The fine Andrea Tornielli posted on his blog a blurb about the new personal parish which Benedict XVI, Bishop of Rome, directed his Vicarius, Camillo Card. Ruini, to establish at Ss. Tirnità (I like the Roman dialect way sometimes) dei Pellegrini.
Tornielli conveys pretty much what I posted here and here.
In short, Pope Benedict issued Summorum Pontificum, which clearly speaks of personal parishes for those who desire the sacraments with the older, pre-Conciliar forms.
Summorum Pontificum did not specify how many people had to want them. It does not give a minimum number of people who have to request this.
As a matter of fact, the number of people going to the old Mass in Rome is not all that great, even if you tally up those going to San Gregorio, Gesù e Maria, and S. Giuseppe a Capo Le Case.
But the numbers are not the point.
This is the right thing to do.
And the Holy Father has directed that the FSSP be given the task, which I think it significant itself, in a parish complex which will to a certain extent bring the Traditional apostolate along side some of the doing of the ecclesial movement of the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Papa Ratzinger said in a book long interview with Peter Seewalk something of his future vision of the Church. He said that parishes would remain the building block but he foresaw the strong influence of movements.
Pope Benedict is acting in continuity with his convictions and the need for continuity with our past.
Thus is a future made brighter.
