The thing I enjoy most about the editorial page at the St. Louis Post Dispatch is the letters to the editor. Some are clunkers, and I often get the impression they pick the more extreme letters on a given subject, but I do love reading them. Perhaps I was in an especially good mood this morning, but I like this one so much I’m sharing:
The story “A return to the old ways” (June 14) considered the Tridentine Mass, which is not “the 1,600-year-old Mass” nor is it the “Mass of the Ages.” It is the result of the Catholic Reformation of 16th-century Europe.United in the Catholic tradition are 23 different churches, each with its own ancient rite. In the ninth century, Pope John VIII (872-882) decreed that the Mass need not be confined to the then-traditional Latin, Greek or Hebrew languages. His decision made possible Mass celebrations in Slavonic. This defended the missionary work of St. Methodius and set a new precedent.
If there are those who wish to celebrate the mere 400-year-old Tridentine Mass, let it be. But the claim that this one limited form of the Mass is somehow more Catholic than other forms is a denial of the rich Catholic tradition.
May the Post-Dispatch, which gave front-page coverage to the Tridentine Mass, now report on the more important news about the destruction of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq.
Wayne Hellmann | St. Louis
Robert Phenix | St. Louis
The letter is brief but informative, tart without snark. But then what else would we expect from a couple of scholars – a chairman of the Theology Studies department and an adjunct professor of Biblical Studies.
Since the Post will never get around to providing coverage on the destruction of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, here are some links: background, blogging, news of a synod, and more sad news. One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic.
