I thought I would do a brief article on this recent precedent to our future Ordinariates. Obviously, Anglicanorum Coetibus is an entirely new canonical and juridical framework, but certain parallels are to be seen.
The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney was officially founded the 18th January 2002 by Pope John Paul II for traditionalist Catholic clergy and laity within the Diocese of Campos in Brazil. No other Personal Apostolic Administration exists. Its current Apostolic Administrator is Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan. The Society of Saint Pius X is naturally highly critical, simply because the Administration accepted a practical solution from Rome. For us, this Administration is an admirable example of what can really work.
I refer the reader to this Wikipedia article for historical and background information.
Their statistics are: 28,325 Catholics, 28 priests, 9 seminarians, 75 religious sisters and 24 schools.
In a 2005 interview, Cardinal Castrillón stated that there were cordial relations between the Personal Apostolic Administration and the Diocese of Campos at all levels, and that priests of the Apostolic Administration were celebrating Mass in the older form for the traditionalist faithful in another dozen dioceses in Brazil in accordance with signed agreements that they had with the diocesan bishops.
- The Administration's Website (in Portuguese)
This is indeed the true precedent of the personal ordinariates as well as the model for a structure for the Traditional Latin Mass. The Military ordinariates from 1986 are far less so because the canonical territory of each is limited to military bases, and because the military ordinary, while having full auithority over every Catholic as ordinary only on those bases, is the ordinary for military personnel (alone) wherever they may be. So that structure is far more personal than territorial, compared to the one for incoming Anglicans.
The ordinariates for Eastern Catholics whose number is too few for eparchies or exarchates is actually a closer model except that they are cumulative with the local dioceses (and the ordinary is typically one of the local Latin bishops, not a separate Eastern Catholic cleric).
The Campos structure is marginally closer to a diocese than is a personal ordinariate because the Campos apostolic administrator need never consult with the local bishop when he erects parishes. But note that consultation does not entail any loss of freedom to make a decision, so this is very minor.
I was puzzled by reference to the N.O.M. To my knowledge:
1. As a matter of principle, no priest in the Campos p.a.a. is EVER required to offer Mass according to the N.O.M. and most have exercised this right; and
2. The Ordinary, Bishop Fernando Areas Rifan, is the only member of the Campos structure who has, to my knowledge, ever offered the N.O.M. He did so not when pastoral circumstances warranted it but for diplomatic reasons. The first occasion was an invitation to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecida. Certain unexpected events at that Mass–events apparently not indicated to him in advance–made it a very controversial occasion. While many of the critics focused on a sacramental issue which had little foundation, the far more serious cause of scandal was the fact that a communist was invited to deliver a speech from the sanctuary at the end of the Mass. This problem had nothing to do with the N.O.M. per se: there is no special provision for communists (or any laics) to be invited to do this.
Despite the dispute caused at that Mass, Bishop Rifan did apparently participate in the New Mass in the sanctuary on a different occasion but criticism then was far more muted.
I would not want to create a new imaginary 'standard' that priests in traditionalist structures must celebrate the New Roman Mass 'when pastoral circumstances warrant it'. No such principle exists. It is true that Campos priests, like all Latin priests, have the right to celebrate the New Mass when and only when they have already fulfilled any duties they had to offer the Traditional Latin Mass. But a right is not to be construed as a duty: no Campos priest may ever be required to offer the New Mass. Ever. Period. Furthermore, I am sure that many Campos priests would refuse to offer it if directed to do so.
There is indeed a parallel here with the new personal ordinariates. Under general law, a certain priest of an ordinariate, given his duties as parish priest, might be required to offer a particular rite of Mass to meet the pastoral needs of a group to which he is assigned, and this might not be the N.O.M. (it could be the B.D.W, for instance). Having done this duty, he is free to celebrate the N.O.M. on that same day.
Technically, in the circumstanes I've just mentioned, the ordinary could prevent the N.O.M. by assigning a priest to certain liturgical duties and then refusing to allow him to binate or trinate (cf. Canon 905). Hence, in both the Campos structure and in the new personal ordinariates for Anglicans, there is no absolute right to offer the N.O.M. for active priests (retired priests are another matter if they be in good standing!).
Could this technicality ever arise? It already has. It was a case in which a certain American Archbishop, wanting to stop a priest from offering the Traditional Latin Mass, assigned him (as parish priest) to offer the New Mass and then threatened to withdraw that priest's right to binate or trinate.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander! I should close, however, by noting that that Archbishop is now whistling another tune and allows Traditional Latin Masses; several, in fact.
P.K.T.P.
Thank you for this valuable information. Excuse me for my errors. I thought the Campos priests occasionally celebrated the NOM even though the TLM remains their normal usage. You obviously know more about them than I do.
Dear Fr. Chadwick:
When the statutes of the Campos personal apostolic administration were drawn up (under Canon 372.2), the 1962 Mass and corresponding Office were made normative for the structure. This means that, while Campos priests are free to offer the New Mass when not restricted by other provisions of law (such as a duty to serve their faithful under Canon 530, No. 7 & Canon 534.1 combined with a restiction on bination or trination under Canon 905), those appointed as parish priests must celebrate the T.L.M.
In the case of the Anglican personal ordinariates, I see nothing on this in the flexible apostolic constitution. Presumably, ordinariates could be granted normative liturgies in their statutes, or they might prefer to avoid this.
Again, I would like to see the liturgical problem solved before the ordinariates are created. I much appreciate the recent endorsement of the ordinariate structue by the TAC's Bishop Nona of the Torres Strait, but I suggest that his very Anglo-Catholic subjects will not want any of the three Mass options so far allowed by A.C., Article III. They won't want Mass in Latin or an American prayerbook approved only in the English tongue or the N.O.M. in their native tongue. If they wanted the last of these, they could have crossed the Tiber as individuals.
It is a pity that that TAC does not have a universal liturgy. Such a beast could include the Roman Offertory & Canon as standard and all the other bits from the Anglican patrimony. Then the whole could be translated into needed languages. What a mess this is turning out to be. I guess the C.D.F. & C.D.W. will have to approve liturgies for each ordinary on a case-by-case basis. Sigh! This could take a lot of time. It is a dream come true for bureaucrats. It gives them endless work to do, vetting all the options.
P.K.T.P.
Bishop Rifan? Oh yeah, the Bishop who looked like he concelebrated the Novus Ordo as mentioned above, but reality, had told people that he had no intention of doing so (having the proper sacramental intention)! Even Pope Benedict XVI said that in principle, no priest can refuse to say the Novus Ordo as a matter of principle and who can forget Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos asking some new priests of the FSSP (including the priest involved in the "ecumenical Mass" confusion in Mexico) to concelebrate the Novus Ordo on Holy Thursday with their bishop.