LITTERÆ APOSTOLICÆ APOSTOLIC LETTER MOTU PROPRIO DATÆ SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM BENEDICTUS XVI OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM GIVEN MOTU PROPRIO De usu extraordinario On the extraordinary use antiquæ formae Ritus Romani of the ancient form of the Roman Rite SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM cura ad It has been the constant concern of the hoc tempus usque semper fuit, ut Christi Supreme Pontiffs up to the present to Ecclesia Divinæ Maiestati cultum ensure that the Church of Christ offers a dignum offerret, «ad laudem et gloriam worthy worship to the Divine Majesty, 'to nominis Sui» et «ad utilitatem totius the praise and glory of His name,' and 'to Ecclesiæ Suæ sanctæ». the benefit of all His Holy Church.' Ab immemorabili tempore sicut etiam in Since time immemorial it has been futurum, principium servandum est necessary - as it is also for the future - to «iuxta quod unaquæque Ecclesia maintain the principle according to which particularis concordare debet cum 'each particular Church must concur with universali Ecclesia non solum quoad the universal Church, not only as regards fidei doctrinam et signa sacramentalia, the doctrine of the faith and the sed etiam quoad usus universaliter sacramental signs, but also as regards the acceptos ab apostolica et continua usages universally accepted by traditione, qui servandi sunt non solum uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which ut errores vitentur, verum etiam ad fidei must be observed not only to avoid errors integritatem tradendam, quia Ecclesiæ but also to transmit the integrity of the lex orandi eius legi credendi faith, because the Church's law of prayer respondet» 1. corresponds to her law of faith.' 1 Inter Pontifices qui talem debitam curam Among the pontiffs who showed that adhibuerunt, nomen excellit sancti requisite concern, particularly outstanding Gregorii Magni, qui tam fidem is the name of St. Gregory the Great, who catholicam quam thesauros cultus ac made every effort to ensure that the new culturæ a Romanis in sæculis peoples of Europe received both the præcedentibus cumulatos novis Europæ Catholic faith and the treasures of worship populis transmittendos curavit. Sacræ and culture that had been accumulated by Liturgiæ tam Missæ Sacrificii quam the Romans in preceding centuries. He Officii Divini formam, uti in Urbe commanded that the form of the sacred celebrabatur, definiri conservarique liturgy as celebrated in Rome (concerning iussit. Monachos quoque et moniales both the Sacrifice of Mass and the Divine maxime fovit, qui sub Regula sancti Office) be conserved. He took great Benedicti militantes, ubique simul cum concern to ensure the dissemination of Evangelii annuntiatione illam quoque monks and nuns who, following the Rule saluberrimam Regulæ sententiam vita of St. Benedict, together with the sua illustrarunt, «ut operi Dei nihil announcement of the Gospel illustrated præponatur» (cap. 43). Tali modo sacra with their lives the wise provision of their 1 Institutio generalis Missalis Romani, Editio tertia, 2002, 397. liturgia secundum morem Romanum non Rule that 'nothing should be placed before solum fidem et pietatem sed et culturam the work of God.' In this way the sacred multarum gentium fecundavit. Constat liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman utique liturgiam latinam variis suis use, enriched not only the faith and piety formis Ecclesiæ in omnibus ætatis but also the culture of many peoples. It is christianæ sæculis permultos Sanctos in known, in fact, that the Latin liturgy of the vita spirituali stimulasse atque tot Church in its various forms, in each populos in religionis virtute roborasse ac century of the Christian era, has been a eorundem pietatem fecundasse. spur to the spiritual life of many saints, has reinforced many peoples in the virtue of religion and fecundated their piety. Ut autem Sacra Liturgia hoc munus Many other Roman pontiffs, in the course efficacius expleret, plures alii Romani of the centuries, showed particular Pontifices decursu sæculorum solicitude in ensuring that the sacred peculiarem sollicitudinem impenderunt, liturgy accomplished this task more inter quos eminet Sanctus Pius V, qui effectively. Outstanding among them is magno cum studio pastorali, Concilio Saint Pius V who, sustained by great Tridentino exhortante, totum Ecclesiæ pastoral zeal and following the cultum innovavit, librorum liturgicorum exhortations of the Council of Trent, emendatorum et «ad normam Patrum renewed the entire liturgy of the Church, instauratorum» editionem curavit eosque oversaw the publication of liturgical books Ecclesiæ latinæ usui dedit amended and 'renewed in accordance with the norms of the Fathers,' and provided them for the use of the Latin Church. Inter Ritus romani libros liturgicos patet One of the liturgical books of the Roman eminere Missale Romanum, quod in rite is the Roman Missal, which developed romana urbe succrevit, atque in the city of Rome and, with the passing succedentibus sæculis gradatim formas of the centuries, little by little took forms assumpsit, quæ cum illa in very similar to that it has had in recent generationibus recentioribus vigente times. magnam habent similitudinem. «Quod idem omnino propositum 'It was towards this same goal that tempore progrediente Pontifices Romani succeeding Roman Pontiffs directed their sunt persecuti, cum novas ad ætates energies during the subsequent centuries in accommodaverunt aut ritus librosque order to ensure that the rites and liturgical liturgicos determinaverunt, ac deinde books were brought up to date and, when cum ineunte hoc nostro sæculo necessary, clarified. From the beginning of ampliorem iam complexi sunt this century they undertook a more general redintegrationem» 2. Sic vero egerunt reform' 2. Thus acted also our predecessors Decessores nostri Clemens VIII, Clement VIII, Urban VIII, Saint Pius X 3, Urbanus VIII, sanctus Pius X 3, Benedict XV, Pius XII and Blessed John Benedictus XV, Pius XII et beatus XXIII. Ioannes XXIII. 2 Ioannes Paulus Pp. II, Litt. ap. Vicesimus quintus annus (4 Decembris 1988), 3 : AAS 81 (1989), 899. 3 Ibid. Recentioribus autem temporibus, In more recent times, Vatican Council II Concilium Vaticanum II desiderium expressed a desire that the respectful expressit, ut debita observantia et reverence due to divine worship should be reverentia erga cultum divinum denuo renewed and adapted to the needs of our instauraretur ac necessitatibus nostræ time. Moved by this desire our ætatis aptaretur. Quo desiderio motus, predecessor, the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI, Decessor noster Summus Pontifex approved, in 1970, reformed and partly Paulus VI libros liturgicos instauratos et renewed liturgical books for the Latin partim innovatos anno 1970 Ecclesiæ Church. These, translated into the various latinæ approbavit ; qui ubique terrarum languages of the world, were willingly permultas in linguas vulgares conversi, accepted by bishops, priests and faithful. ab Episcopis atque a sacerdotibus et John Paul II amended the third typical fidelibus libenter recepti sunt. Ioannes edition of the Roman Missal. Thus Roman Paulus II, tertiam editionem typicam pontiffs have operated to ensure that 'this Missalis Romani recognovit. Sic Romani kind of liturgical edifice ... should again Pontifices operati sunt ut «hoc quasi appear resplendent for its dignity and ædificium liturgicum […] rursus, harmony' 4. dignitate splendidum et concinnitate» appareret 4. Aliquibus autem in regionibus haud But in some regions, no small numbers of pauci fideles antecedentibus formis faithful adhered and continue to adhere liturgicis, quæ eorum culturam et with great love and affection to the earlier spiritum tam profunde imbuerant, tanto liturgical forms. These had so deeply amore et affectu adhæserunt et adhærere marked their culture and their spirit that in pergunt, ut Summus Pontifex Ioannes 1984 the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, Paulus II, horum fidelium pastorali cura moved by a concern for the pastoral care motus, anno 1984 speciali Indulto of these faithful, with the special indult “Quattuor abhinc annos”, a “Quattuor abhinc annos” issued by the Congregatione pro Cultu Divino exarato, Congregation for Divine Worship, granted facultatem concessit utendi Missali permission to use the Roman Missal Romano a Ioanne XXIII anno 1962 published by Blessed John XXIII in the edito; anno autem 1988 Ioannes Paulus year 1962. Later, in the year 1988, John II iterum, litteris Apostolicis “Ecclesia Paul II with the Apostolic Letter given Dei” Motu proprio datis, Episcopos Motu Proprio “Ecclesia Dei”, exhorted exhortatus est ut talem facultatem late et bishops to make generous use of this generose in favorem omnium fidelium id power in favor of all the faithful who so petentium adhiberent. desired. Instantibus precibus horum fidelium iam Our predecessor John Paul II having a Prædecessore Nostro Ioanne Paulo II already considered the insistent petitions diu perpensis, auditis etiam a Nobis of these faithful, having listened to the Patribus Cardinalibus in Concistorio die views of the Cardinal Fathers of the XXIII mensis martii anni 2006 habito, Consistory of 22 March 2006, having omnibus mature perpensis, invocato reflected deeply upon all aspects of the Spiritu Sancto et Dei freti auxilio, question, invoked the Holy Spirit and præsentibus Litteris Apostolicis trusting in the help of God, with this 4 Pius Pp. X, Litt. Ap. Motu proprio datæ Abhinc duos annos (23 Octobris 1913) : AAS 5 (1913), 449-450 ; cfr Ioannes Paulus II, Litt. ap. Vicesimus quintus annus (4 Decembris 1988), 3 : AAS 81