Episode 561: Firing Line - Michael Davis "Fight for Catholic Orthodoxy"

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Firing Line broadcast records > Episode guide > The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy
Item Title
The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy
Collection Title
Firing Line broadcast records
Guest
Davies, Michael
Guest
Champlin, Joseph
Guest
Martin, Malachi
Host
Buckley, William F., Jr. (1925-2008)
Date Created
April 22, 1980
Description
Although Mr. Buckley's introduction focuses on Pope John Paul's repudiation of

the teachings of Hans Kung and Edward Schillebeeckx, the discussion that follows centers not on doctrinal theology but on what the ordinary worshipper encounters at every Mass: the shape of the liturgy. Specifically, on the conflict between traditionalists (like Messrs. Buckley and Davies) who loved the Tridentine Mass, and reformers (like Monsignor Champlin) who support the Novus Ordo mandated by Vatican II. JC: "You liked the old worship because the 'I' was able to pray, and you weren't kind of impinged by the priest or other people? That kind of notion? ..." WFB: "It gave me a sense that the priest was there as a mediator between me and God, whereas it seems to me that the existing approach tends to be sort of crowd-oriented." JC: "I think that's the key thing right there.... Before Vatican II, when I was ordained in '56, the Mass was very much a mystery. I was a priest with my back to the people, in Latin, there was silence in the congregation.... The Council, then, going back to the best traditions of the early Church, said it's both 'I' and 'we' together. It's a vertical worship, yes, but it's also a horizontal worship."