In addition to all the usual suspects, have a look at Ohio pastor Fr. Martin Fox, who frankly discusses the challenges and also points out:
Now we have the great tradition itself, plus what the Council said, plus what re-thinking liturgists and bishops are starting to say, plus what many of the faithful are saying, and now, plus what the pope is saying, and what the norms of the Church herself are going to provide for. I don’t kid myself; it’s going to be a bumpy ride for many years, but unless a future pope rescinds this; or the enthusiasm for old form fades, it seems the re-integration of the two forms of the Roman liturgy is now official policy from the highest level.
Will the enthusiasm for the older forms fade? Ironically, they may, precisely as the old and new become better integrated. One wonders if the immediate implementation of the Council’s mandates had been handled — for lack of a better term — more "conservatively," we might well have a unified rite already. God only knows.
Will a future pope rescind this? Of course he may, but consider the grief that would cause him? The most favorable occasion to do so would be…when it is no longer needed. I.e., if and when the development of the liturgy has moved to a new place of harmony–just what the pope has called for.
You might want to take a look at the USCCB’s Committee on Liturgy newsletter on the document, which includes a Q & A. It’s good, with just a couple of points of phrasing I’d disagree with. As if that matters. The only thing missing is direction to resources for those interested in celebrating/participating in the Classical/Extraordinary form of the Mass.
However, at this very moment it is possible for parts of the Mass to be sung in Latin, such as the Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, as well as appropriate Latin hymns from the Church’s vast treasury of liturgical music and Gregorian Chant. This use of the Latin language in the Sacred Liturgy can provide an appropriate bridge between the ordinary and extraordinary forms of celebrating the Divine Mysteries of our Redemption in Christ until the implementation of the extraordinary form.
Desirous of fulfilling the pastoral needs of those who seek the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy according to the rite of the 1962 Roman Missal, I will celebrate Holy Mass in this extraordinary form on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
August 15, 2007, at Saint Joseph’s Co-Cathedral at 7:00pm.
This celebration will invoke our Mother Mary’s intercession, asking that all we do to celebrate Her Son’s presence among us will bring glory to His name and harmony and peace among His people.
In closing, let us remind ourselves that the Eucharist is the August Sacrament of Unity, intended to unite us in faith and in love for one another. Let us approach our Holy Father’s Apostolic Letter in this spirit.
Bishop Matano of Burlington, VT.
And then…incoming. Some context on this last point from Fr. Powell, OP.
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