For the record: Universae Ecclesiae

The Vatican Instruction and clarification of the import of Pope Benedict's earlier Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum (2007), was signed on April 30th, the memorial of Pope St. Pius V under the new calendar, and released by Cardinal Levada of the CDF earlier today on May 13th, Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima -- certainly no coincidences.

A translation in English (and several other languages) can be found on the blog, Rorate Caeli.

Fr. John Zuhlsdorff today posted a podcast worth listening to, if you have the time, "PODCAzT 119: Instruction “Universae Ecclesiae” (WDTPRS, May 13, 2011), as well as a likewise lengthy written summary, "RELEASED: Instruction 'Universae Ecclesiae'” – the text and my initial observations (WDTPRS, May 13, 2011).

For what it's worth, one of my esteemed colleagues, a professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, points out that in no. 21, we are told that "Ordinaries are asked to offer their clergy the possibility of acquiring adequate preparation for celebrations in the forma extraordinaria. This applies also to Seminaries, where future priests should be given proper formation, including study of Latin and, where pastoral needs suggest it, the opportunity to learn the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite." He then comments: "I notice that the Latin text (which I assume is normative) has 'Ordinari enixe rogantur ...' The 'enixe' shows that the Ordinaries are 'earnestly' or 'vehemently' asked to offer their priests and seminarians these possibilities for training in the EF."

And here is "Rorate's suggested Application of Paragraph 19 of the Instruction Universae Ecclesiae" for you all-too-serious guys: