Friday, July 6, 2007

Heeeeere we go!

"Anti-Semitic" is the prearranged judgement on the MP, which I feel safe saying really is going to be released tomorrow. Let's see how many news stories follow the leader.

It worked so well on Pius XII, after all. And who can really blame them? How could they possibly resist the temptation, given the nationality of the Pope? Certainly nothing was held back in that regard after the conclave.

Just for fun, I offer Jeff's media template for MP stories which he offers in convenient point form.

Some people feel nostalgic for the Latin Mass.

In the Latin Mass the priest faces away from the congregation and prays, sometimes in a whisper, in Latin, a language unfamiliar to most of the world’s one billion Roman Catholics. Unlike in the new Mass which is celebrated in the vernacular with the priests facing their congregations.

Because two generations of American Catholics are accustomed to hearing the Mass celebrated in English, it's unlikely most will want to switch to a liturgy that is longer, more formal and celebrated in a language they don't understand.

Pope Benedict is taking the church back to before Vatican II and removing the reforms of the Council. Liberal, reform-minded Catholics are concerned about these rollbacks to progress made.

Some prayer for the Tridentine liturgy are offensive to Jews.

The Rev. < Insert Jesuit of choice> said < insert attack on the Tridentine rite>.

The groundbreaking Second Vatican Council opened the door to worship in the local vernacular.

The Latin Mass involves a diminished role for women as altar servers and eliminates progress made in women's equality since Vatican II.

These changes will only aggravate declining Mass attendance by introducing a liturgy not relevant to the times.

Insert comment by former America editor Thomas Reese now a fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. (Make sure you mention he was forced out of the editorship by Pope Benedict.) If you can't get in touch with Thomas Reese for a direct quote just mention something about clash of cultures between conservative priests and liberal congregations.

Pope Benedict has been receiving resistance from the Bishops in France, England, and Wales who worry about the change dividing the church.

But liberals are deeply wary because a number of the rite's adherents are associated with ultra conservative groups that oppose the radical reforms ushered in by the Council.

The proponents of the old Latin mass are said to number no more than 2 percent of Catholics, and polls show that the majority of Catholics embrace the reforms of
Vatican II. There seems to be no demand for it.

Insert a comment from a proponent of the Tridentine Rite at the bottom of your piece.

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