I meant to post on this yesterday, but forgot in my own negligence. October 18th was a memorable day in the long history of the Roman Church. On that day, fifty years ago, Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass according to the unique rites of the papacy for the very last time. Papal Mass, which synthesized the primitive Roman tradition with the international Gallican praxis, remained virtually unchanged since the age of St. Gregory VII. With a stroke of the pen on September 28th, 1964, Pope Paul, through Inter oecumenici, outdated the form of Mass Abbé Franck Quoex called the standard of the Roman tradition.
Inter oeumenici—which, among other things, implicitly called for Mass facing the people, priests in visible chairs facing the congregation, bare altars, and a "reform of the entire Ordo Missae" (48)—demanded innovations to the liturgy that made papal Mass impossible. Readings in the vernacular would replace the Greek and Latin singing of the lesson and the Gospel. The omission of the prayers before the altar displaced the reception of the maniple. The singing of the doxology made the use of polyphonic music difficult, which in turn limited other musical options like the Silveri Symphony. The demand for "genuine Christian art" in vesture consigned the papal tat to the closet until Msgr. Guido Marini's tenure began some years back. All the demands of Inter oecumenici had to be met by March 7th, 1965, the first Sunday of Lent. Paul VI, perhaps with some persuasion from the Consilium, "promoted" the papal Master of Ceremonies, Enrico Dante, to the College of Cardinals on February 22nd, 1965, thereby removing him from his place of obstruction.
The canonization of the Ugandan martyrs by Pope Paul VI was the last hurrah for the traditional Roman liturgy for quite some time....
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| The Introit |
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| The traditional practice of offering the Pope loaves of bread and turtle doves at a canonization. The assistant priest is Cardinal Tisserant, a controversial giant of Pacellian and Conciliar Vatican politics. The Eastern clergy are seated close to the pope, which would not have been the case before the Council, when Cardinals—as supposed extensions of the pope—held higher places of honor. |
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| The Canon of the Mass. The Greek clergy stand on either side of the Roman subdeacon. Tiaras and statues of Ss Peter & Paul adorn the altar. The Cardinals surround the altar according to rank, perhaps a relic of concelebration or perhaps a statement of hierarchy. |
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| The Pope communicates at the throne, being been brought the Sacrament and the chalice by the Latin deacon and subdeacon. He drinks from the chalice through a gold straw called the fistula. Only the Pope, the Latin deacon, and Latin subdeacon communicate. |
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| The Pope drinks the ablutions. The obscured face of that of Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, head of the Holy Office/CDF at the time. |
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| After the Mass, Pope Paul declares the martyrs to be saints. |
