Told you so! The roadblocks are on the way already

If anyone accuses you of lack of charity and of presuming ill will because you wonder whether the U.S. bishops will drag their feet on Summorum Pontificum as much as they have on Ecclesia Dei, just have them look at the statement (click on this post's title, then click on the link at the site) of Erie Bishop Donald Trautman (pictured above) on Summorum Pontificum.

Bishop Trautman's shocking, unbelievable -- but totally predictable, unfortunately -- statement is the epitome of foot-dragging, resistance and defiance to the Vicar of Christ. Friend Allyson Smith has passed it along from Patrick Archbold's http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/

Bishop Trautman starts out with a bald-faced mischaracterization, misinterpretation, inaccuracy or whatever you wish to call it: He claims that Summorum Pontificum "is prompted by [the Pope's] desire to reach out to those Catholics in schism because of their non-acceptance of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council."

Sed contra! As we know, the Pope specifically mentions lots of other Catholics, too. Does His Excellency need a remedial course in reading comprehension -- and in English as well as Latin?

The bishop then refers to supporters of the TLM as "still clinging to" it. That condescending smear language means we are emotionally backward cavemen. His smear is exactly analogous to that of the pro-abortion news media who always say we pro-lifers "clutch our Rosary beads."

It gets worse. Bishop Trautman says he already permits a grand total of two Latin Masses in his large diocese, so "I do not foresee a pressing pastoral need on the part of our people." Never mind that the Vicar of Christ has just said HE sees such a need for Holy Mother Church!

Then His Excellency says he will issue "diocesan norms to help apply...the Pope's letter" and he will give an exam to "priests who might want" to say the TLM [emphasis added].

More ominously, Bishop Trautman fires this shot across Summorum Pontificum's bow:
"Further, there will be need to ascertain that the common good of the parish prevails and to ascertain what constitutes a stable community of those requesting the 1962 missal."

Told you so. And most ominously of all, Bishop Trautman says, "We must keep in proper perspective the pope's [sic; read, "Pope's"] more generous use of the liturgical rites prior to [sic; read, "of 1962"]."

Imagine! The bishop of Erie says we have to keep the Vicar of Christ's order "in perspective!"

I think I'd rather keep the bishop of Erie's authority level in perspective when compared to that of the Holy Father. How about you?

Somehow not surprisingly, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has had this same Bishop Trautman speak at his annual Religious "Education" Congress.

Anyway, didn't ole Q warn everyone about resistance and foot-dragging being a possibility? Yep, sure did.