DOSSIER
THE LITURGY IN THE CHURCH TODAY THE HE VATICAN ATICAN IS IS TRYING TRYING TO TO SUPPRESS SUPPRESS THE THE TRADITIONAL RADITIONAL LATIN ATIN MASS ASS. WHAT HAT ARE ARE CATHOLICS ATHOLICS IN IN THE THE PEW PEW EXPERIENCING EXPERIENCING?
IN THIS SPECIAL “LITURGY” SECTION OF INSIDE THE VATICAN, WE CONTINUE OUR ONGOING COVERAGE OF THE STATE OF THE CATHOLIC LITURGY, INCLUDING FOR THE FIRST TIME DATA GATHERED FROM AROUND THE U.S. AND THE WORLD ON THE REAL-WORLD LITURGICAL EXPERIENCE OF THE CATHOLIC FAITHFUL n BY ROBERT MOYNIHAN
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here have been various rumors, in and away from Rome, that Pope Francis intends to issue further restrictive decrees against the use of the old rite of the Mass in the near future. But Pope Francis had two meetings in February which suggest such rumors may be false. The second of two of these meetings was, strikingly, with the head of the Society of St. Pius X, Fr. Davide Pagliarani, on February 8 — the first time the two have met. A few days earlier, Pope Francis met with two leading priests of the Fraternity of St. Peter, on February 4,
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INSIDE THE VATICAN MAY-JUNE 2022
Fr. Benoît Paul-Joseph, Superior of the District of France, and Fr. Vincent Ribeton, Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary in Wigratzbad. The Pope assured them that the decree Traditionis custodes (“Of tradition the custodians,” July 16, 2021), which places restrictions on the celebration of the old Latin Mass, does not and would not apply to the Fraternity of St. Peter, which celebrates its Masses in the old rite. Fr. Paul-Joseph subsequently gave a February 21 interview to journalist Ann Le Pape, in which she asked, “So you were immediately reassured?” He answered, “Yes, indeed. The Pope pointed out to us that in the motu proprio, where it speaks of the ex-Ecclesia Dei institutes, it indicates that they will
