In Japan the Catholic Church has a difficult situation. Its presence in the population is almost hardly relevant -- it sits at under 0.5 percent. Under the direction of the predominant Jesuits of the (nominally Catholic) Sophia University, have opened the National Church to the most extreme form of the "spirit of the Council". That is also valid for the Liturgy, beneath the veil of a supposed inculturation the traditional patrimony of the Church is often almost impossible to detect, not only for foreigners, but also for the native Japanese as well.
Despite, or perhaps really because there is also a group of traditionally oriented Catholics that has been formed, there is a national branch of the International Federation Una Voce, and for 3-4 weeks, Fr. Augustin Ikeda (SSP) offers a sung Mass for those who want the traditional Mass. The Mass doesn't take place in any of the few Catholic churches in Tokyo, but in the home of a member of Fr. Augstin's community. Pictures of the Mass are located on TNLM and on the page of the Japanese "Blog of a Practicing Catholic Metropolitan."
Translated from summorumpontificum.de....
1 comment:
Not only are Catholics only 0.5% of the population nationwide, but they are actually much less than that in Tokyo, and on the whole island of Honshu. The country's Catholic population remains largely concentrated on the southwestern island of Kyushu, and in the vicinity of Nagasaki in particular.
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