Of this same influence Benedict XVI later reported, “I was not able to foresee that the negative sides of the liturgical movement would afterward reemerge with redouble strength, almost to the point of pushing the liturgy towards its own self-destruction.” Furthermore, he stated unequivocally that the Council Fathers 'never intended many of the changes that took place.'
How then did this all happen?
Outright rebellion against the Council
In the final analysis, it appears that fifty years later we can say with certainty that it was outright rebellion on the part of some European and American bishops and priests that led to institutionalizing practices such as Communion received standing and in the hand, and priests no longer celebrating Mass ad orientem.
Furthermore, this same group unleashed a storm of iconoclasm never imagined by the Council Fathers, destroying the work of centuries in beautiful art -- high altars, stained glass, and statuary in Catholic churches all over the world.
Tragically, the damage wrought by the so-called 'Spirit of Vatican II' did not end there. The catechesis of Catholics was seriously damaged. Traditional Orders quickly lost their bearings -- and most of their members. As religious vocations plummeted, abuses rapidly crept in to the Church -- in seminaries, in parishes and in Orders. Today, many observers point to the fact that two generations of un-catechized Catholics have meant mass apostasy in most of the Western world.
The damage that has been done to the Church is only now starting be assessed by a new generation of unbiased Catholic and secular scholars alike. What really happened at Vatican II may in fact take another fifty years to understand.
(Editor’s Note: This short essay is but an introduction to and some thoughts on the liturgical movement, the Rhine alliance and Vatican II. See the Reference list and their bibliographies for further reading.)
References
Davies, Michael. Liturgical Revolution, Volumes I, II, III, Angeles Press
Fortescue, Adrian. The Mass, A Study of The Roman Liturgy, University Press, Longmans, Green and Co, Ltd 1955.
Guardini, Romano. The Spirit of the Liturgy. Sheed & Ward, London 1930;
Ratzinger, Joseph. Milestones Memoirs 1927-1977, Ignatius
Wiltgen, Ralph. The Rhine Flows into the Tiber, The Unknown Council, Hawthorne Books, Inc
REGINA | 187