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See for yourself. On the left is the letter from 2020; on the right is a blog from 2016.
Nobody’s perfect; we all make mistakes. His Excellency’s letter must be retracted as soon as possible.
To the Right or to the Left?
It’s incorrect to say new Churches must be constructed with table altars.
His assertion that “smoking out enemies” is best done by appointing them to high positions in the Vatican is absurd.
The Bishop of Little Rock has sent a letter (14 July 2016) forbidding his priests to celebrate Mass “ad orientem.”
The results are in.
Bishop Conley proposes celebration “ad orientem” for the season of Advent.
These same exact rubrics have been found in Missals published in 1962, 1927, 1943, 1906, and 1886.
Could this be the missing link explaining why “versus populum” celebrations took over?
Reimagining the Altar Steps
Pope Francis celebrating in this manner was a bit of a surprise, since members of his generation aren’t usually accustomed to “turning their backs on the people.”
The current rubrics tell the priest when to turn around and face the people, which would be superfluous if he were already facing them.
The current Missal was put together with haste, and even the Vatican dicastery had to apologize for all the errors and typos contained in those early 1969 and 1970 directives, as Msgr. Schuler has pointed out.
“There is nothing in the Council text about turning altars toward the people.” — Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
