Instruction on Summorum Pontificum will reinforce Pope's directive: Vatican analyst

March 08, 2011

A Vatican document following up on the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which called for broader use of the traditional Latin liturgy, will be released within weeks, according to Italy’s leading Vatican-watcher.

Journalist Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale, who has compiled an enviable record for correctly predicting news developments at the Vatican, reports that an Instruction to clarify the terms of the motu proprio has been drafted and is now being translated in preparation for its publication.

Although some traditionalist groups have expressed fears that the Instruction might water down the provisions of the motu proprio, Tornielli reports that the new document will actually strengthen the force of the Pope’s directive to expand use of the extraordinary form. The Instruction will encourage seminaries to prepare future priests for using the traditional liturgy, he says. And the document will indicate that when Summorum Pontificum refers to the need for a “stable group” to request the Latin liturgy, that phrase should not be interpreted to require a congregation that was in existence prior to the promulgation of the motu proprio.

The Instruction, Tornielli reports, will state clearly that bishops should not place additional restraints on the use of the extraordinary form, but should follow the provisions of the Pope’s directive to make the traditional liturgy more widely available.

 

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Further information:

• Un’istruzione per i fedeli e per la messa (Il Giornale)