The Bishop and the Catholic Mass

Here is the link to Bishop Schneider’s appearance on War Room.

https://rumble.com/vnhhh9-episode-1322-the-bishop-special.html

Transcript of the interview with Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Steve Bannon.

War Room Bishop Athanasius Schneider Interview 10-6-21-7:58 Segment

Steve Question:

Schneider Response:

I think these measures which Pope Francis did limiting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass It is revealing the main mentality and orientation-ideological orientation of his pontificate, which is obvious for all-man centered. Spirit, actions and mentality which the Pope is demonstrating centered on earthly things, primarily on earthly realities. As we know, climate change, the care of Mother Earth-it is a materialistic view only a very limited temporal care. But this is not the mission of the Church. Christ came to save us from our sins, to redeem us with His Precious Blood, to redeem us from eternal damnation, to make us Children of God, to open up the gates of Heaven for eternal life, to give us eternal life. This is the mission of the Church. Unfortunately, in the decades after the Council and now we have the culmination with the pontificate of Pope Francis, it was an excessive stress on earthly realities-on man, and forgetting the true mission of the Church which is eternity which is the life of God, of grace, of salvation of souls, not in the first time, the salvation of the body, of Mother Earth. This is not a first. So in this context, which we are not witnessing in the pontificate of Pope Francis such a liturgy, which is the traditional form of the Mass which is so expressively Theocentric—-centered on God which is so expressively centered on the eternity, on eternal life, on the duration. Such a liturgy is in some way for this earthly centered mentality of the pontificate of Pope Francis-such a liturgy is an obstacle for them or a continuous reproach for their conscience that they have to return to give primacy to eternity, for salvation of souls. And maybe this Mass was being a continuing reproach for them an obstacle. Maybe Pope Francis and his counselors feel that this form is hindering them in their agenda. Or also another reason is that since Pope Benedict freed very generously the celebration of this Mass in 2007, since then it has spread really in an astonishing way, and especially, attracting young people and converts because of its inherent beauty of the traditional form of the liturgy-of this heavenly character which is attracting people who have thirst for God-thirsting for eternity. I think maybe they were scared-they were afraid in Rome, Pope Francis and his counselors that this Mass is spreading and so in some way contradicting the main agenda of a more earthly centered realities. This, to my opinion, could be some reasons.

Steve question:

Bishop Schneider’s Response:

Yes! We could already state this. After Pope Francis’ Motu Proprio with these limitations in these few months, several priests have said that the attendance of the traditional mass has increased and young people, in some ways became curious. Why?  This was a limitation. Let us taste in some way this form. They came and they are coming young people and their families and this is a demonstration that the traditional form of the Mass, which is the Mass of all ages. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in such a long time without changing. Even a Pope cannot win the work of the Holy Spirit. The traditional mass is stronger than Pope Francis, stronger than all limitations. It will win. These limitations are really short lived-they will collapse. Because the truth and the beauty of the prayer of the Church of all ages is so powerful and so beautiful. This is the demonstration that the Church is in the hands of God.

Steve Question.

Schneider Response:

The theme of the Holy Mass, we have again to be aware what is the Holy Mass. The Holy Mass is the most important act of life of the entire Church.Why? Because the Holy Mass is the Mystical, Sacramental Presence-Real Presence of the act of salvation of the entire humanity-The Sacrifice of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And so therefore we cannot enough speak about this central act of the life of the Church which is not her    Act in the first place but is the redeeming act of the God-man of Jesus Christ, the redeemer of humankind. This is His act but he lets the Church participate in His redeeming act in through the sacrament of the Holy Mass. and therefore this is the fountain-the ever living fountain of graces of life of the Church. This is the Son which is shining-the true Son and therefore we have to state again-What is the Mass? What is the meaning of the Mass? And all the details of the Mass are oriented towards Christ-His sacrificial act of redemption.

Steve question:

Bishop Schneider Response:

First, we have to distinguish what really the Council fathers intended and wanted to do regarding the reform of the Liturgy. We carefully read the text of the document of the Vatican Council, Concilium, there is a very careful approach, not so drastic or revolutionary as it came after.. And so the true form of the Mass of Vatican 2 was actually was formed of 1965 in 1965 January published a new order of Mass and the Council Fathers in the last session in the fall of 1965 celebrated this form and actually the 1965 form of the reformed Mass was substantially the same as the previous century millennium old rite of the Mass. They introduced only small changes-not substantial. And gave more place for the vernacular language. And this consisted in the 1965 reform was considered very organic, and even Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre celebrated the 1965 reform Mass and even in his sermon in the first years was celebrated the 1965 Mass which was the true Vatican 2 Mass, but after at the Council, the Committee at the Vatican under the leadership of Msgr. Bugnini, they made a true revolution-a drastic one, which we have now unfortunately and it is a tragedy. And therefore, we have to go back and restore and spread the form of the Holy Mass for the Ages because we have documents and manuscripts  that show that the traditional mass was not the Tridentine Mass—No. It was the same mass before the Council of Trent. It was not changed after the Council of Trent. They have documents from the beginning of the Second Millennium stands the 11th century but we have order which is the same after the Council of Trent —the same as the traditional Latin Mass. They made only small changes in the rubrics. Therefore, the Church in 2000 years never made in the liturgy drastic or revolutionary changes. It was for the first time in 1969 when Paul VI published his new really revolutionary order of Mass. And this is against the nature of the Church. The Church has to transmit carefully Her faith and Her manner of prayer and the Traditional form of Mass expresses this more fully and perfectly the substance of the Mass which is the Sacrifice of the Cross. And the most sublime act of worship and adoration of the Church here on earth of the heavenly Church of the entire creation. The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of the Cross was firstly the most sublime act of adoration of worship which Christ, the God-Man gave to the Holy Trinity in the name of the entire humanity and the entire creation. For the traditional mass stresses very much the aspect of Adoration of the Sacrifice and all these aspects of reverence. And this is all an expression of love, not of servile service, but of loving service of the children of God together with the angels and the saints.

Schneider’s Response:

Yes, it happened because of an ideology. Those who reformed the liturgy under the leadership of Msgr. Bugnini and others, they wanted to approach the Catholic meaning, teaching and prayer wanted the Protestant meaning to stress more the banquet, the meal, but this is a secondary aspect. The centrality is the Sacrifice on the Cross. Christ did not redeem us with a meal with the Last Supper. He redeemed us with His Sacrifice on the Cross. So this tendency in the New Mass to make it more like a meal style as the Protestants believe and do. And also to make the Mass more informal, the entire style of the New Mass has so many moments of informality-so many gaps where the celebrant can improvise and even present himself. So it is very dangerous so the New Mass has in herself, the tendency to do performance and to be anthropocentric. This is very harmful for the faith, for the devotion and for the prayer.

Schneider’s Response:

Yes, my new book has the subtitle, ‘Steps to Restore the Centrality of God in the Liturgy’ to reestablish the centrality of God. This is our problem today and this is the deepest cause of the crisis of the Church in our day. That we have banished God from the center in the Church life, in the prayer life, in the liturgy. Man became the center. This is problem and God was put on the side. They have to reestablish on all levels the Church life, the centrality-complete centrality of Christ in the Church life, and especially in the liturgy.  Therefore, I wanted to show in this new book the richness of the Holy Mass—the unspeakable richness of this act of our salvation which is celebrated ritually in which the Holy Ghost through the centuries and Millennia, was developing in the Church through the saints over all the ages because the Church kept this form of the Liturgy carefully. We have to be happy that this form again was restored by Pope Benedict and not offending the limitations and restrictions which Pope Francis now gave recently, his new Motu Proprio, Traditiones Custodes, nevertheless, this form of the Mass, because this form is the form of the Mass of the All Ages and the Saints will continue-will live, especially and attract the new generations. So the intention of my book was to demonstrate-to present the unspeakable richness of the Holy Mass.