The so - called Tridentine rite,
of course, far from being «medieval» has roots deep in pre-medieval antiquity (it is in any case a strange view
of history in which the Counter-Reformation took place in the middle ages), and is a living manifestation
of the Newmanian principle
of development, wherebya process
of continuous change is inevitable if the essence
of the Church's
faith is to remain the same: for, as The Catholic Herald pointed out in its admirable leader, the reforms
of Pope St Pius V, enshrined in the Missal
of 1570, itself
containing ancient
elements, «were inspired by the Council
of Trent.
Now it is clear that while this story embodies historical
elements — the life and death
of Jesus, his resurrection, and the continuing life
of the community
of faith — it also
contains elements which are not historical.
Although disparities among them are often emphasized, the 1974 Israeli - Syrian withdrawal agreement, the 1978 Camp David Accords, the Reagan statement
of 1982, the 1993 Oslo Agreement, the treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994, the Arab peace proposal
of 2002, the 2003 Geneva Initiative, and the International Quartet's Roadmap all
contain key common
elements that can be consolidated if pursued in good
faith.