Demolition of the Bastions
Does the return of the Latin Mass signal a return to Tradition? No, according to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, there can be no return. Below is an excerpt from his 1987 book Principles of Catholic Theology (Ignatius Press, pp. 390-391), in which he advocates, not a return, but a "demolition of the bastions."
Does this mean that the Council itself must be revoked? Certainly not. It means only that the real reception of the Council has not yet even begun. What devastated the Church in the decade after the Council was not the Council but the refusal to accept it. This becomes clear precisely in the history of the influence of Gaudium et spes. What was identified with the Council was, for the most part, the expression of an attitude that did not coincide with the statements to be found in the text itself, although it is recognizable as a tendency in its development and in some of its individual formulations. The task is not, therefore, to suppress the Council but to discover the real Council and to deepen its true intention in the light of present experience. That means that there can be no return to the Syllabus, which may have marked the first stage in the confrontation with liberalism and a newly conceived Marxism but cannot be the last stage. In the long run, neither embrace nor ghetto can solve for Christians the problem of the modern world. The fact is, as Hans Urs von Balthasar pointed out as early as 1952, that the "demolition of the bastions" is a long-overdue task.
The Church cannot choose the times in which she will live. ...In an age of the secular state and of Marxist messianism, in an age of worldwide economic and social problems, in an age when the world is dominated by science, the Church, too, faces anew the question of her relationship with the world and its needs. She must relinquish many of the things that have hitherto spelled security for her and that she has taken for granted. She must demolish longstanding bastions and trust solely to the shield of faith. But the demolition of bastions cannot mean that she no longer has anything to defend or that she can live by forces other than those that brought her forth: the blood and water from the pierced side of the crucified Lord (Jn 19:31-37). "In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world" (Jn 16:33). That is true today, too.
The Cardinal, now Pope Benedict, advocates a demolition, not a return to Tradition. This, he insists, is the real meaning of the Council. But what does "demolition of the bastions" really mean? For a fuller understanding, we must look at the theology of von Balthasar, the man who coined the phrase. To that end, I highly recommend reading an analysis of this subject in an article entitled "Broken Cisterns." The author, James Larson, requests that visitors to his website first read his introduction entitled The War Against Being.
Ven. Pope Pius IX might be surprised to know that his Syllabus of Errors is now obsolete, and that he lived in a "ghetto." The Syllabus had to go, though, because its error no. 80 runs directly counter to the demolition: "The Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization." But Pius IX isn't alone, for his teaching is part of a consistent body of doctrine from Popes Leo XIII, St. Pius X, and others. These popes are targets for demolition as well, along with the philosophy of St. Thomas. And what of the Latin Mass? Will it continue unscathed, or will it be consumed in the demolition, too?
As the Good God has elevated Cardinal Ratzinger to the chair of Peter, let us pray that He will grant Pope Benedict the grace to reverse the demolition and to restore the Traditional glory of the Church.
