...just what the <fill-in-the-blank-here> was he thinking? CWN has the scoop:
Naples, Sep. 17, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Raffaele Nogaro of Caserta, Italy forbade the celebrate of the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass on Sunday, September 15, despite the permission granted by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) for all priests to use the older liturgical form.This, above all else, from a Bishop whose native tongue is a direct offshoot of the very Latin he derides. When sides as diverse as Pope Benedict and Cardinal Mahoney fall on the same side of the line and you find yourself on the other, you simply have to start questioning yourself.
The Italian daily Il Messagero reports that Bishop Nogaro ordered Msgr. Giovanni Battista Gionta to cancel plans for a Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal at the Shrine of St. Anne. Msgr. Gionta, who had scheduled the Mass at the request of local Catholics, posted a note at the shrine to announce that he was changing plans. "I obey the bishop," he explained.
Il Messagero said that Bishop Nogaro ordered the cancellation of the Mass "so as not to set a precedent." The bishop said that he was taking action to help his people pray properly, since "to mumble in Latin serves no purpose."
You have to wonder how long it will be before this Bishop is called for a little talking-to. Maybe I'm wrong, but it is my understanding that no individual Bishop may overrule a juridicial ruling by the Church's supreme lawman, the Pope. If that were possible, the Chair of Peter would lose its role as guarantor of unity which is one of its highest callings. Needless to say, we need to pray for this Bishop as well as the priest and people he has harmed.
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