Because You've Been Waiting

Here is the official English translation of Universae Ecclesiae, the instruction on Summorum Pontificum. (All the versions are on one page; scrolling may be required). It's one of the documents which will help to track the developing course of liturgical thinking -- and liturgical law -- within the Roman Catholic church.

We haven't given it a good read yet, but at a glance it seems to be pretty much what we expected: a ringing endorsement of both the Latin language and the pre-Conciliar liturgical forms. The 1962 Mass is to be made available whenever a "group of the faithful" requests it and a "qualified priest" is available. The size of the group is not spelled out, and ordinaries are given some discretion. The "qualifications" of the priest are fairly mild; he must be a Roman Catholic priest who can pronounce Latin and understand the words of the Mass, and who has celebrated according to the EF previously.

Of interest to us is the fact that the 1962 Roman Breviary is expressly permitted, provided that it is prayed in Latin. This will be a big hit with those guys at the Baronius Press, who have a gorgeous bilingual edition scheduled for release this summer.