Date of permission for Classical Rite

Gillibrand has a funny post about the date of the indult with a pig flying over St Peter's Square. He also has the Curt Jester's Motu Proprio random date generator.

Then it dawned on me. I know the date of the universal permission to celebrate the Classical Roman Rite...

14 July 1570
(Bull Quo primum tempore of Pope St Pius V).

In fact, a Commission of Cardinals, including Cardinal Ratzinger, appointed by Pope John Paul II, unanimously agreed that Pope Paul VI never gave the bishops the authority to forbid priests from celebrating the traditional rite of Mass and that priests cannot be obliged to celebrate the new rite of Mass. The rumour of this conclusion became widespread. It was publicly confirmed in 1995 by Cardinal Stickler (a member of the commission) at the Christi Fidelis conference in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The Cardinals wished to draw up a document affirming the universal right of priests to celebrate the Classical Rite but opposition from some episcopal conferences led Pope John Paul to decide not to publish such a decree.

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