All the sanctuaries of the Holy Land must be equipped to make it possible for pilgrims to celebrate the Mass according to the Tridentine Rite, keeping in mind however the needs of all.
Concerning Lefebvrist priests of the Fraternity of St. Pius X, they can celebrate in the basilicas and sanctuaries, but privately and without making their initiatives public.
These are the main guidelines contained in the decree “on the use of the liturgy according to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite”, put out by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, in implementation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum with which Benedict XVI sanctioned the use in the liturgy of the pre-Vatican II rite.
The text is dated 23 September 2011, but was made public just hours ago on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The decree's form is that of a decalogue, which translates, for the very particular context of the Holy Land, the general instructions contained in the Instruction on the Application of the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum, published last April by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
The decree signals the de facto return of the ancient rite also for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. A novelty, however, that – at least for now – is not extended to local Christians. “In the parishes and chaplaincies of the diocese of the Latin Patriarchate”, Fouad Twal writes in the introduction, “the Eucharist is always to be celebrated according to the ordinary form of the Roman Missal, approved by the Servant of God Pope Paul VI (1970) and promulgated in its third edition by Pope John Paul II (2000).
Considering the consistent number of basilicas and sanctuaries built on holy places and open to welcoming pilgrims from all over the world, the celebration of the Eucharist according to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite is always an exception. It is allowed only for groups of pilgrims already accustomed to celebrating according to this rite in their own country”.
It is within this picture, therefore, that the ten rules for the basilicas and sanctuaries of the Holy Land are laid out. The first indicates the general attitude, which is that of a “spirit of welcome, pastoral zeal and prudence”, that must be applied also in regard to traditionalist groups who come to the Holy Land.
The other rules, instead, are more practical: it must be verified that every priest has the celebret (the permission to celebrate granted to every Catholic priest) and that he knows the ancient rite sufficiently well; every sanctuary must offer the Roman Missal of 1962 (that promulgated by John XXIII, not that of Pius V) and must be in possession of the proper vestments and liturgical fittings.
It is encouraged that each church have in a side chapel an altar that allows one to celebrate the Eucharist with one's back to the people. Since concelebration is not allowed in the extraordinary form, traditionalist groups accompanied by more than one priest are requested to have only one priest celebrate the Eucharist, to avoid occupying an altar for several consecutive Masses to the detriment of the other pilgrims.
The rectors of the basilicas and sanctuaries are asked not to allow the administration of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and matrimony without the explicit permission of the local ordinary. The document also specifies that the ordinations of deacons, priests and bishops in the sanctuaries of the Holy Land are never permitted without the written approval of the patriarch of Jerusalem, under penalty of the sanctions set forth in the Code of Canon Law.
The last point of the decalogue, finally, regards the Lefebvrists: “The priests of the Fraternity of St. Pius X”, the text reads, “can celebrate in the basilicas and sanctuaries in a private manner and without publicizing their initiatives”.
It is a norm that evidently applies to the current situation: if, in fact, the dialogue underway with the Holy See for full readmission into the Catholic Church should prove successful, this point would probably be revised on the basis of new instructions from the Vatican.
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