Damian Thompson, whom I was able to see in NYC but not in London for some reason, posted this enlightening entry:
Why is Summorum Pontificum a dead letter in Scotland? I’ve been contacted by a student at St Andrews University who claims the following:
1. That he and about 15 of his university friends form a “stable group” of Catholics who would like to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form in St Andrews once a month. (Other residents of the town are also interested.)
2. That a priest has agreed to celebrate the TLM for these students.
3. That the St Andrews Catholic chaplaincy has refused permission for the Mass to be celebrated in the university or the local parish. [I must ask… what does the chaplaincy have to do with the local parish?]
4. That the chaplaincy has also refused to allow the celebration of Vespers according to the traditional form of the Roman Rite. [If the students had asked for some paraliturgical ceremony in honor of, I dunno, throwing the caber, would the chaplaincy have gone along?]
Needless to say, the chaplaincy can’t be reached for comment. But I gather that this dispute has been dragging on for a long time. Also, that a very senior figure in the Roman Curia is taking an interest in the matter, dismayed at what appears to be yet another example of the reluctance of the Scottish clergy to implement of the Motu Proprio.
If what I’ve been told is true, I hope an appeal to Ecclesia Dei is in the works.
I think we need something from the PCED which will help us understand what to do in places that are not parishes.
