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| Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre |
- First I must dispel a misunderstanding…I am not the head
of a movement, even less the head of a particular church. I am not, as they
never stop writing, “the leader of the traditionalists.” They have come to
describe certain persons as “Lefebvrists.” I have no personal doctrine in the
matter of religion. All my life I have held to what I was taught at the French
Seminary in Rome, namely Catholic doctrine according to the interpretation
given it by the teaching authority of the Church from century to century, since
the death of the last Apostle which marked the end of Revelation.
- [The bishops are no longer saying the same things]; how
often, for example, have you heard them speak of the social reign [Kingship] of
Our Lord Jesus Christ? My personal experience never ceases to amaze me. These
bishops for the most part were fellow students with me in Rome, trained in the
same manner. And then, all of the sudden, I found myself alone. But I have
invented nothing new; I was carrying on.
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| Flood Gates Opened |
- Vatican II only
opened the gates which were holding back
the devastating flood…it was catastrophic. Everything, almost, was to be swept
away; prayer first. Learning prayers by heart, as we did, is now denigrated as “parrot-fashion.”
Children are no longer taught the words…except the Our Father. And even that is
in a new version…which makes the child address God as
“tu.” (This
is the informal version of “you” rather than the formal “vous” commonly used
for authority figures and, above all, for God) The familiar style of
speech has also invaded the whole body of
vernacular liturgy: the new Sunday missal makes it exclusive and
obligatory, though one can see no reason for a change so contrary to French
style and custom.
-Prayer must be “spontaneous,” we must speak to God out of
the abundance of our hearts, so they tell us now; and they scorn the marvelous
educational system of the Church which has produced and perfected all these
prayers, which have been the support of the greatest saints (Not to mention that the Our Father and Hail Mary are
directly from Our Lord and Sacred Scripture respectively)
- In many Catholic schools they no longer want the prayer at
the start of the lesson, on the pretext that some of the pupils are unbelievers
or belong to other religions…young Catholics, meanwhile, must conceal their
faith: this on the pretext of respecting the opinions of their schoolmates.
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| Must now respect consciences...religious liberty |
-The genuflection is now practiced by only a small number of
the faithful; the furniture has been changed and the prie-dieus (kneelers) have been
broken up for firewood….what we see here is a desire to modify the relationship
of man to God in the direction of familiarity and casualness, as if we were
dealing with Him as equals.
- Everything that contributed to the beauty of the buildings and the
splendor of the ceremonies is decried as “triumphalism.” The décor must now be
nearer to that of everyday life. But in the ages of faith, they offered to God
the most precious things they had…Christians made financial sacrifices to
honor Almighty God in the best way they could…when the three Magi came to visit
the poor crib at Bethlehem, they brought with them gold, frankincense, and
myrrh.
- Those readers who remember the years before the war will
recall the fervor of the Corpus Christi processions with their numerous
stations, the chants, the thuribles, the monstrance gleaming in the sun,
carried by the priest under the gold-embroidered canopy; the banners, the flowers,
the bells. The sense of adoration was born into the children’s souls and
ingrained there for life. This primordial aspect of prayer seems greatly
neglected.
Do I hear somebody still taking about the necessary evolution and
new habits of life?
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| Corpus Christi Procession |
- The almost total disappearance in France of processions is
not caused by a lack of interest on the part of the faithful. It is proscribed
by the new pastoral theory which, however, is ceaselessly urging the “active
participation of the People of God.”
- Priests no longer offer the Holy Sacrifice each day; and
when they do, they concelebrate, and the number of Masses has diminished
accordingly. In country districts, it is practically impossible to attend Mass
during the week; on Sundays, a car is needed to travel out the locality whose
turn it is to receive the “sector priest.”…It is impossible to receive
Communion on First Fridays and First Saturdays of the month…Sunday is split up
between different language groups; a Portuguese Mass, a French Mass, a Spanish
Mass…It is commonplace for Catholics to find themselves attending Masses where
they do not understand a single word.
- No more Masses, or very few; no more processions, no more
Benedictions of the Blessed Sacrament, no more Vespers….There is the intrusion
of secular rhythms with all kinds of percussion instruments, guitars and
saxophones. A musician [in France] wrote:
“The
music of these songs is not modern; this musical style is not new, but has been
played in the most profane places and surroundings (cabarets, music halls, often
for more or less lascivious dances with foreign names). The people are led on
to rock or swing. They all feel an urge to dance about.” The more elaborate
pieces, executed by choirs, show a secular influence, and excite the feelings
rather than penetrate the soul as plainchant does.
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| "Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music...Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part in the ecclesiastical offices." - Tra le Sollecitudini |
- A novelty appeared little while ago: posters placed in
church porches reading “to praise God, clap your hands.” So during the
celebration, at the sign of the leader, the congregation raised their hands
above their heads and clapped rhythmically and loudly, producing an unfamiliar
din within the sanctuary.
- The liturgy in French deafens the congregation with a
flooding of words so that many complain that they can no longer pray during
Mass. When, then, will they pray?
- [Finally], Yoga and Zen are the strangest, a disastrous
orientalism which, claiming to lead to a “hygiene of the soul,”directs devotion
in false ways. [This is leading many to say], “They are changing our religion.”
Examples:
- I have been told of the case of the Blessed Sacrament
Chapel in a big parish in Paris, which used to be visited by a number of people
working nearby during their lunch hour. One day it was closed for work to be
carried out. When the doors were opened again, the
prie-dieus had disappeared. On a comfortable pile carpet were deep
upholstered seats, evidently expensive and of the sort found in the reception
foyers of big companies or airlines. The comportment of the faithful changed at
once: some knelt on the carpet, but most made themselves comfortable and
meditated before the tabernacle cross-legged.
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| No Kneelers...Common to see people cross-legged on floor |
- They organize “domestic eucharists” in dining rooms or
even in kitchens. I have been told of one of these, celebrated in the home of a
deceased person in the presence of his family and friends. After the ceremony,
the chalice was removed and then, on the same table covered with the same table
cloth, they setup a buffet meal. At the same time, only a few hundred yards
away, only the birds were singing to the Lord around the thirteenth-century
church decorated with magnificent stained glass windows.
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| Mass Apperitif in Dining or Living Room |
- In 1969, a parish priest in the Oise section of France was
expelled by his bishop who had forbidden the organization of the traditional
procession of Corpus Christi. The procession took place nevertheless and drew
ten times more people than the village had inhabitants. Can anyone say that the
new pastoral style is in accordance with the deep longings of those Christians
who remain attached to such forms of piety?
- [A group called the
pastorale
d’ensemble was assembled in France to encourage
échanges (exchanges) or sharing- of speech, of views, on the
Gospel, and of handshakes too…but the results in Paris were as follows]:
From time
to time during the last two years, the 9:30 mass has been in a rather special
style, inasmuch as the proclaiming of the Gospel was followed by an échange for
which those present formed groups of about ten persons. The first time the
celebration was tried, only 69 people joined and 138 remained outside. One
would have thought that with the help of time there would have been an
improvement. This has not been the case. The parish team then organized a
meeting to see whether or not to continue with the “Masses with Sharing.”
More Disturbing Images:
Continue to Chapter III...
- First I must dispel a misunderstanding…I am not the head
of a movement, even less the head of a particular church. I am not, as they
never stop writing, “the leader of the traditionalists.” They have come to
describe certain persons as “Lefebvrists.” I have no personal doctrine in the
matter of religion. All my life I have held to what I was taught at the French
Seminary in Rome, namely Catholic doctrine according to the interpretation
given it by the teaching authority of the Church from century to century, since
the death of the last Apostle which marked the end of Revelation.
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