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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Facts About Annibale Bugnini’s Death

Jeff Ostrowski · February 10, 2015

335 Correlation Proof OME PEOPLE will go to their graves not understanding the distinction between CORRELATION & CAUSALITY. I stumbled upon a recent example posted on an infamous and pitiful website we cannot not link to (for obvious reasons).

They have written:

In 1948, Pope Pius XII established a Commission for Liturgical Reform, appointing Fr. Annibale Bugnini as secretary. Remember that name, for Father (later Archbishop Bugnini) would eventually be revealed as a Freemason and denounced to Paul VI, who immediately removed him from his positions of authority on Vatican commissions and sent him away, eventually to die in exile in Iran.

Leave aside his erroneous statements, 1 made in a tone characteristic of that website. The author presents a correlation as if it were cause-effect. A similar thing is done in the upper right corner.

It is true that Bugnini was accused of being a freemason—and if memory serves, a dossier was presented to the Pope—but I believe the Pope rejected its contents. Many feel that Pope Paul VI eventually lost confidence in Bugnini, taking “revenge” upon him by sending him to Iran, but my understanding is that this happened years after the dossier was presented. In any event, my object here is not to argue—I have more important things to worry about. I merely note that the author presented no evidence whatsoever of a cause-effect relationship. 2

THE TRUTH WOULD BE BETTER SERVED by simply recounting the (troubling) facts. Listen to what Cardinal Antonelli says about the Consilium of Pope Paul VI:

Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place. […] Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

The voting system is worse. It is ordinarily done by a show of hands, but nobody counts who has raised a hand and who has not. Nobody says “so many approved” and “so many said no.” It is disgraceful. Although the question has been asked several times, nobody has succeeded in ascertaining whether the necessary majority must be absolute or two thirds of the votes. A further grave lacuna is the absence of any minutes of the meetings. There certainly has been no reference to them and they certainly have never been read.   (SOURCE)



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Bugnini died in Rome, not Iran. Moreover, he was not “exiled”—he served as papal nuncio.

2   As someone who worked at a Cathedral for four years, I can say that it is often difficult to ascertain the true reason for a cleric being moved. Sometimes, the reason given for a transfer is a lie. Frequently, the only thing we can know for certain is that a transfer was made—not why it happened.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The chapter orders that only grandees (and their immediate relatives), counts, marquises, and provincial governors may in future enter the choir enclosure during divine service: such a restriction being imposed so that quiet can be the better maintained during cathedral solemnities.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla: Chapter Resolution (25 May 1558)

Recent Posts

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  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
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