Saturday, July 15, 2006

Sicne Augustinus locutus?

Roma locuta, causa finita est: "Rome has spoken, the case is ended." This famous dictum is attributed to St Augustine, but in fact only the latter half of it is from him. What he actually says, in Sermon 131, is the following:

Iam enim de hac causa duo concilia missa sunt ad Sedem Apostolicam; inde etiam rescripta venerunt. Causa finita est; utinam finiatur error! "Two delegations have already been sent about this case to the Apostolic See; and rescripts have come back from there. The case is ended; would that the error were ended!"

Of course, what Augustine says about the rescripts coming from the Holy See is tantamount to "Roma locuta", but those words he does not use. However, the final words quoted above deserve wider circulation. So perhaps we should spread abroad the following, utterly genuine Augustinian quote:

Causa finita est: utinam finiatur error!

May all the good decrees from Rome on the litugy, etc., actually be put into practice.

Sermon 131 continues, and concludes, with the following beautiful wish:

Ergo ut advertant monemus, ut instruantur docemus, ut mutentur oremus. Conversi ad Dominum... "Therefore we admonish that they may pay heed, we teach that they may be instructed, we pray that they may be changed. Turned towards the Lord..."

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