Its publication last 27 September practically went unnoticed. Benedict XVI publicised an apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio, entitled Quaerit semper, which transfers the power with respect two matters, which has thus far been in the hands of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, over to the Roman Rota, the Holy See’s Court of Appeal.
The first matter regards the nullity of priestly ordination which, like marriage, can be annulled on the basis of a vice of matter and of form, of consensus and intention, both by ordaining bishops and by the clerics ordained as priests.
The second matter is the licence for marriages for which a contract has been signed but which have not been consummated. Marriage is in fact indissoluble, but only in cases where it has been consummated through an intimate act between husband and wife. If this does not take place after the marriage celebration, either one or both spouses can obtain a licence to dissolve the bond. The study of these practices occupied much of the Congregation for Divine Worship’s time, led by the Spanish Cardinal, Antonio Cañizares Llovera.
But in order to understand the reasons that pushed Benedict XVI to take this decision, one passage in particular, from the motu proprio must be taken into consideration; it reads: “Under the current circumstances it seems apt that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments should dedicate its time mainly to giving a new impulse to the promotion of the Church’s sacred liturgy, in accordance with the renewal requested by the Second Vatican Council since the Constitution of the Sacrosanctum Concilium.”
The Congregation’s dicastery must, therefore, devote itself to “giving a new impulse” to the promotion of the liturgy, giving it the focus Pope Ratzinger has insisted upon, acting also and above all as an example.
Attention must also be given to the reference to the Conciliar Constitution, the first one to be approved by the Second Vatican Council which Benedict XVI would like to see recuperated. It is no secret that during the post-Council years, certain reforms were made that were not in line with the rules established by the Council.
An idea which Ratzinger frequently proposed was that of creating a new liturgical movement from scratch, in order to create awareness of the importance of an appropriate celebration of the liturgy, and to prevent cases of abuse.
“What I believe is absolutely necessary and urgently needed, in accordance with the Pope’s wishes, Cañizares had said, is to give life to a new, clear and energetic liturgical movement throughout the entire Church. Because as Benedict XVI explained in the first volume of his Opera Omni, it is the relationship with the liturgy that determines the destiny of faith and the Church.” Christ is present in the Church through the Sacraments. God is the subject of the liturgy, not us. The liturgy is not a human action but an action carried out by God.”
The Prefect of the Congress for Divine Worship explained that “the renewal of the Council, was meant as a break and not as an organic development of tradition. We must revive the spirit of the liturgy which is why the gestures made by the Pope in his liturgies are important. For example: the orientation of the liturgical procedure, with the cross at the centre of the altar, the act of kneeling when receiving communion, the Gregorian chant, the space given to silence and the beauty of sacred art. The promotion of Eucharistic adoration is also necessary and urgently needed: one cannot but feel adoration in the royal presence of the Lord.”
“To interpret the Council, we must consider a renewal of the liturgy, the Cardinal said in conclusion, in the spirit of continued reform, outlined by Benedict XVI. And in order to do this, we must overcome our tendency to “freeze” the current state of post-Conciliar reform in a way that does not give justice to the organic development of the Church. We are putting a lot of effort into training priests, seminarians, consecrated and faithful lay people, in order to promote an understanding of the true meaning of the Church’s celebrations. This requires an adequate, broad and genuine education as well as close attention and loyalty to the rites so that they can be lived fully. This effort must be accompanied by the revision and updating of the introductory texts to the various celebrations (praenotanda). We are also conscious of the fact that giving impetus to this movement will not be possible without a renewal of the teaching on Christian initiation.”