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Questions and Answers About the Centre International d'Etudes Liturgiques (International Center of Liturgical Studies)

Since 1994, the International Center for Liturgical Studies (CIEL) has expanded throughout the world by establishing national delegations in various countries, principally in Europe and North America. We asked Mr. Loïc Merían, the President of CIEL, to explain what motivated the founding of this ecclesial movement.

To begin with, what is CIEL?
The acronym CIEL stands for the French words which, when translated into English, mean: International Center for Liturgical Studies. The fact that CIEL also spells the French word meaning "heaven," is a way of highlighting the essential: God and His divine presence.

CIEL was founded in 1994 by a group of French lay Catholics. CIEL is an independent association of Catholic faithful wishing to promote piety through a better knowledge of the liturgy in general and of the traditional Roman Rite in particular.

What led you to found CIEL?
The driving force behind the launch of CIEL was my attachment, and that of my friends, to the traditional liturgy of the Catholic Church (i.e., the Classical Roman rite as codified in the 1962 liturgical texts). Our lay group would certainly never have undertaken such an extraordinary task had it not been for the love of this liturgy.

What did you decide to do?
We could see the extraordinary missionary attraction of the traditional liturgy, most particularly among the young. We were surprised, however, to discover that over the years both liturgical specialists and university professors had apparently ceased to show any interest in the study of the traditional liturgy. It was as if they no longer found interest in a form of piety that they considered to be obsolete.

For this reason, we thought a learning center should be established in order to study the treasures of the classical and traditional liturgy.

Since 1995, we have held a 3-day colloquium every year. Professors and researchers deliver papers on various theological, historical, and spiritual aspects of the liturgy in general, and of the Traditional Mass in particular. These conferences, which bring together about a hundred participants each year, have become privileged meeting places for discussion and debate on subjects we had been told were no longer of interest to anyone.

So the aim of CIEL is to promote public worship in the Traditional Rite?
Such is not our aim because it is for the Teaching Church alone, in other words the Pope and bishops, to promote liturgical action. This exclusive right of the ecclesiastical hierarchy is defined precisely in Canon 838 of the Church Canon Law.

Then what role does your association play within the life of the Church?
It is not up to us to 'promote public worship' of any kind nor to 'teach the liturgy.' Our aim is simply to constitute a free association of the faithful, in the judicial sense, according to the spirit of Canon 215 of the Code of Canon Law, with the aim of facilitating the liturgical piety of the faithful through the study of the treasures of the liturgia perennis.

But was it up to laymen to set up such an enterprise?
This question as such never came up among those of us who launched CIEL. One thing led to another, quite naturally, until the day we found ourselves at the head of an international association. Surely, it is not surprising that laymen who live their Catholic faith through the traditional liturgy should wish to make such a liturgical treasure more widely known and loved, particularly for the sake of their own children!

Are you competent to organize such conferences?
Of course we alone are not competent to coordinate and drive the academic work needed for a liturgical conference. That is why from the start we have always sought the help of specialists both for organizing the theme and speakers for each annual colloquium and for producing the annual proceedings. We work in conjunction with Monsignor Rudolph Schmitz, Doctor of Theology and Canon Law, Member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, who is the academic director of the annual colloquium.

Who are the speakers you have invited to the different conferences?
To date, more than sixty specialists have spoken at CIEL colloquia. They are members of universities, researchers, ecclesiastics or laymen, specialists of world renown or experienced pastors. Some are French but recent colloquia tap experts from all over the world, including Germany, Italy, England, the United States, Argentina, and Australia.

Your annual colloquium brings together a hundred or so participants. How far does your influence actually extend?
Following our first meeting held at Notre Dame du Laus in 1994, we decided to publish the proceedings of our colloquia. Since then, we have distributed over 200 French copies of each year's proceedings and hence our work has become widely known.

How do you distribute the proceedings that you publish?
Half are distributed through bookshops. The other half are sent to French-speaking bishops and Church authorities in order to reinforce the ecclesiastical links between the hierarchy and the faithful.

So these proceedings are published in French?
Although our proceedings have been published in French every year since 1995, we decided to publish them as soon as possible in English and German as well. As a result, by 1996 the proceedings were sent not only to the French-speaking hierarchy but also to English- and German-speaking authorities. These three hierarchies comprise more than 1000 bishops and religious superiors.

Do you envisage a wider distribution?
In addition to the three current editions of the proceedings of our annual colloquia -- in French, English, and German -- we are planning to publish two additional editions in Spanish and Italian. This will enable us each year to bring our work to the attention of over 2000 of the world's hierarchy and religious superiors.

What attracted you personally to the 1962 liturgical missal?
Our love of the traditional liturgy of the Catholic Church is not just a question of aesthetics or nostalgia because we are too young for that. We are attached to the traditional liturgy because this is the natural expression of our Catholic Faith. For many of us, it is this liturgy that has strengthened our adherence to the Church of Peter and, for some, it has even brought about conversion to Catholicism.

We believe the traditional rite -- in its texts, its rubrics, and in its theology -- emphasizes particularly well (1) the sacrificial character of the Mass, (2) the unique role played by the celebrant, who acts in persona Christi, and (3) the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament after the consecration.

Furthermore, the practice and spirit of the traditional liturgy, as it is celebrated today, clearly demonstrate the sense of the sacred with which the liturgy should be imbued: the spirit of silence and adoration and the ecclesial nature of the rites, which illustrate the respective roles of celebrant and faithful; and the theocentric character of the prayers. We consider these elements essential and that they should be preserved in our time.

What is your position within the Church?
First and foremost we are Catholics. Our liturgical preference should not isolate us in our Christianity as 'separated' Catholics, even if the traditional liturgy does entail a special kind of spirituality. It is very important to act within the Church and to be aware that liturgy does not create a separation within the Church between supposedly 'good' and 'bad' Catholics. This is not our view at all.

In pointing out the living character of these liturgical rites, are you not afraid of causing division in the heart of the Church?
The Holy Father himself answered this question in his Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei of the 2nd of July 1988 regarding the use of former rites: "It is necessary that all Pastors and the other faithful have a new awareness, not only of the lawfulness but also of the richness for the Church of a diversity of charisms, traditions of spirituality and apostolate, which also constitute the beauty and unity in variety: of that blended "harmony" which the earthly Church raises up to Heaven under the impulse of the Holy Spirit." We can have no fear therefore of causing divisions in the Church. On the contrary, we believe that we are helping to present to our contemporaries the multiple treasures of Catholicism.

How has CIEL been received by the authorities of the Church?
On the whole, very well. Following our first meeting in 1994, we decided to publish the proceedings of our colloquia and to send them to the authorities. Because we have distributed over 2000 of each year's proceedings, in three languages, our work has become widely known. We send free copies to the Roman Congregations, to bishops of over a dozen countries, to monasteries, and to seminaries. It really is an apostolate! Letters received from cardinals, bishops, abbots, and from many priests assure us that our work is considered useful. We have received written support from Cardinal Medina, Cardinal Mayer, Cardinal Ratzinger, and Cardinal Stickler.

Each year we make the official presentation of the proceedings in Rome spending three days in meetings with congregations or Roman universities to present the proceedings. It is an important part of the work of CIEL.

Is it not the case that those people giving such encouragement are themselves considered 'marginal'?
I hardly think so, particularly when we are talking about Prefects of Roman Congregations! Added to this we must not forget the words of the Holy Father of the 30th of October 1998, at the Rome pilgrimage to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Motu Proprio, Ecclesia Dei. The Pope fully justified the existence of communities that use the Traditional Rite and most particularly the faithful who encourage the love and better understanding of this rite: "I fraternally invite the bishops to show a renewed understanding and pastoral concern towards those faithful attached to the former rite and, on the threshold of the third millennium, to help all Catholics to live the celebration of the holy mysteries with a devotion that truly nourishes their spiritual life and is a source of peace."

You have mentioned the international character of CIEL. What evidence is there of this?
As early as 1994, although the initiative was launched by French laymen, it was specialists from all over Europe who made the first colloquium possible. Today the International Center for Liturgical Studies comprises 15 national committees, which work for CIEL in their countries or cultural areas, in order to make the traditional liturgy better known and loved.

What do these national committees do?
Their main aim is to distribute the proceedings of our annual colloquia. Often, in order to achieve this, the local associations organize a special CIEL day when supporters come together to discuss liturgical questions.

What means are at the disposal of CIEL?
On the practical side, all CIEL members in France and elsewhere are volunteers who devote their time and enthusiasm freely to this initiative. For our financial requirements we depend on donations from those who understand and appreciate what we are doing and on the sale of copies of the proceedings.

How can one help CIEL?
Anyone, who would like to see the work we have begun continue to progress, can take part themselves by freely devoting some of their time. They can also buy and distribute our publications. They could help us through donations towards the cost of sending the proceedings to the bishops. Finally, of course they could come to our colloquia!!

Are there any final thoughts about CIEL that you wish to share?
We really believe the Motu Proprio has given birth to a new atmosphere in the liturgical domain. Many books or studies making a positive criticism of the reform and of the current state of the liturgy can now be published without these being considered 'integrist' literature. It is a great opportunity for us to work on those issues and to show the solid basis of our love for the Old Mass.