THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDECH A Defence of ... - Rore Sanctifica

to omit those prayers, of course. We are quite free to hold-----as I hold too-----that it was deplorable
to make such confusing, ambiguous, and even scandalous omissions." But he insists, as Dr. Clark
does, and as I accept without reservation, that Pope Paul VI did not have Cranmer's heretical
intention in excising these prayers. Father Harrison believes the Pope's motives to have been a "zeal
for ecumenism" which prompts the expression of Catholic doctrine in a "way that gives as little
offence as possible to the separated brethren. Ill advised? Many of us would say so. Invalid? No
way."
Conclusion
I am, if anything, even more adamant than I was in 1979 that the new rite of ordination in both the
1968 and 1989 versions represents an unacceptable ecumenical compromise. In this respect the
closing passage of Dr. Clark's review is very pertinent:
Time after time Mr. Davies brings into the open questionable tendencies, reforms gone awry, and
areas of theological confusion within the Church, of which most of the faithful are scarcely aware.
There is need for much more vigilant scrutiny of what is being done to the Church's heritage of
faith, worship, ritual and devotion in the name of post-conciliar renewal. This book sharpens the
scrutiny. By asking very awkward questions Mr. Davies is not opposing but serving the cause of
authentic post-conciliar renewal.
Given that the New Catholic Ordinal, even in its amended 1989 version, represents an unacceptable
ecumenical compromise, what should be the attitude of Catholics who believe that maintaining
authentic Catholic Tradition necessitates not simply the preservation of the pre-conciliar liturgical
books but their restoration as the norm in the Roman Rite? It would be unrealistic to hope for the
abrogation of the New Ordinal in the foreseeable future. The Vatican has never liked to admit that it
has erred, let alone erred gravely. The most realistic policy for obtaining the eventual complete
restoration of the Traditional Ordinal is to press for its use on every possible occasion now that it
has become a Vatican-recognized option since the publication of the Motu proprio "Ecclesia Dei" in
1988. It is of no little significance that the use of the Traditional Ordinal alongside the new one
would certainly impart a very important ex adiunctis signification to the new rite, as its weak
doctrinal content would have to be interpreted within the unambiguous sacrificial ethos of the
Traditional Ordinal. The fact that the Tridentine Missal is now recognized by the Holy See as an
authorized rite within the Church performs the same function for the 1970 Missal.
The background to Ecclesia Dei is as follows. On 5 May 1988, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, on
behalf of the Vatican, joined with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in signing a protocol designed to
bring the Society of St. Pius X, founded by the Archbishop, back within the official structures of the
Church. All the Society establishments, seminaries, schools, churches, priories and convents would
have been given official recognition, and "the Fraternity would have been given the faculty to use
the liturgical books in use until the post-conciliar reforms" (L'Osservatore Romano, English edition,
27 June 1988). Other traditional communities not recognized by the Vatican were also given the
opportunity to accept the protocol. Archbishop Lefebvre eventually decided not to go through with
the agreement as he had grave doubts as to the resolution which the pope would show in
implementing its terms when faced with the almost universal opposition of the world's bishops.
Other communities did accept the protocol, and new ones have been set up since the promulgation
of Ecclesia Dei, which means that the Traditional Ordinal and all the pre-conciliar liturgical books
are now being used with increasing frequency with the full approval of the Vatican. There seems to
be no reason, apart from malice on the part of their superiors, why ordinands from any seminary
should not have a request to be ordained in the traditional rite granted. Every Catholic who loves
the Church must pray earnestly that the day will not be long delayed when the Vatican is able to
negotiate an acceptable basis for the recognition of the Society of St. Pius X. When this happens the
ordinations which take place in the Society's six flourishing seminaries will raise the number of
officially recognized priests ordained with the Traditional Ordinal to a very significant proportion