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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 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

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

The eminent theologian Suarez (who died in 1617) […] took the position that a pope would be schismatic “if he, as is his duty, would not be in full communion with the body of the Church as, for example, if he were to excommunicate the entire Church, or if he were to change all the liturgical rites of the Church that have been upheld by apostolic tradition.”

— Monsignor Klaus Gamber (1981)

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