'We, the undersigned, lay Faithful and Priests, ask graciously that the appeal for generosity extended towards celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, in his Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, be guarded and defended with zeal in the forthcoming clarification of the letter.
Whether as ordained celebrants of the Mass, or as lay persons incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, the undersigned recognise, esteem and value immensely the great service performed for the Church by the Apostolic letter, Summorum Pontificum, issued by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
'What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.'
These are the words in Summorum Pontificum that have inspired hope among the Priests and Faithful who sign this letter. All of the undersigned have discovered the 'mutual enrichment' of the Usus Antiquior and the Novus Ordo, described by His Holiness, as being a matter of 'a twofold use of one and the same rite'.
Many of the undersigned have come to experience, by being exposed to the Traditional Latin Mass, a deepening of our respect for the Sacraments, in particular the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, a respect and love fostered by a Divine Liturgy that is permeated with placing the Eucharistic Sacrifice at the very heart of the Mass, a Divine Liturgy showing forth the Mystery of the God who for us 'was made man and dwelt among us'.
The undersigned have found considerable strength in their individual missions, whether as Priests, lay persons or in religious life, by experiencing the riches of what 'other generations held as sacred' in the Usus Antiquior. Furthermore, Summorum Pontificum has yielded spiritual fruits both seen and unseen, fruits which have manifested themselves in a notable rise in vocations for those religious houses and seminaries which have adopted the celebration of Mass in the Extraordinary Form.
The undersigned recognise that while His Holiness upheld in his Apostolic Letter that `these two expressions of the Church's Lex orandi (Law of prayer) will in no any way lead to a division in the Church's Lex credendi (Law of belief)', there still exists a concerning degree of opposition, even in the highest levels of the Church, to the Apostolic Letter, in which His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, proclaimed, `We order that everything We have established with these Apostolic Letters issued as Motu Proprio be considered as "established and decreed"'.
Therefore, we, the undersigned, humbly implore that both the spirit and the letter of Summorum Pontificum be defended as if the very life of souls depends upon it, for those undersigned, whether as ordained ministers of Christ's Church, or as lay faithful, who have been exposed to the Traditional Latin Mass, are very much convinced that it does.
We remain your humble and obedient servants.'
I am told that letters should go to the following addresses, though, if we are writing to His Holiness himself, then we may have to alter it somewhat!
His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI
Palazzo Apostolico
Via del Pellegrino
00120 Citta del Vaticano
His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
Segretetia di Stato
Palazzo Apostolico
00120 Citta del Vaticano
His Eminence Cardinal William J. Levada
Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede
Piazza del S. Uffizio 11
00l20 Citta del Vaticano
Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"
Piazza del S. Uffizio 11
00l20 Citta del Vaticano
Please sign your name, locality and country.
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