A Question for Priests

The Last Judgement
Center Panel
Rogier van der Weyden 1399/1400 – 1464

Why did you deprive my people of the Mass?



It comes as no surprise that a faithless pope and faithless bishops would succumb to the call from atheistic governments to suspend the offering of public Masses.  What is surprising, however, is that otherwise traditional priests are willing accomplices in depriving the faithful of the Mass.

The excuses being offered by both traditional order and diocesan priests for not offering Mass publicly are shocking.  No more Come Rack, Come Rope.  Now it is, "The bishop has forbidden Mass," and that's it.  So easy, and the Mass is gone.  No Irish Mass Rocks or Roman Catacombs, just live-stream and TV.

Now Church Militant reports that priests in Italy are offering clandestine Masses for the people.

Catholics deprived of Mass are berating the bishops for "cowardice" in the face of the coronavirus crisis, while clergy afraid of being disciplined are celebrating the Eucharist "clandestinely" to small groups of the faithful in Northern Italy. 

Former Vatican journalist Aldo Maria Valli also confirmed his attendance at "an underground Mass, celebrated in disobedience to the bishop's dictates but in obedience to the mandate of Christ."

Read the complete article at Church Militant.

The words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to the Knights of Columbus in June of 1972, come to mind:

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

"Who is going to save our Church?  Not our bishops, not our priests and religious.  It is up to you, the people.  You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church.  Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious."

Perhaps the laymen need to step up and make arrangements and encourage and provide cover for our priests to offer Mass for us regardless of the temporal consequences.  One day our priests will have to answer the question at the top of this post.  They will not have to answer to the faithful or to their bishop.  Will their excuses serve them well?