[Question:]{.underline} Was the traditional Mass ever abrogated?
[Answer:]{.underline} The most extraordinary and astonishing admission contained in the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, of July 7, 2007, made both in the document itself, and in the Pope’s explanatory letter to the world’s bishops, is that the traditional Mass was never abrogated. This means that since 1969 the traditional Mass has always been perfectly permissible, regardless of what we have constantly been told to the contrary. These are the Pope’s own words: “As for the use of the 1962 Missal as an extraordinary form of the liturgy of the Mass, I would like to draw attention to fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle was always permitted”. The Pope even goes further. He goes so far as to say that it could not have been abrogated: “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”
BENEDICT XVI VS PAUL VI
What a contrast this is to the statements of Pope Paul VI, who whilst never formally stating the abrogation of St. Pius V’ Quo Primum, nevertheless constantly maintained that the New Mass had “force of law” (April 3, 1969), that it would “replace” (April 6, 1969) the traditional Mass as of November 30, 1969, and that it was consequently obligatory. This is how categorically he described the obligation of this obedience, faced with objections, in his general audience of November 19, 1969: “The reform about to be implemented, then corresponds to an authoritative mandate of the Church. It is an act of obedience, an attempt by the Church to maintain Her true nature. It is a step forward in Her authentic tradition. It is a demonstration of fidelity and vitality to which we [all]{.underline} should render prompt adherence…We shall do well to accept it with joyous enthusiasm and to implement it with prompt and [unanimous]{.underline} observance”. (Davies, Pope Paul’s New Mass, p. 557). He was to repeat the same obligation in his discourse to the Consistory on May 24, 1976: “The adoption of the New Mass is certainly not left to the free decision of the priests and faithful…The New Ordo was promulgated to take the place of the old one.”
Until now, these statements have never been changed, but rather maintained by the Roman authorities. We are particularly grateful for this document because it is an admission that Paul VI was wrong, that he had a false notion of the Church’s tradition (that he invoked for it) and was in contradiction with St. Pius V. In fact, this Motu proprio is a direct contradiction of Paul VI. We saw this abandonment of post-conciliar reforms for the question of the translation of the “pro multis”, and now we have seen it with obligation of the New Mass. We can expect to see it in other areas of doctrine and practice that are in contradiction with the Church’s Tradition. However, it is particularly disingenuous, if not hypocritical, for Benedict XVI to now pretend that Paul VI never wanted to make the new rite obligatory, by this misleading statement: “At the time of the introduction of the new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for the possible use of the earlier Missal.” In truth, Paul VI foresaw no such “possible use”.
Answered by Father Peter Scott, SSPX.