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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Plague

Aurelio Porfiri · August 13, 2014

951 Pope Francis HAVE NEVER actually met Pope Francis; I just saw him from afar at the funeral of one of my most important teachers, who was also a Cardinal. I never had the chance to meet him closely, like with Saint John Paul II or Benedict XVI. I might have seen Paul VI up close when I was very young, but this did not happen either with Pope Francis and maybe will never. But, imagine for the sake of this article, that one day I will be admitted in Santa Marta and have a conversation with him.

What will be the important thing that I will tell him? Please care about sacred music? No. Say something against abuses of the liturgy? Don’t think so. Please declare officially that the Catholic Church did not start with Vatican II? Not necessary. I mean, all very important things, but all in a certain way subordinated to the very thing I should have the courage to tell him: Holy Father, Pope Francis, my Bishop, please free us from the plague of clericalism! If you think the problem is really there. It is this abuse of their function from the clergy that makes everything else fall down.

It is the abuse of those that use the Church instead of serving the Church, those that are protected from their bishops even if caught in crime, those that manipulate other people’s minds, hiding behind the respectable dress they are wearing. But is Pope Francis aware of this plague? Of course! On December 16th 2013, in Santa Marta Chapel for his daily Mass he said: “Lord, free your people from a spirit of clericalism and aid them with a spirit of prophecy.” A little before this, on November 29th, he met with the superior generals and warned them to be careful with the training of future priests, to not risk creating “little monsters.” Speaking of seminarians, he added that they may: “grit their teeth, try not to make mistakes, follow the rules smiling a lot, just waiting for the day when they are told ‘Good, you have finished formation.’ This hypocrisy is the result of clericalism, which is one of the worst evils.”

If I may extrapolate from the Pope’s statement: it is the worst evil, the root of all abuses towards people and also liturgical rites. Clericalism is what makes millions of people stay away from the Church, and it is a terminal disease. Unfortunately, this disease affects the Church for a long, long time. Also, perhaps there is something in the Church’s nature that makes it susceptible to this disease (though it is not proper only to the Church), and can never go away. One of the qualities of Pope Francis that I appreciate him for, is having his eyes open on his clergy. But my hope is subdued: the task is too big for one man coming from the end of the world.


BOTTEGA • Aurelio Porfiri is where you can discover
many of Mæstro Porfiri’s compositions in PDF format.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Aurelio Porfiri

Renowned as composer, conductor, theorist, author, pedagogue, and organist, Aurelio Porfiri has served the Church on multiple continents at the highest levels. Born and raised in Italy, he currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Composer in Residence for Santa Rosa de Lima School (Macao, China).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Don Fernando de las Infantas wrote to the Pope, trying to get him to stop Palestrina from corrupting all the plainsong editions: “The errors which certain musicians, in all good faith, think they have found in plainchant are not errors at all, but on the contrary contain some of the most beautiful musical passages ever written.”

— Don Fernando de las Infantas (1578 A.D.)

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