The Indult Insult
Pauly Fongemie
October 11, 2006

Word from the United Kingdom has it that Pope Benedict has supposedly signed an universal indult and that it may be released to all the world's Catholics shortly. The same source says that the Pontiff's sentiments are with the Traditionalists [she used the term "conservatives" as so many people mistakenly do]. I beg to differ.

First, it is an insult to say a priest who wants to say the Roman Mass of the ages requires modern permission, because Pope St. Pius V already ensured this universal right in his Bull, Quo Primum, in accord with the infallible declarations of the Council of Trent. His bull carries anathemas for anyone contradicting its declarations. You are also referred to an article on this papal bull, HERE.

The insult is compounded by Pope Benedict's declaration that the priest has permission, but only if his bishop says so, that is, the bishop is permitted to deny the "permission" in writing. In other words, we are where we are now, in the grips of reigning by not ruling through "collegiality", which is anything but congenial to Tradition.

As a priest once observed to me, "What the Pope giveth with one hand, he taketh away with the other, as if afraid of truth."

The only thing that still surprises me is how many Traditionalists waste precious time getting excited about these futile exercises that deplete the spirit and subject the person to a permanent state of  confusion. As sinners we are confounded enough by our own spiritual messes. Perhaps if some of us spent more time in the confessional and less time on the internet trading in hopeless speculation, we might perfect ourselves just enough to confound the modernists among us. Then priests, who have always had the universal right might be attracted to the immemorial Roman Mass, and then talk about a "Mass" return to Tradition!



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www.catholictradition.org/indult.htm