Pope Benedict XVI announces from the Paul VI Hall that masses may return to being said in Latin ... on Saturdays!

How on earth could my brother Richard in Connecticut have missed this one? The big news item of the week and in words that ring with solemnity and joy around the world, Pope Benedict XVI (left) removed restrictions on celebrating the old form of the Latin Mass on Saturday.

This was done in a manner so as to draw the two "fighting mayors" (Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg) into agreement on at least one issue and yes, as a concession to traditional Catholics ... but he stressed that he was in no way rolling back the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. If you want to hear the Mass in Latin, you will have to go to the Temple on Saturday just as (I assume) Jesus did--or did Jesus go on Friday as do the Muslims? In any event, the announcement made no mention of exactly which language of the times was used by Jesus of Nazareth when he celebrated Mass ... or whether His Masses were High Masses or Ordinary (low) Masses.

And that's that, Richard! (and a Pax Vobiscum to you all! That's permissable since today is Saturday in the U.S.)

Now, that's what I call news!

[Oh yes, my direct response to the Pope? It's simply, "te audire no possum, musa sapienum fixa est in aura" !!! Use Wikipedia's Latin Phrase Dictionary.]