Mass Ban in St Peter's: Francis Cardinal Attempts to Justify the Measure

Cardinal Gambetti, the Archpriest of Saint Peter's Basilica, justified Francis' Mass ban in Saint Peter's saying on VaticanNews.va (June 22) that priests should co-preside between 7 and 9 a.m. at scheduled Eucharists - a call they have so far ignored.

Gambetti says correctly that liturgical services are no private functions but concludes from this wrongly that it is “more than appropriate for priests to concelebrate.” The opposite is the case as co-presiding turns priests into passive and superfluous supernumeraries.

The Cardinal confesses that he prefers the "community celebration characterised by the presence and active participation of the faithful" — which, in the New Rite, is measured according to exterior and distracting activism.

Individual Eucharists for groups of pilgrims who don't speak Italian or for celebrations of the Old Roman Rite can be admitted as “exceptions,” a legalistic Gambetti concedes.

Requests for individual celebrations may only be considered on a case-by-case basis. Gambetti's claim that for the celebration of the Roman Rite "everything possible must be done to fulfil the desire of the faithful and priests as provided by Summorum Pontificum” sounds hypocritical as Francis is about to dump the Motu Proprio.

Picture: Mauro Gambetti, © wikicommons, CC BY-SA, #newsSrvhwxguzm