Go in Peace, But Never in Latin

Since Pope Francis reimposed restrictions on the Traditional Latin, or Extraordinary Form of the Mass, last year, several bishops, particularly in the United States, have enforced this crackdown with alacrity. The latest to do so is the Archbishop of Washington DC, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who, following his counterparts in Chicago, Denver and Cincinnati, will ban the celebration of the Latin Mass in parishes beginning this northern autumn.

The move by Pope Francis to severely restrict the celebration of the Latin Mass, also known as the Tridentine Rite,  was justified on the basis that it was meant to increase global unity among the faithful. The Pontiff suggested then that those who preferred the Latin Mass were using it to reinforce ideological divisions within the Church.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, Cardinal Wilton himself admitted to the Washington Post that those who preferred to worship in the traditional form were not ideologically driven. “I have discovered that the majority of the faithful who participate in these liturgical celebrations in the Archdiocese of Washington are sincere, faith-filled and well-meaning,” he wrote. “Likewise, the majority of priests who celebrate these liturgies are doing their very best to respond pastorally to the needs of the faithful.”

Further, the Pope’s chief henchman in implementing the Latin Mass restrictions, Archbishop Arthur Roche, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and has stated in the past that the “Ordinary Form” (that is, the Novus Ordo (New Form) Mass, implemented in 1969), has much to learn from the Extraordinary Form and that the latter is a “valid expression of the Church’s liturgy.” Put simply, the Traditional Mass is a source of unity for the Church, not division. It is the earnest desire of those who attend the Latin Mass to be part of the Universal Church, not separate from it. So why the crackdown?

Since the 1960s, the view has been propagated within the Church that the Latin Mass was abandoned by order of the Second Vatican Council. This is, in fact, not the case. It is the original fake news. As the Council stated in its document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy): “Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and foster them in every way.” This was a recognition that the Church had developed rich forms of liturgical worship in both East and West, a testament to its universality. It took into account various rites of Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as the many nuances then existing in forms used by religious orders and in local Churches and regions.

History shows us that, in the Western Church, over the centuries a form of the Mass developed, known as the Latin or Roman Rite. Its origins can be traced back to Apostolic times and its form remained essentially unchanged for centuries, until it was replaced by the Novus Ordo Mass in 1969. Further, it was the express wish of the Council that “the use of Latin in the rites is to be preserved” and that the ancient music of this language, Gregorian Chant and Polyphony, be given pride of place in liturgical services, since they “express to the highest degree the purposes of sacred music laid down by the Church: the glory of God, the sanctification of the faithful, making prayer more pleasing, promotion of unity of minds, and the conferring of greater solemnity upon the sacred rights.” In fact, the liturgy was to be “carefully and thoroughly revised in the light of sound tradition,” to make it more suitable for modern times.

While it is true that the Novus Ordo can be celebrated very prayerfully and devoutly, it is also true that many are drawn to the Latin Mass not as a form of protest, but a way of connecting to Catholicism’s ancient tradition in worshipping in the Mass of their forebears, and finding spiritual fulfilment. Notwithstanding the introduction of the new Mass, the Traditional Rite has survived and, particularly over the last 40 or so years, experienced rapid growth, particularly among young people. By contrast, in those areas of the Church where there has been an insistence on modernising, this has led to dwindling congregations.

I believe this is a factor of great irritation to Pope Francis and his fellow travellers, hence the draconian crackdown on tradition. As the former Archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen (who the Pope has refused to meet to discuss concerns on the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Catholics) has stated, the restrictions of the Traditional Mass are based on ‘many tendentious generalizations’ that ‘hurt more than expected the hearts of many good people.’

In America there have already been calls to set up an “underground Church”. This would be very unfortunate and, of course, contrary to the “unity” the Pope so often speaks about. It is to be hoped that the bishops of Australia do not follow the misguided path of some of their American counterparts in severely limiting the celebration of “the Mass of the Ages”.