Vatican letter to Bishops on Humanae Vitae found

LifeSite has found and published a letter sent from the Vatican to all Bishops with a pre-release copy of Humanae Vitae. Even from a distance of these many years it is a hard letter to read knowing the vast distance between what was asked in this letter and the response it was given in return. If this paragraph doesn't absolutely eviscerate you:

The Holy Father knows full well the bitterness that this reply may cause many married persons who were expecting a different solution for their difficulties. It is precisely the solicitude for those souls in anguish, and the ardent desire to bring them light and solace, which caused the great delay in giving this reply. Mindful of the grave consequences entailed by a decision of this nature, the Common Father wished to study the entire question for Himself and in detail. For a long time He reflected, with respectful consideration, upon the results of the studies and discussions of the Commission charged with examining the various aspects of the problem; for a long time, He prayed. He consulted numerous wise and learned members of the Episcopate, of the clergy, of the laity; and all of this took months and even years.

this one will:

And now He turns to His Brothers, the Bishops of the Catholic world, asking them to stand beside Him more firmly than ever in this circumstance, and to help Him present this delicate point of the Church's teaching to the Christian people, to explain and justify its profound reasons. The Pope counts upon the attachment of His Brothers in the Episcopate to the Chair of Peter, upon their love for the Church, upon their concern for the true good of souls.

One can almost feel the pain in Pope Paul VI's heart as he likely knew that even this cover letter would be ignored. We tend to forget that the word "Pope" comes from the same etymological base as the term "Papa"; in reading words like this just how much of a Papa was Papa Montini, and indeed is every Pope, truly comes to light. We have much to do.

On the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae

To think, this tiny document, this little firecracker, could hold so much power. And yet perhaps the comparison to a firecracker is more than apt. If the world had held itself open to the teachings of Pope Paul VI it would have witnessed a brilliant explosion of light. Instead it chose to tighten the fist of its heart around that firecracker and hope that if it just would squeeze tight enough nobody would notice the firecracker go off.

We know what happens when you close your fist around a firecracker. Broken bones. Savaged flesh. Blood, gore and carnage, pain and embarassment. Does this yet sound familiar? It is proven by history that ignoring those small teachings re-stated in Humanae Vitae has led to all the things Paul VI predicted and even worse.

Do yourself, and the whole world, a favor and read Humanae Vitae again. I first read it after an argument over its teachings and I was shocked at both its brevity and its simplicity. It is, without a doubt, a document you can read in one sitting but well worthy of many more.

Hello? This is Il Papa...

Fr. Z. tells us the Pope has apparently phoned the reluctant French bishops and convinced them of the propriety of the pending Motu Proprio freeing up the use of the Tridentine Mass. Personally, whenever I get an unexpected phone call from my boss my heart goes in my throat, so I can't even comprehend the reaction one would have getting a phone call from the Pope.

Now I must also admit that I have never actually participated in any way in a Tridentine Mass, since there are none in New Hampshire (the closest I believe in Boston, MA) so I don't have the direct affection for it, but I do sympathize with those who suffer with the abuses of the Missal of Pope Paul VI (Novus Ordo as we all call it) some like to foist on us. Note the proper emphasis in that statement - "abuses of", not "abuses in" - I do believe it is possible to have, and have personally seen, very reverent N.O. Masses. Even versus populum. I do, however, also agree that the freedom of the N.O. Mass combined with versus populum and combined with the far more damaging culture into which it was introduced originally can lead to abuses. That is why I believe allowing both rites to exist alongside each other is a positive action. It is my firm hope that those who continue to abuse the Pauline Missal will see this Motu Proprio as a signal that the time for personal creativity at the altar is over. If that is the only effect of this Motu Proprio it will be one of the most important documents of this century. Oremus, fratres! (I'm sure someone will correct my Latin if I'm wrong there.)

Tags: Catholic, Liturgy, Benedict, Paul VI, Tridentine

"The Smoke of Satan" Explicated

Jimmy Akin has a masterpiece of a post on the famous "smoke of Satan" homily from Pope Paul VI. This is one of the terms that has been twisted and bandied about by just about anyone who really wants to make a point about what happened during and after the Second Vatican Council. Jimmy's unfolding of the original homily just plain makes sense, which is usually a good thing. Even better, it douses the smoldering flames of conspiracy with a good bucket of water. A snip of one part:

The Second Vatican Council did its work to renew the Church and to bring a new day of light. However, the Council's work has been frustrated by an attack by the devil by means of broader sociological currents that were present in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as secular social experts and social movements and scientists who lack faith and political and cultural revolutionaries. These sociological currents ("the smoke of Satan") have infected the Catholic community and caused many to doubt and trust the Church and turn away from the eternal answers it has to offer and folow after passing modern ideas that are hostile to Christian thought. In this way the devil has thwarted the work of the Council in bringing in the day of joy and renewal that should have followed the Council.

As is said in blogville: Go. Read.

Tags: Catholic, Vatican II, Paul VI