CHARLESTON, South Carolina (LifeSiteNews) — Charleston’s Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone has issued a letter severely restricting the Latin Mass and traditional sacraments, while attacking those he described as “relegating the ‘NOVUS ORDO’ to a lesser expression of the prayer of the Church.”
Dated November 12, Guglielmone’s letter told the priests and deacons of the Charleston, South Carolina, diocese that the Second Vatican Council had “indicated that the Liturgy should be renewed with the goal of full and active participation of the entire gathered community.”
The bishop’s letter is his awaited response to Pope Francis’ July 16 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, in which the pontiff significantly restricted the Latin Mass, declaring that the liturgy of Paul VI, or the Novus Ordo, is the “unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.”
Praising the changes made following Vatican II, such as use of the vernacular, and the relegation of some of the duties of clerics to the laity, Guglielmone lamented that the “charge of the Council for ‘active’ participation has not been fully accepted and realized.”
Such a still-desired change could not be brought about with the use of the traditional liturgy, Guglielmone suggested. The Latin Mass “can be a spiritual help to many people,” he admitted, but “is not necessarily consistent with the direction that Vatican II pointed out to the Church.”
“Many of the goals” of the Latin Mass could be achieved in “eucharistic adoration or in private prayer,” said the 75-year-old bishop.
“There are those, indeed even in our own diocese who regard the Mass of 1962 as the ‘TRUE Mass’ while relegating the ‘NOVUS ORDO’ to a lesser expression of the prayer of the Church,” the bishop claimed.
New restrictions on Mass
Starting November 28, midnight Mass at Christmas will be forbidden, while only one Mass, instead of the usual three, is permitted on All Souls Day. Mirroring the restrictions implemented in Rome, Guglielmone also banned the traditional Triduum, including the Easter vigil.
Weekday Masses in the traditional liturgy are only permitted if there is also a Novus Ordo Mass said on the same day.
Identifying four parishes only which are to be allowed to hold celebrations of the Latin Mass, Guglielmone decreed that there could be a “singular Mass of Obligation” on Sundays and holy days.
Only those priests who were already celebrating the Latin Mass when Pope Francis’ motu proprio came out in July, are to be allowed to continue doing so in the Diocese of Charleston.
Sacraments heavily curtailed
While the provisions for Mass are restrictive, the traditional sacraments are even more affected, as Guglielmone expressly prohibited confirmation and the anointing of the sick.
Prince of Peace Catholic Church in upstate South Carolina had previously provided traditional confirmations to parishioners with the permission of the bishop.
The same parish’s noon Latin Mass on Sundays has roughly 400 faithful participating (more than any Novus Ordo in the parish), which has grown organically from under 100 faithful several years ago.
Similarly, the other parishes designated by the bishop to keep the Latin Mass have seen significant growth.
Baptisms, Guglielmone said, are to be permitted “only at the request of the individual parents.”
Marriages and funerals are now also subject to stringent conditions, with traditional marriages only occurring with the permission of the bishop himself, and funerals only with the “specific prior written request of the deceased.”
Popular blogger Fr. John Zuhlsdorf commented sarcastically:
What about certain moments in people’s lives, such as getting married, yoking yourself sacramentally until your last breath to another for the sake of helping each other get to heaven and bringing children into the world. Not pivotal or important at all, I guess. No reason to be pastorally, paternally sensitive to their “legitimate aspirations” as Saint John Paul II called them. No no … we will permit all sorts of goofy stuff at “normal” weddings, but you people can just shut up and take a seat in the back of the bus.
Regarding the sacrament of anointing of the sick, he added:
What about another pivotal moment in your life: DYING. The bishop forbids that a person who truly longs for the traditional form of anointing by denied. Father is supposed to refuse to do it. “Please, Father, anoint me in the old way?” “No. The bishop says you can’t have that.”
“Please, Father, anoint my grandpa with the traditional book?” “Nope. No can do! Here, have a tissue.”
Honestly, I might have a heart as cold as a frog on a mountain, but I don’t think I could look into teary, anxious eyes and deny anointing with the older book.
What priest could do that? What bishop would even suggest that? For the love of all that’s holy … what’s with that?
Zuhlsdorf said the Pope’s motu proprio is “immensely harsh and cruel,” asking why bishops “would willingly succumb to that spirit? … These are young and zealous Catholics who are going to weather the demographic storm we are in. These are the people you want to attack right now?”
A spokesperson of the Diocese of Charleston did not respond to LifeSiteNews’ request for comment.
Editor’s note, Nov. 29, 2021: After two of the four parishes designated for the Latin Mass had asked to have a traditional midnight Mass, Bishop Guglielmone granted permission for this year.