Monday, February 05, 2007

Interview with Cardinal Hoyos

[Via CTNgreg and Rorate Caeli, an excerpt from an interview with Cardinal Hoyos. The bold text is that of the interviewer.]

The rite of the Mass today gathers the faithful around the altar, inculturating itself in their reality and language. Will the rite of Saint Pius X, with the priest with his back to the faithful and prayed in Latin, return?

The great love of Christ is the Eucharist, it is not fair that it divide us. The Mass of Saint Pius V was celebrated for more than a thousand years. It was never forbidden. [sic] Even if I do not understand the words, it is not as if I understand much more when I say "This is my Body" and see a piece of bread: only the Faith makes me believe in the present Christ. The Holy Father will extend the permission for this celebration, which is not in opposition to the one of today.

Is it not a step backwards?

I celebrate it nowadays, and, in the first part, in which I make the homily, I am looking at the faithful, who are my brethren, whom I must teach; afterwards, I represent the faithful: let us now [turn] towards God, there is our goal, to give praise to God, and we are all together. It is not a step backwards, it is preserving an asset without opposing it to another.

To make the Mass attractive and joyful to the youth of this culture of the image, there have been initiatives such as the "Disco Mass", and dances of erotic origin were seen in Africa. Is [the 1962 Missal] a solution [original text: "remedio"] to stop these abuses?

It is an element, not "the solution". The new liturgy has not been "the solution". Were our churches fuller or emptier before? They have been emptied! It is true that not only due to this, but the Mass becomes one among several other rites of the world, and to strike what is sacred is a grave matter. The meaning of "Sacrifice" was forgotten. The Eucharist carries [us] to the Resurrection, but through Passion and Death. It is a feast of the spirit, for our redemption. The most important for Jesus was not eating with Him, but eating Him.

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