Liturgical Peace, Liturgical War

$101.99

Taxes may apply at checkout.

Preview sample

Liturgical Peace, Liturgical War

Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum and Its Critics

Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church Theology Worship, rites, ceremonies and rituals Religious and spiritual figures

Author: Tomasz Dekert

Dinosaur mascot

Language: English

Published by: T&T Clark

Published on: 11th December 2025

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 238 pages

ISBN: 9780567724717


In 2007 Benedict XVI issued the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, lifting restrictions on the celebration of the pre-reform Catholic liturgy. In 2021, Pope Francis overturned his predecessor''s document, directly aligning himself with the critics of Benedict XVI''s decision. Dekert''s book disentagles the arguments of representative pro-reform critics of Summorum Pontificum, as well as the documents and discourse surrounding Traditionis Custodes.

Dekert evaluates these arguments in context, assessing the validity of the historical and anthropological claims supporting them, while questioning their underlying assumptions. He also analyzes the connections between the pro-reform discourse of liturgical experts and the Vatican''s liturgical policies since 2021. The core theoretical framework of his analysis is Roy A. Rappaport''s concept of the “obvious aspects of ritual,” which provides tools for a fresh perspective on the liturgical reform and the potential of Benedict XVI''s liturgical option in addressing the ongoing liturgical conflict within contemporary Catholicism. This approach reveals the deeply problematic nature and lack of clarity in the expert discourse and the recent papal liturgical legislation at historical, anthropological, logical, and doctrinal levels.

Show moreShow less