Judging by the mixed response
towards Msgr. Calkins' recent talk to the Latin Liturgy
Association, there appears to be some confusion over what
constitutes a traditional Catholic. This seems rather strange to
the present authors, who are both traditional Catholics, since we
both presume a traditional Catholic is one who adheres to
Catholic Tradition. Therefore, let us examine five criteria from
Catholic Tradition so that we may, we hope, resolve this
controversy.
Papal Perpetuity
First, a traditional Catholic
recognizes not only the authority of the Roman Pontiff as the
Successor of Peter, but also the permanence of the primacy for
all time. This would include the reign of Pope John Paul II. In
short, as traditional Catholics we declare with one voice the
following words from the First Vatican Council:
That which our lord Jesus
Christ, the prince of shepherds and great shepherd of the
sheep, established in the blessed apostle Peter, for the
continual salvation and permanent benefit of the Church, must
of necessity remain for ever, by Christ's authority, in the
Church which, founded as it is upon a rock, will stand firm
until the end of time. [1]
In other words, we affirm our
traditional Catholicism because we recognize the authority of the
current Roman Pontiff within the institution of the Catholic
Church. Those who disagree with us may be traditional, but not
within the context of Catholic Tradition.
Submission in Disciplinary
Matters
Second, as traditional Catholics
we submit ourselves in obedience to the current Roman Pontiff. To
quote from the First Vatican Council:
To him, in blessed Peter, full
power has been given by our lord Jesus Christ to tend, rule
and govern the universal Church. All this is to be found in
the acts of the ecumenical councils and the sacred canons...
Both clergy and
faithful, of whatever rite and dignity...are bound to submit
to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and
true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith
and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and
government of the Church throughout the world. [2]
In short, Catholic Tradition
maintains we must submit to the Roman Pontiff in matters of
discipline and governance, not merely in faith and morals.
The Pope Judges Tradition
Third, some folks infuriated by
the Ecclesia Dei Commission are confused over who is the final
arbiter of Catholic Tradition. A sample of their writings
includes the following:
The Pope, as the Vicar of
Christ, is given by Christ direct authority over the whole
Church, but he is not infallible in everything he says or does…God through
His Catholic Church has absolute authority over my
conscience, but in the last resort God meant me to judge, if
His hierarchy is departing from His teaching. Obedience to
men has limits. – Galatians 1:8-9 [3]
As one can see, these folks claim
the ability to judge the Roman Pontiff if they feel he is
departing from God's teaching. In practical terms, these folks
claim a higher competency than the Roman Pontiff to judge sacred
Tradition. Their claim however is not in accordance with the
Tradition of the Catholic Church. Rather, their claim appears to
be more in keeping with the tradition of Fr. Martin Luther, who
claimed at the Diet of Worms, "I do not accept the authority of
popes and councils for they have contradicted each other."
As for those who claim Pope John
Paul II has misinterpreted Catholic Tradition, this claim follows
the tradition of Calvin's following assertion:
"Nothing therefore can be more absurd than the fiction that
judging the Scriptures is in the Church and that on her nod its
certainty depends."
Thus, in keeping with Catholic
Tradition, as traditional Catholics we submit to, rather than
undermine, the judgment of Pope John Paul II when mediating
sacred Tradition.
Submission to Vatican II
Fourth, we do not as traditional
Catholics impugn the legitimacy of the ecumenical councils.
Rather, we recognize and submit to the teachings of all of the
Church's ecumenical councils, including the Second Vatican
Council. This is because in keeping with Catholic Tradition, we
recognize that the teachings of an ecumenical council, including
ones called for pastoral reasons, are an act of the Church's
teaching Magisterium. As the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia explains
in its entry under "General Councils":
From the earliest times they
who rejected the decisions of councils were themselves
rejected by the Church...The infallibility of the council is
intrinsic, i.e. springs from its nature. Christ promised to
be in the midst of two or three of His disciples gathered
together in His name; now an Ecumenical council is, in fact
or in law, a gathering of all Christ's co-workers for the
salvation of man through true faith and holy conduct; He is
therefore in their midst, fulfilling His promises and leading
them into the truth for which they are striving. His
presence, by cementing the unity of the assembly into one
body – His own mystical body – gives it the necessary
completeness, and makes up for any defect possibly arising
from the physical absence of a certain number of bishops. [4]
Therefore, even when a matter raised in an ecumenical council is
not definitively settled, as in the case of some of the Second
Vatican Council's teachings – we recognize that the truth of a
doctrine does not depend upon the express invocation of
infallibility, but rather infallibility is intrinsic to an
ecumenical council.
All Approved Liturgies are
Traditional
Fifth, traditional Catholics
worship according to a rite of Mass permitted by the Bishop of
Rome. Some of the more common liturgical forms within the Latin
Church are Pope Paul VI's reformed usage of the Roman Missal, the
1962 Indult permitted by Pope John Paul II, and the Anglican
Usage in the Roman liturgy. As traditional Catholics, we do not
impugn any of the Church's approved liturgical forms. Rather, in
keeping with Catholic Tradition, we adhere to the seventh canon
on the Sacrifice of the Mass from the Council of Trent. This
canon states:
If anyone says that the ceremonies, vestments, and outward
signs which the Catholic Church makes use of in the
celebration of Masses are incentives to impiety, rather than
offices of piety; let him be anathema. [5]
Because Pope Paul VI validly
promulgated his reform of the Roman Missal, traditional Catholics
recognize the Novus Ordo as an approved liturgy of the Catholic
Church. Some traditional Catholics may prefer to worship
according to the former 1962 liturgical usage; however, they
recognize in keeping with the Council of Trent that the Novus
Ordo is an office of piety.
Conclusion
We do not as traditional Catholics
pay lip service to the obligations of a faithful Catholic, and
upon our own private judgment decide when to comply with lawful
ecclesiastical authority. Rather, in keeping with Catholic
Tradition, we submit to the Roman Pontiff and the diocesan bishop
in communion with him. Therefore, with regards to Msgr. Calkins'
most recent critics, we need not be concerned with false
allegations claiming that traditional Catholicism is under
attack. Rather, we must ask ourselves as traditional Catholics
whether those who perpetuate such criticism truly conform to
Catholic Tradition.
Originally Published in The
Wanderer December 6, 2001
Bibliography:
[1] Vatican I: Dogmatic
Constitution "Pastor Aeternus" §2,1 (July 18, 1870)
[2] Vatican I: Dogmatic
Constitution "Pastor Aeternus" §3,1,2 (July 18, 1870)
[3] Society of St. Pius X:
"Where is Catholic Obedience Today?"
[4] Catholic Encyclopedia: From
the article "General Councils" (c. 1913)
[5] Council of Trent: Canon Seven
on the Sacrifice of the Mass from Session XXII (September 17,
1562)
Other Notes:
The citations from the First
Vatican Council were obtained at the following link: http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V1.HTM
The citation from a Society of St.
Pius X Pamphlet on "Obedience" can be read at the
following link: http://www.traditio.com/tradlib/obedienc.txt
Warning: The
nature of the above site is one of promoting disobedience to the
Supreme Pontiff and a refusal to maintain communion with those
who are subject to him. (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church
§817 on schism and the Code of Canon Law 751 which the section
references.) For this reason, the present authors cannot in
conscience recommend the site at all and post the above link for
verification purposes only.
The citation from the Catholic
Encyclopedia (1913) article "General Councils" was
obtained at the following link: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04423f.htm
The citation from the Council of
Trent was obtained at the following link: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct22.html
©2003, 2001 "What Makes
Us Catholic Traditionalists", written by I. Shawn McElhinney
and Pete Vere JCL. This text may be downloaded or printed out for
private reading, but it may not be uploaded to another Internet
site or published, electronically or otherwise, without express
written permission from the author.
