Duties of Bishops in Canon Law

Duties of Bishops in Canon Law - Liturgy

JMJ

After the publication of Universae Ecclesiae, the local ordinaries (ie Bishops) had to contend with the fact that the laity could haul their behinds into ecclesiastical court.

I know of at least one instance where the bishop stated that while the Pope has the authority to allow the use of the Tridentine Mass (... he used extraordinary form ...), the bishops have are responsible under Canon Law for the public celebration of the liturgy.

He went on to state that they didn't want it to be a source of ... wait for it ... division.

At that point it became a little ludicrous as His Grace pointed out that those attending the diocesan SP mass had to accept everything that went on at the other Churches. He went on to explain a number of different ways in which the Mass is celebrated in various ethnic communities in the diocese. The Tridentine Mass feeds our souls, these other masses feed their souls.

A little freaky as we have a complete breakdown of what it meant to be Roman Catholic and how we have hyphenated Catholicism.

So what are the responsibilities of a Bishop with regards to the liturgy etc?

You can find their complete canonical responsibilities here on the Vatican website. Here are the canons to which I think the Archbishop was referring:

Can. 392 §1. Since he must protect the unity of the universal Church, a bishop is bound to promote the common discipline of the whole Church and therefore to urge the observance of all ecclesiastical laws.

Ok so he is to urge the observance of all ecclesiastical laws. That's good to know, but the second article is even more telling.

§2. He is to exercise vigilance so that abuses do not creep into ecclesiastical discipline, especially regarding the ministry of the word {Tradical: ... the Mass}, the celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals, the worship of God and the veneration of the saints, and the administration of goods.

So the 'unity of the universal Church' is not about what particular liturgical abuse 'feeds' an individual's soul. It is about ensuring that abuses do not creep into ecclesiastical discipline.

From what the Archbishop said, it almost seemed as if he believed that the Tridentine Mass was an abuse and danger to unity.

I wish I had read this canon before that meeting in 2011. I would have been able to ask some more pointed questions.

Talk about doublespeak and doublethink.

P^3

Comments

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