Italian at St Peter's
Amy Wellborn asks about the language of publicly scheduled Masses at St Peter's.
Apparently, someone had written that publicly scheduled Masses at St Peter's are now celebrated in Latin. This may be true of some of the principal Masses such as the main Sunday Mass. Sadly it is not true of the weekday Masses.
Yesterday, I was at the 5pm Mass at the altar of the Chair. That part of the Basilica was full to overflowing for the Mass - probably in excess of a thousand people. Apart from the Ordinary (Missa de Angelis) everything was in Italian.
Most of the people at the Mass will have been at the General Audience earlier in the day. At the end of this, the Holy Father leads the Pater Noster and then gives the apostolic blessing in Latin "Sit nomen Domini benedictum... The text of the Pater and the blessing is printed on the reverse of the General Audience tickets.
But at the evening Mass in the patriarchal basilica we got "Sia benedetto il nome del Signooooore ..." Even the Italians present didn't know what to respond to that. If the Holy Father manages to change some of this utter nonsense, it will not be particularly "traditionalist", just common sense. There is no particular reason for such Masses to be in Italian rather than in English or German. It is worth remembering too, that many "Italians" do not speak Italian. In Sardinia, Naples, and Palermo, the Church is one of the few places you will hear "Italian" as she is spoke.
And while I'm in ranting mood, when is this stupdaggine of the Hungarian Chapel going to stop? If a priest has a rescript from Ecclesia Dei next door, giving him permission to celebrate Mass in the Classical Rite, why have the authorities at St Peter's insisted that he has to use one of the ugliest chapels in the Basilica. Someone is extracting the Michael. Could they not be stomped on from a great height soon?
Apparently, someone had written that publicly scheduled Masses at St Peter's are now celebrated in Latin. This may be true of some of the principal Masses such as the main Sunday Mass. Sadly it is not true of the weekday Masses.
Yesterday, I was at the 5pm Mass at the altar of the Chair. That part of the Basilica was full to overflowing for the Mass - probably in excess of a thousand people. Apart from the Ordinary (Missa de Angelis) everything was in Italian.
Most of the people at the Mass will have been at the General Audience earlier in the day. At the end of this, the Holy Father leads the Pater Noster and then gives the apostolic blessing in Latin "Sit nomen Domini benedictum... The text of the Pater and the blessing is printed on the reverse of the General Audience tickets.
But at the evening Mass in the patriarchal basilica we got "Sia benedetto il nome del Signooooore ..." Even the Italians present didn't know what to respond to that. If the Holy Father manages to change some of this utter nonsense, it will not be particularly "traditionalist", just common sense. There is no particular reason for such Masses to be in Italian rather than in English or German. It is worth remembering too, that many "Italians" do not speak Italian. In Sardinia, Naples, and Palermo, the Church is one of the few places you will hear "Italian" as she is spoke.
And while I'm in ranting mood, when is this stupdaggine of the Hungarian Chapel going to stop? If a priest has a rescript from Ecclesia Dei next door, giving him permission to celebrate Mass in the Classical Rite, why have the authorities at St Peter's insisted that he has to use one of the ugliest chapels in the Basilica. Someone is extracting the Michael. Could they not be stomped on from a great height soon?
