Pope Benedict on Summorum Pontificum

ZENIT are carrying the text of a press conference by Pope Benedict XVI during his journey to France. I was rather interested in Pope Benedict's answer to a question about Summorum Pontificum.

Q: What do you say to those in France who are worried that the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" is a step backward with regards to the great institutions
of the Second Vatican Council?

Benedict XVI: It is baseless fear; because this "motu proprio" is simply an act of tolerance, with a pastoral objective, for people who have been formed in this liturgy, who love it, who know it, who want to live with this liturgy. It is a small group, because it supposes an education in Latin, a formation in a certain type of culture. But it seems to me a normal requirement of faith and pastoral practice for a bishop of our Church to have love and forbearance for these people and allow them to live with this liturgy.

There is no opposition between the liturgy renewed by Vatican II and this liturgy. Every day, the council fathers celebrated the Mass following the old rite and at the same time they conceived a natural development for the liturgy throughout this century, since the liturgy is a living reality, which develops and keeps its identity within its development.

So there is certainly a difference of emphasis, but a single fundamental identity that excludes any contradiction or antagonism between a renewed liturgy and the preceding liturgy. I believe there is a possibility for both types to be enriched. On the one hand, the friends of the old liturgy can and should know the new saints, the new prefaces of the liturgy, etc. But on the other hand, the new liturgy emphasizes the common participation, but it is not just the assembly of a particular community, but rather it is always an act of the universal Church, in communion with all the believers of all time, an act of adoration. In this sense, it seems to me that there is a mutual enrichment, and it is clear that the renewed liturgy is the ordinary liturgy of our time.

This answer suggests, I think, that it would be quite incorrect to see Summorum Pontificum as representing in any way a restoration of the pre-Conciliar liturgy by Pope Benedict. I think his response also gives a clear indication of how the Pope views the agenda of "mutual enrichment", particularly as far as the Ordinary Form is concerned. But he is very clear in affirming that the "renewed liturgy is the ordinary liturgy of our time".

I am also intrigued by the implications of Pope Benedict's reference to "formation in a certain type of culture" as one of the characteristics of those who wish to live celebrating the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy. Personally, I see one aspect of this at least as relating to the styles of participation that are reflected in the two forms, most notably the difference between the silent Canon in the Extraordinary Form as currently celebrated and the audible Eucharistic Prayer of the Ordinary Form. I would argue for a spoken Canon in the Extraordinary Form simply as a reflection of the development in people's style of participation.

I also concur with Pope Benedict's judgement that "it is a small group" who wish to celebrate the Extraordinary Form. Within my parish experience, no ordinary parishioners in the pews have it on their agenda. The significant coverage/advocacy of the Extraordinary Form in Catholic blogs, whilst ecclesially legitimate, is in that sense unrepresentative.