Latin Mass
In very recent news we hear that the current pope, Benedict XVI, has announced releasing the restrictions on practicing the old Latin mass.
For those who don’t know the mass, or what protestants refer to as service, was celebrated very differently before a special council. This council, Vatican 2, was held about 40 years ago to help reform and modernize the church. In Vatican 2 they decided to completely redo the mass so it was more friendly to the congregation. They also put restrictions on the Latin mass that had been used for hundreds of years. Of course this angered many Catholic traditionalists, causing yet another split in the church.
We now have the pope releasing the restrictions to ease the tension and split in the church. Parishes can now practice Latin mass without consulting the local bishop, but lets think about this. The old mass hasn’t been taught to the parish priests in about 30-40years. This change just means that the priests, if pressured, would have to learn Latin and a whole other ceremony. I don’t see how this can be accomplished with their already busy schedules.
What does this show to the people who aren’t Catholic? It shows that there are 2 ceremonies for the same purpose. I thought the Catholic church was all about unity. If there are 2 ceremonies…I tend to think other wise.
Another thing that puzzles me is that why did a traditional church want to modernize? For more members? Is that all it is? I guess the church might have been seen as corrupt. But there is always corruption.
