195 lines
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195 lines
10 KiB
HTML
<p>The most beautiful and reverent form I have seen of practicing the
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Liturgy in the Latin Rite has without a doubt been the Traditional Latin
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Mass (a.k.a. Tridentine Mass, Gregorian Mass, or Extraordinary Form).
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It's a form that has caught my interest since knowing of its existence.
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A form that characterizes a truly Catholic Mass, which is the heart of
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the Church.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, it would seem that this form has been substantially
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undervalued since the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council and
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implementation of the Novus Ordo Mass, despite the significant
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importance it has to the Catholic identity. Many simply brush it off as
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something that is <i>antiquated</i>. But the Tridentine Mass still has
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much to show us, and is still essential to the Catholic identity. As
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such, I offer a few points as to why it should be preserved and
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promoted.</p>
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<h3>Latin</h3>
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<p>The first retort one often encounters with regards to the Traditional
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Latin Mass is that it's in Latin. People say that they cannot understand
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what is being said in the Mass - despite normally having a missal with
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both the Latin and the Vernacular. With regards to the language, it is
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first important to note the importance of Latin in the Roman Catholic
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Church, and second, to realize that the responses are not the central
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part of the Mass, like in Novus Ordo.</p>
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<p>Latin is important, being the language of the Church. The Church's
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official documents are written in Latin. The version of the Bible
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endorsed by the Church, the Vulgate, which is approved to be free of all
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errors on issues of Faith & Morals is in Latin. It's also the
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language the Mass has been celebrated in for hundreds of years. But
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perhaps more than all of these, it is that Christ designated that the
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Church should be Roman, as can be deduced from relating the dubbing of
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Simon as Peter in Matthew 16:18, and the prophesy from the Old Testament
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of Daniel 2:29-45.</p>
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<p>However, when accustomed to the Novus Ordo Mass, one may feel
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overwhelmed with so much Latin; trying fervently to keep up the pace
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with the responses. But the Latin Mass is truly something that one
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should study at home, and not spend the entire Mass reading from the
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missal. Instead, study the Mass at home at your own leisure, and during
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the Mass take the time to take in what is happening around you; to
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observe the beauty of the Divine Liturgy.</p>
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<h3>Ad Orientem</h3>
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<p>As opposed to the Ordinary Form where the priest faces towards the
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congregation (a.k.a. <i>ad populum</i>), in the Extraordinary Form the
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priest faces towards the Altar with the congregation (a.k.a. <i>ad
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orientum</i>). When I hear <i>ad orientem</i> come up as supposed issue
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of the Tridentine Mass, it's typically a point of questioning what the
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Mass is for. In reality, it is not necessary for the priest to face the
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congregation because the purpose of the Mass is not the priest, but
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Christ. We don't go to Mass for the priest, but for Christ, who is in
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the Altar and in the Eucharist. In a Mass that is <i>ad orientem</i>
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everyone faces towards the Lord, and everyone bows before the Lord like
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a court before their King. It demonstrates that we are all below Him, we
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are all His subjects.</p>
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<h3>Communion on the Tongue</h3>
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<p>Although this isn't something specific to the Tridentine Mass, it is
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something that is obligatory, while in the Novus Ordo Mass it has turned
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into something optional and (depending on the priest) encouraged or
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discouraged. The most important aspect of the Catholic Mass is the
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Eucharist. The partaking of the Pascal Sacrifice. The eating of the Body
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of Christ for our salvation.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, there has been a lack of respect for the holiest of
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Sacraments in recent decades. Ever more, people are beginning to believe
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it is something purely symbolic instead of the true Body and Blood of
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Christ. It should come to no surprise then, that Communion in the hand,
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and especially in some of the more liberalized of Masses, can and has
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lead to the abuse of this Sacrament.</p>
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<p>To start, why is it so important to take Communion on the tongue (and
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on one's knees)? To put it simply: it shows the due respect not only to
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the Lord, but to others. Imagine someone who knows nothing of
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Catholicism, or of the Mass, and their only exposure is two people
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taking Communion. One goes up to the priest, cups their hands, and
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receives a Host, while the other goes up to the priest, gets on their
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knees, and opens their mouth so that the priest may properly and
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carefully place the Host on their tongue. To this person, the first case
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would seem to be nothing more than a priest handing out wafers, while
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the second begs the curiosity of the observer to ponder why so much
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reverence for what appears to be nothing more than bread. In this sense,
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it could be said that Communion in the hand is potentially
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scandalous.</p>
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<p>However, it is not only the potential scandal that could be caused,
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but also an issue of the abuses that can and do occur, which can only
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exist because of Communion in the hand. While the priest has gone
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through seminary and has (hopefully) received the formation necessary to
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fully understand and handle the Eucharist, we (the laity) have not. As
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such, it is much more likely that one of the laity will not take
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Communion seriously, and commit an abuse than a priest. Abuses such as
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letting particles drop to the floor. This problem is even worse in the
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more liberalized Masses that have their congregation take Communion in
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the pews, potentially allowing for one of the lay people to pocket the
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Host and take it home with them, potentially committing some other
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obscenity.</p>
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<p>Even going beyond what would be an intentional mistreatment of the
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Eucharist, it also gives way to all kinds of accidental abuses. Such
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would be the case, for example, of an elderly person who, unable to keep
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their hands steady, accidentally drops the Host or particles of it while
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trying to take Communion.</p>
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<p>All this is avoided by simply enforcing Communion on the tongue. Just
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as it has been practiced for hundreds of years.</p>
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<h3>Respect for Authority</h3>
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<p>Something very noticeable about the Novus Ordo Mass as compared to
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the Tridentine Mass is the participation of the laity in activities
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which used to belong to the priest. More specifically: readings and
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handing out Communion (to which the arguments stated above apply all the
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more). This is the effect of a modern mentality whereby we wish to
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eradicate all remaining notions of hierarchy and authority, or any kind
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of differentiation between us; in this case specifically, the difference
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between the priest and the laity.</p>
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<p>Perhaps it's an effect of the current liberal culture than it is of
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these changes themselves to the Liturgy, but ultimately the changes sure
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do not help. When it comes to issues of Faith & Morals, it is
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precisely the priest (as an ordained member of the Church) who is to
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guide the laity, not for the laity to guide themselves. It is important,
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then, for the laity to view the priest as a figure of authority within
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their community whom they must respect on matters pertaining to the
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Faith. This is diminished when foreground roles are relegated to the
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laity. It is one thing for there to be a deacon or altar boy who aids
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the priest in his celebration of the Mass, but it is another thing
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entirely for the laity to take the foreground. It creates a false sense
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of equality of the laity and the presbyterate.</p>
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<h3>Authentic Catholic Identity</h3>
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<p>The Tridentine Mass is a form that has been a part of celebrating the
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Divine Liturgy that has been a part of the Catholic identity for
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hundreds of years - albeit with some minor modifications, the most
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actual of which is the modifications by Pope John XXIII, which are
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celebrated today as the Extraordinary Form. It is something inherently
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Catholic that distinguishes it from any other church - save now for
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Sedevacantists, which are the result of the changes from the Second
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Vatican Council, the change in the Mass being one of them. Meanwhile,
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the Novus Ordo Mass was explicitly designed to resemble Protestant
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services. It should therefore come to no surprise that many Catholics
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who attend to the Novus Ordo Mass
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<a href="https://liturgyguy.com/2019/02/24/national-survey-results-what-we-learned-about-latin-mass-attendees/"
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target="_blank" >reject Catholic teaching</a>.</p>
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<h3>Silence</h3>
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<p>The Novus Ordo Mass is filled with a back-and-forth dynamic between
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the priest and the congregation. Moments between these responses are
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often filled with lyrical music to distract the congregation - in other
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words, filler music so the congregation doesn't get bored. But what is
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typically lacking throughout all of this is time to be absolutely
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silent, to contemplate, to meditate, and to pray. As a bit of a
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side-note, the same thing occurs with adoration in parishes that
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typically do Novus Ordo Mass. Silence becomes a rare blessing.</p>
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<p>In the Tridentine Mass, silence is extremely important. There are
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many parts of the Divine Liturgy where the priest is quiet, most
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noticeably during the consecration. This is a beautiful time during the
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Mass, when one is on one's knees, to pray and to meditate on the miracle
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that is occurring before their eyes: the bread and wine is turning into
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the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. A solemn and reverent silence.</p>
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<h3>Centrality of Christ</h3>
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<p>But more important than all of this - and what I've been somewhat
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alluding to with many of these points - is the centrality of Christ in
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the Tridentine Mass.</p>
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<p>As I've pointed out before, the Novus Ordo Mass continuously
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distracts the attention of the congregation from Christ who is in the
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Altar and in the Eucharist. Whether it be celebrating <i>ad populum</i>,
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filler music to cover the silence, or a collective taking of the
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Eucharist (as is done in some Novus Ordo Masses), the common trait is
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Christ is moved to the background.</p>
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<p>In the Tridentine Mass, Christ is always the center, and He is always
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treated with utmost respect. Because the we go to Mass for Him, and for
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Him alone.</p>
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<p>If you are interested in attending a Traditional Latin Mass, you can
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see if there is one near you in the
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<a href="https://www.latinmassdir.org/" target="_blank" >
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Latin Mass Directory</a>. If you cannot find one, ask your priest.
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And remember, the Tridentine Mass
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<a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20070707_summorum-pontificum.html"
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target="_blank" >is a right of the faithful</a>.</p>
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