Just to mention two appointments, some have noticed that the Fr. Michael Zielinski, OSB Oliv., Abbot of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pecos (NM, USA) will now be Vice President of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and also Vice President of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology.
While the positions are not in the very highest level dicasteries of the Holy See, they are nevertheless positions. The man will have input.
Fr. Zielinski has attended events of the FSSP, at least one conference of SiSiNoNo and even the large church of the SSPX in Paris. That is
Moreover, Fr. Michael Lang of the Oratory in London has been called to serve in the Pontifical Council for Culture. Again, not as important a dicastery as, say, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but it still brings him to an important environment where, when he is not just smiling and nodding, he will be friendly and positive about certain traditional matters.
These are both English speakers. They are not diocesan. They are publicly favorable toward the older form of Mass and not unimportant things like ad orientem altars. They know about these things and can speak about them intelligently.
In Congregations there are some who favor traditional things.
If there is to be some hope for success in the implementation of legislation to derestrict the older form of Mass, and therefore handle questions about the role of the older Mass in the cultures of many peoples, the nexus of the liturgy with architecture, how it is to be celebrated, how it fits in a liturgical dialogue, a cross-pollination with the new Mass, friends of the vision must seeded into offices of the Curia. They will help to shift the tone. They will be available when questions arise.
People might gripe about the Pope (or Cardinal X, or Bishop Y, or Father…. well… never Fr. Z) not moving fast enough on our pet projects.
Think about the consequences of implementing something and then… it fails.
This might come as a surprise to some of you, but not everyone in the Curia is actually on the same wave length with Pope Benedict. Not all bishops and priests out there like what Pope Benedict means to the Church or what he has broadcast he will do.
In order to tackle a project, you have to have the people to carry it out. In the case of anything having to do with the older form of liturgy, His Holiness must have people friendly to his views in the home office at different levels and places.
No matter what some might think or hope: reform cannot be imposed solely by fiat today.
Attempt to implement a project (of which the Motu Proprio is only one part) before having the right pieces on the correct squares by the middle game, to use chess terms, and the end game will be disaster.
It would be far better to keep things the way we have them now than to try to implement an initiative and see it fail.
