Statements from Cardinal Ratzinger

From his book: 'From My Life'

1. the "drastic manner in which Pope Paul VI reformed the Mass in 1969 provoked 'extremely serious damage' to the Church."
2. "While many of the liturgical changes were needed, the suppression of the old Mass marked a break in the history of the liturgy, the consequences of which could be only tragic"
3. "I am convinced that the ecclesial crisis in which we find ourselves today depends in great part on the collapse of the liturgy"
4. "I was dismayed by the ban on the old missal, since such a development had never been seen in the history of liturgy. The impression was given that this was completely normal."
5. "with the promulgation of the new Mass, 'something else happened as well. the old structure was dismantled, and its pieces were used to construct another,' to the detriment of liturgical tradition."
6. "The crux of the problem was that reformed liturgy was 'presented as a new structure, in opposition to the one which had been formed through history.' This made it appear that the liturgy was not a 'vital process' in the life of the church, but a product of 'specialist knowledge and juridical competence."
7. All this "has entailed for us extremely serious damage... The impression developed that the liturgy is 'manufactured', that it is not something which preceded us, something 'given', but that it depends on our decisions."
8. "For the life of the church it is dramatically urgent to have a renewal of liturgical awareness, a liturgical reconciliation, which goes back to recognizing the unity in the history of the liturgy and understands Vatican II not as a break but as a developing moment."