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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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —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

“We know that originally the offertories of the repertoire included a series of verses, just like the introit and the communion, but generally more ornate. Many of these are musical compositions of great beauty. They quickly fell into disuse, and we find them only in the most ancient manuscripts. The only remaining trace of this older arrangement in our present-day liturgy is that of the offertory of the Requiem Mass.”

— Dom Joseph Gajard (1956)

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  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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