George Weigel on the banning of Masses at St. Peter's Basilica

George Weigel thoroughly examines and exposes the "ukase" from the First Section of the Vatican Secretariat of State regarding celebration of the Mass at side altars at St. Peter's Basilica -- "a term I use deliberately, as what was done on March 12th more resembled the diktat of an autocratic Russian czar than the carefully pondered decision of a “synodal” Church."

I urge you to read the whole thing, not only for his precise critique in terms of Canon Law and simple justice and his observant critique in terms of Christian culture, but also for his defense of a free use of the Extraordinary Form -- a defense that cannot but awaken in the minds of reasonable Novus Ordo-leaning Catholics questions about the real motives of such a suppression. 

Since Weigel often inspires in Traditionalists a sort of impatient derision for his Vatican II cheerleading, I think it's only fair that he be given credit for this really spirited and honest assessment of what the restrictive "ukase" really means.  

Here I would simply like again to pose to the imagination the effect -- the image and experience for the faithful trying to attend Mass at St. Peter's of a weekday morning -- of replacing organic, free worship in the heart of Roman Catholicism with regulated, tightly controlled Masses. Besides anger at the random imposition of strange  rules, I can't help but picture to myself the sheer awkwardness of it all.

For awkward these Masses will be, because they will require concelebration in one language only (Italian). In ordinary circumstances (funerals, weddings, Sunday Masses in parishes with more than a few priests), concelebration is, I put to you -- be honest with yourself now -- universally felt as awkward. 

The instructions for it don't seem to be clear, and the bumbling steps required to come forward and then relinquish center stage in a vague (at least to the participants) pattern is not something that comes naturally to priests, judging by how often they have to point helpfully to the sacramentary or even nudge each other to pick up their appointed place. 

The faithful subjected to these Masses basically have to endure the disjointed passing along of the liturgical hot potato, hoping that it won't be dropped. The awkwardness has only been exacerbated by Covid; where before the concelebrating priest could at least hang over his confrere's shoulder to follow along, he now has to get his cues from afar. 

The truth is that concelebration is not really a thing. It's quite, quite made up. Priests ought to say their own Masses, and the faithful at a basilica (or anywhere else) have a right to participate in their Masses when they come across them. 

Add to the often cringe-making ordeal the insistence that it all be done in a language that after all, is not going to be common to all visitors at St. Peter's, priestly or otherwise, and a real disconnect is being introduced -- all without actual authority or canonical sanction, as Weigel amply demonstrates.

The natural supernaturalness of pilgrims and priests finding their places with great freedom at the (numerous!) side altars of St. Peter's is now to be an experience of the past. Why? The collective memory will greatly suffer. The young (if ever one is allowed to travel again) will simply not know this mysteriously organic unchoreographed choreography of morning Masses at the side altars of St. Peter's. 

I hope that priests will go to other basilicas and say their Masses there. Apparently St. Peter's is meant to fall silent; so be it. Let the murmur of worship be taken up elsewhere, in freedom -- let life go on where it may.