So the question of the next week or two is, will the Motu Proprio finally see the light of day?
What of the issue that came up last year with regard to Holy Week and whether the Pope would release something then, and possibly distract from the holiest season of Christendom? Then again, if the announcement is understood as being one of great joy, are they really that incompatible?
It's difficult to say. But for those who absolutely must hear about the MP, the news on the spectrum today comes only in the way of confirmations. Fr. Zuhlsdorf quotes another source on What Does The Prayer Really Say which suggests that the Motu Proprio is “really really close” -- whatever that might mean in ecclesiastical timelines!
The precise comment was: "In the course of a conference held at Montauban (France) last Saturday, Rev. Fr. La Rocque, of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (SSPX), confirmed that the Motu Proprio should be published this week, or at the latest before Holy Thursday."
(Originally published here)
We shall see. Now might be a good time to get upon one's knees, and pray the intercession of St. Benedict, St. Pius V, St. Gregory the Great, Our Lady and whomever else you might wish to invoke.
From my perspective, the issue is not whether it will be released, only when. The Pope, I firmly believe, is waiting for the best circumstances and time, though also wanting to release sooner than later since there can, of course, never be perfect sets of circumstances. Let us pray that he will determine that the time will be right soon and that it will indeed be right so that God's plans may be manifest.