History Is Repeating Itself: Agatha Christie Petition 2.0

More than 40 celebrities of the arts, business, journalism and politics in the UK have asked the Holy See not to impose further "unnecessary and insensitive" restrictions on the "magnificent spiritual and cultural heritage" of the Roman Rite Mass.
A letter signed by them appeared in The Times on 3 July.
The signatories argue in favour of the Mass because of its cultural and historical significance. They call it "a 'cathedral' of text and gesture, developing like those venerable buildings over many centuries".
They agree that not everyone appreciates its value, "and that is fine", but "to destroy it seems an unnecessary and insensitive act in a world where history can all too easily slip away into oblivion".
And: "The Old Rite's ability to promote silence and contemplation is a treasure that cannot be easily replicated and, once gone, cannot be reconstructed".
The letter explicitly echoed an appeal published in The Times of London in July 1971, which later led to the "Agatha Christie …More