Reactions by Cardinal Richard

[Taken from WDTPRS]
An APCOM story has Card. Ricard of Bordeaux saying that Summorum Pontificum produces "neither winners nor losers".

Sound familiar?

Other highlights of the interview with Card. Ricard in the French weekly Famille Chretienne. With my interlinear comments.

1. The Pope knew that some people would worry about this.
And he did it anyway. Let us remember that in ancient times, the doctor didn’t stop cutting just because the patient was screaming and begging him to stop. This is for our own good.

2. Not all priests are adequately prepared for this. They lack formation.
Priests are smart. We can learn. I will teach any priest how to say the older Mass and help him with Latin. This is not astrophysics.

3. Books are lacking.
Print new ones? We have the resources of entire conferences of bishops to back this initiative if the spirit of this MP is embraced.

4. Priests will have to prepare two homilies.
How ‘bout… make ‘em a little shorter?

5. The Cardinal is worried that people in general and priests won’t understand why this was done.
Hmmm… tough one. If only someone in a position of authority could speak to people from, say, a pulpit, publish bulletins and articles, speak with the media, hold conferencs and classes. Hmmm… who could do such a thing.

6. The Pope’s motive was reconciliation.
I hope that means also that the opponents of the MP are now reconciled to the idea that it is reality. Seriously, this is not just a matter of arguing and proposing laws. This is a matter of opening hearts. We must work now to open hearts on all sides. This is everyone’s job.

7. The Cardinal is not worried about the authority of bishops being diminished.
I think we all know that this was the real problem in most cases of opposition.

8. Parish priests will bear the brunt of the new work this creates.
What’s new? I hope and pray that lay people will not put their priests in impossible situations. That they will treat the priests well and keep the kvetching to a minimum.

9. This document will create difficulites for the followers of the SSPX
Nothing new there. But the door is open. People of good will will step to the threshold.