The traditionalist temptation of the Pope

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass on January 13th with his back turned to his congregation, an old tradition that had not been practised for decades. Marco Politi, a Vatican specialist, is concerned about this return to tradition. "Three years after his election, the Pope has realised his historical dream: to celebrate mass facing the alter, turning his back to the faithful, like the shepherd guiding his flock to Jesus Christ. The location is symbolic: the Sistine Chapel, where Benedict XVI was elected. It is from there that the German pope is sending out his counter reform signal. Granted, this is only a gesture, but the history of the Church is made up of gestures, signs and symbols. And when Joseph Ratzinger solemnly held the host up to the crucifix above the marble alter ... everyone understood. The pontiff will not be straying from path he has chosen to see the application of the [liturgical reform] Vatican II".

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