The Pope decides to remove restrictions on the Old Latin Mass

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI removed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass. Many in the Jewish establishment are very upset about this, as are liberal Catholics. Rabbi Irwin Kula, an eighth generation rabbi and author of Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life (Hyperion, 2006), has developed some talking points in response to the change and the fervor it has generated. The decision seems to have generated enormous reaction, including strong Catholic hatred and anti-Semitism on blogs and emails (even AOL). Some established Jewish groups commented that this was a "body blow to Catholic-Jewish relations," and an "insult."

Irwin Kula in response to the Pope’s recent decision to remove restrictions on the Old Latin Mass:

1. Common sense must prevail. Jews should not over react to this as this has nothing to do with Jews. This is an internal Catholic issue of worship and it is time for Jews to be a little less hyper-sensitive. Jews don’t need to attack Catholics or feel threatened.

2. Historical context makes a great deal of difference. The one line in the Good Friday traditional mass calling for conversion of Jews, "take the veil from their hearts," said in a context and environment in which Jews are hated (most of pre-Vatican II history) is one thing, said in the context of a very reformed Catholic Church that has done very serous and substantive work in addressing its history and legacy of anti-Semitism is another.

3. More interesting is that this invites a conversation about the way ritual really works. The accessibility of the new mass has in some ways undermined the very power of ritual, which if it is to work to affect consciousness and awareness has to have an element of “strangeness” or “mystery.”

4. We need to all be honest. The fact is that everyone who believes in something strongly, whether traditional or liberal, secular or religious, hopes that other people will be "converted" to his or her view. So the complaints about this are not exactly in good faith. Why is it that our passionate belief in something (whether the secularism and scientism of Dawkins or the traditional faith of those who want to do the Latin Mass) makes us disparage someone else’s?

5. The real question is how we each handle the beliefs we are most passionate about and to which we are most committed. For most of history, passion and tolerance have not gone together. Harboring the wish that others would see the “Light” translated into everything from forced conversions, to violence and pogroms (an experience my father lived through in Poland on Good Friday). What is unnerving is the incredible Catholic hatred and anti-Semitism on blogs and emails (even AOL) that this announcement has evoked. There is a great deal of hatred around and that ought to be the real concern of Catholic, Jewish, and other religious leaders.

6. Over the past few centuries (modernity) liberals and secularists have attempted to correct this intolerance by developing a more pluralistic view of truth. Pluralism has led to two reactions --fierce fundamentalism that freaks out liberals on the one hand, and a sloppy religious and moral relativism that is freaks out traditional people on the other. Pope Benedict is reacting to this and says in his letter that he sees this as both continuous with Vatican II and a "reform of the reform." Will this return usher in the same sort of intolerance we fought against since the beginning of modernity, or will it offer a new way for tradition and the contemporary moment to come together?

7. The key question for traditionalists who say the Latin Mass is: What is the relationship between praying that you hope someone converts to your way of believing and how do you act towards them? Does it cause you to hate or dismiss the other person? It would have been good if Pope Benedict had pointed out that historically this language has been used dangerously and that the Church would be watching for any inappropriate actions or attitudes that might arise.