Vatican Signals Eased Limits on Latin Mass, English Bishops Told

Supporters of the traditional Latin Mass have welcomed hints of an easing of restrictions, while cautioning that traditionalist practices still face strong resistance from some Church leaders. Joseph Shaw, chairman of the London-based Latin Mass Society, said bishops already have discretionary powers to request permits for the Latin Mass, but many have chosen to reduce it to one or two locations. “The latest message that more permits will be granted marks a significant policy departure,” he said. “It suggests implementation of the rules has changed, even if the rules themselves have not.”

Shaw was responding to a mid-November report that Catholic bishops from England and Wales had been told by the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, that renewable two-year dispensations would now be granted to bishops wishing to allow the Latin Mass in their dioceses. The report said this would happen without formally lifting restrictions imposed by the late Pope Francis. In an OSV News interview, Shaw said tensions over the Latin Mass had been less severe in Britain than in the United States, where some dioceses had launched an “upsetting official campaign” against it. He added that calls for a “more positive attitude” by Pope Leo XIV could “change realities on the ground” and help bring back young people who favor “more traditional forms of worship.”

A senior Latin Mass Society trustee told OSV News that traditionalist Catholic activities were increasing, with many families travelling long distances to attend Latin Masses, requiems and sacred music events. The trustee said the latest “conflicting reports” had left many enthusiasts “in a positive mood.” Sarah Ward, a Catholic lawyer whose nine children attend the Latin Mass, said that many young people who fully commit to Catholicism in today’s society believe they should practise it properly. “It seems crazy not to listen to the growing number coming to traditional liturgies,” she said. “To tell them their needs can’t be met for some abstract reason risks putting them off.”

The current curbs date to July 2021, when Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter “Traditionis Custodes,” which ruled that post-Vatican II liturgies were the “unique expression” for Latin-rite Catholics. The Latin, or Tridentine, Mass predates the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council. Some critics have accused enthusiasts of using the traditional Mass as a rallying point against Church reforms, and say the use of Latin in place of the new Mass, or Novus Ordo Missae, is insensitive and divisive. Multiple statements and petitions have nonetheless called for the restrictions to be eased, including a July 2024 letter from 48 British public figures, organized by Catholic composer James MacMillan.

On Oct. 25, a traditional Latin Mass attended by around 200 priests was celebrated with papal permission in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, formerly prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Tribunal. At a June conference in London, Burke had said he asked Pope Leo to end “the present persecution” of traditionalist Catholics. Shaw told OSV News that he had sensed a “better atmosphere” during his late October visit to Rome, along with a new “openness to dialogue.” He said clerical and lay attendance at Burke’s Mass was far larger than at previous traditionalist liturgies. In a Nov. 14 communiqué, the Vatican’s London nunciature said it regretted that Archbishop Maury Buendía’s statement about the English and Welsh bishops’ plenary on renewable two-year dispensations had been leaked, causing “confusion to the faithful.”

Shaw said that when people have lost their traditional Mass, “they can’t be blamed for being bitter and cynical.” He described parishes where traditional Masses remain available, saying people often come from a wide area and contribute to renovations, fundraising and other Church work. Taking a path toward reconciliation, as Romans 12:18 urges, he said: “If you extend pastoral care to those who’ve felt excluded, they will respond. It’s a tragedy this has been put into reverse and so much trust lost over the past four years.”

Source: Read the original report