Pope Benedict is keenly aware of today's challenges, he said, and determined to restore a proper sense of reverence to the liturgy. The Sri Lankan prelate said that some of his thoughts had been taken out of context after a previous interview with the French newspaper La Croix. He had not intended to suggest that the liturgical reforms of Vatican II had failed, he stressed; rather, he meant that some liturgical changes had produced an overreaction, and a loss of appreciation for Church traditions. As a result, he said, "the reforms of the Council did not bear the expected fruit, because of the way in which they were interpreted and put into practice."
Sometimes it is frustrating at how slow the Vatican works. We want our answers and we want them now. But much wisdom is displayed by patiently waiting .
Archbishop Ranjith said that two extremes must be avoided: a liturgical free-for-all in which "every priest of bishop does what he wants, which creates confusion;" or a complete abandonment of liturgical reforms, leading to a vision that is "closed up in the past." Today, he said, those two extremes are becoming more prominent, and the Church needs to establish a middle ground.
This quote shows the steady even course of the Barque of Peter. People are bailing off both sides, the warm fuzzy communities off the left and the Rad-Trads off the right. Both point at each other as the source of much anguish but neither realize the have left the comfort and safety of the Mother Church. And both slow down the journey of the Barque of Peter by dragging along behind on either side.
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