Fr. Claude Barthe on Mediator Dei

From L'Homme Nouveau.

If you read French, you will likely want to take note of this new publication of Mediator Dei (Pius XII's encyclical on the sacred liturgy).

There are many editions of Pius XII's encyclical of course, but the reason this book is of interest is that it also includes a presentation by Fr. Claude Barthe, the author of the challenging work, Beyond Vatican II: The Church at a Crossroads (published by Roman Catholic Books), which looks at the question of the exercise of ecclesiatical authority since the Council and also addresses the need to a rapproachment between the reform of the reform movement and the usus antiquior movement.

From L'Homme Nouveau:

A new book has just been released by L'Homme Nouveau: the encyclical Mediator Dei, preceded by a very important presentation of the Father Claude Barthe.

"On November 20, 1947, Pope Pius XII issued Mediator Dei, one of the four major encyclicals of his pontificate, in an alarming situation for the Roman liturgy. In this encyclical, Pope Pius XII sought to avoid the [liturgical] disruptions that occurred two decades later.

"A careful reading of Mediator Dei shows the continuity between this encyclical and the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of Vatican II in 1963.

"Hermeneutics of rupture or hermeneutics of continuity? In a sense, Summorum Pontificum of Benedict XVI continues with the liturgical tradition of which Mediator Dei is a milestone, and this is also why this encyclical letter of Pope Pius XII deserves to be reread with the greatest attention."

(From the back cover).

It would be interesting to receive some pertinent excerpts from Fr. Barthe's presentation. If any of our French readers would be able to oblige, it would be appreciated.