Where art thou, O liturgical beauty and holiness?

Some Catholics disgruntled with the new (1970) Catholic Mass look longlingly toward "Anglican Use" parishes where a revised, Catholic version of the Cranmer-Coverdale liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer is permitted. Granted, these liturgies preserve the beauty and decorum of the older (Tridentine) Catholic Mass; yet English, Welsh & Irish Catholics chose martyrdom rather than accept this Anglican liturgy. Does that make the new (Novus Ordo) Catholic Mass better? Yes and no. The answer lies in a careful analysis of what Cardinal Ratzinger has to say about the disjunctive relationship between the traditional (Tridentine) and new (Novus Ordo) Catholic rites. Read more ...