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Statement of Bishop Sweeney on the Motu proprio Traditionis Custodes
Statement of the Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney
Bishop of Paterson
On July 16, 2021, the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our Holy Father, Pope Francis issued a document, Traditionis Custodes (Guardians of the Tradition), concerning the present day usage of the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Saint John XXIII in 1962 for the celebration of the Eucharist. Traditionis Custodes was issued “Motu proprio,” which is a type of document issued personally by the Holy Father in response to a particular need.
In this case, the Motu proprio was issued following consultation with the bishops of the Catholic Church through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Accompanying the Motu proprio was a letter to the bishops in which the Holy Father wrote on the implementation of Traditionis Custodes: “In the Motu proprio I have desired to affirm that it is up to the Bishop, as moderator, promoter, and guardian of the liturgical life of the Church of which he is the principle of unity, to regulate the liturgical celebrations.” Serving as the visible principle of unity in the particular church, each bishop carefully attends to the unity of the faithful entrusted to him. In order to faithfully serve the communion of the Church it will take some period of prayerful reflection and study to most fruitfully implement Traditionis Custodes. I look forward to a period of careful study of Traditionis Custodes and to days of prayer in order to wisely implement the provisions given to us by the Holy Father.
During this period of reflection and study of the Motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, I direct that Roman Missal of 1962 may be used for the coming period, and perhaps for some time beyond this initial period, by those who have already been using it for the celebration of holy Mass on a regular basis. Our local church of Paterson will prayerfully accompany one another during these days of reflection by keeping in mind the Holy Father’s encouragement in Traditionis Custodes taken from Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of Vatican II: “The path of the Church must be seen within the dynamic of Tradition ‘which originates from the Apostles and progresses in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit’ (DV 8).” Let us pray together for unity and peace as we celebrate our oneness in faith and as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit with and under the apostolic authority of Peter.
- July 21, 2021, the Memorial of Saint Lawrence Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church
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