of tongues one :E; and the same prayer of all & & & may ascend more fragrant than any incense+& Council of (rent -e.ected 'he demise of atin may therefore be ta(en for granted9 that of "regorian Chant, !hich even the Council recognised as +liturgiae romanae proprium+ :Sacros Conc& no %%=;, ordering that +principem locum obtineat+ :ibid&; !ill logically follo!, !ith the freedom of choice, amongst other things, of the texts of the *ntroit and "radual& From the outset therefore the Ne! -ite is launched as pluralistic and experimental, bound to time and place& Dnity of !orship, thus s!ept a!ay for good and all, !hat !ill become of that unity of faith that !ent !ith it, and !hich, !e !ere al!ays told, !as to be defended !ithout compromiseE *t is evident that the Novus Ordo has no intention of presenting the Faith as taught by the Council of 'rent, to !hich, nonetheless, the Catholic conscience is bound forever& 0ith the promulgation of the Novus Ordo, the loyal Catholic is thus faced !ith a most tragic alternative&

VII The " ienation of the Orthodo#

'he .postolic Constitution ma(es explicit reference to a !ealth of piety and teaching in the Novus

Ordo borro!ed from 5astern Churches& 'he result 2 utterly remote from and even opposed to the inspiration of the oriental iturgies 2 can only repel the faithful of the 5astern -ites& 0hat, in truth, do these ecumenical options amount toE 6asically to the multiplicity of anaphora :but nothing approaching their beauty and complexity;, to the presence of deacons, to Communion sub utraque specie& .gainst this, the Novus Ordo !ould appear to have been deliberately shorn of everything !hich in the iturgy of -ome came close to those of the 5ast& Moreover in abandoning its unmista(able and immemorial -oman character, the Novus Ordo lost !hat !as spiritually precious of its o!n& *ts place has been ta(en by elements !hich bring it closer only to certain other reformed liturgies :not even those closest to Catholicism; and !hich debase it at the same time& 'he 5ast !ill be ever more alienated, as it already has been by the preceding liturgical reforms& 6y the !ay of compensation the ne! iturgy !ill be the delight of the various groups !ho, hovering on the verge of apostasy, are !rea(ing havoc in the Church of "od, poisoning her organism and undermining her unity of doctrine, !orship, morals and discipline in a spiritual crisis !ithout precedent&

VIII The "$andonment of Defences

St& 3ius 4 had the -oman Missal dra!n up :as the present .postolic Constitution itself recalls; so that it might be an instrument of unity among Catholics& *n conformity !ith the in1unctions of the Council of 'rent it !as to exclude all danger, in liturgical !orship, of errors against the Faith, then threatened by the 3rotestant -eformation& 'he gravity of the situation fully 1ustified, and even rendered prophetic, the saintly 3ontiff7s solemn !arning given at the end of the 6ull promulgating his Missal +should anyone presume to tamper !ith this, let him (no! that he shall incur the !rath of "od .lmighty and his blessed .postles, 3eter and 3aul& :Fuo 3rimum, Auly %/, %B>C; 0hen the Novus Ordo !as presented at the 4atican 3ress Office, it !as asserted !ith great audacity that the reasons !hich prompted the 'ridentine decrees are no longer valid& Not only do they still apply, but there also exist, as !e do not hesitate to affirm, very much more serious ones today& *t !as precisely in order to !ard off the dangers !hich in every century threaten the purity of the deposit of faith :depositum custodi, devitans profanas vocum novitates+ 'im& 4*, ,C; the Church has had to erect under the inspiration of the Holy "host the defences of her dogmatic definitions and doctrinal pronouncements& 'hese !ere immediately reflected in her !orship, !hich became the most complete monument of her faith& 'o try to bring the Church7s !orship bac( at all cost to ancient practices by refashioning, artificially and !ith that +unhealthy archeologism+ so roundly condemned by 3ius )**, !hat in earlier times had the grace of original spontaneity means as !e see today only too clearly 2 to dismantle all the theological ramparts erected for the protection of the -ite and to ta(e a!ay all the beauty by !hich it !as enriched over the centuries& .nd all this at one of the most critical moments 2 if not the most critical moment 2 of the Church7s historyH 'oday, division and schism are officially ac(no!ledged to exist not only outside of but !ithin the Church& Her unity is not only threatened but already tragically compromised& 5rrors against the Faith are not so much insinuated but rather an inevitable consequence of liturgical abuses and aberrations !hich have been given equal recognition& 'o abandon a liturgical tradition !hich for four centuries !as both the sign and pledge of unity of !orship :and to replace it !ith another !hich cannot but be a sign of division by virtue of the countless liberties implicitly authorised, and !hich teems !ith insinuations or manifest errors against the integrity of the Catholic religion; is, !e feel in conscience bound to proclaim, an incalculable error&

'ditor1s note about the above document* 0hen studying the issues involved in the ne! liturgy, you may come across the assertion that Cardinal Ottaviani signed a document retracting his !ords above& 6ut here is !hat happened, as recounted at !!!&traditio&com$ . purported letter of February %>, %<>C, supposedly !ith the Cardinal7s signature, !as adduced to prove the story& Ho!ever, by that date it is (no!n that the Cardinal, then @C, !as totally blind and !ould not have (no!n !hat he !as signing !hen presented !ith the purposed letter by his secretary, Msgr& "ilberto .gustoni& IEd. .gustoni !as later made 6ishop, then Cardinal, by Aohn 3aul **J No! it has come to light that this .gustoni IEd. along !ith his brother, Fr& uigi .gustoniJ !as a member of the Consilium !hich that fabricated the +Ne! Mass+ and !hich the .rch2.rchitect of the Ne! Order service, Hannibal 6ugnini, led& .t the time, Aean Madiran, the editor of the respected French 1ournal Itineraires, publicly accused .gustoni of obtaining the Cardinal7s signature by fraud& .s a result, .gustoni !as fired as the Cardinal7s secretary& So, it seems that .gustoni insinuated his !ay into becoming the Cardinal7s secretary and in that position created a fraud in an attempt to undermine the Cardinal7s public document, !hich questioned the validity of the Ne! Order service, by a phony +retraction,+ !hich .gustoni had himself !ritten !ith others& *n any case, co2author .ntonio Cardinal 6acci and the -oman theologians never +retracted,+ in any manner, shape, or form the devastating document, !hich they courageously published&