NEWS
World News Paul Waddington reports from around the Globe
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n recent months, there have not been many reports of bishops applying further restrictions on provision of the Latin Mass in their dioceses. Indeed, there have been a few cases where bishops have relaxed earlier restrictions. Commentators have generally suggested that, despite cancellations that have severely affected some places, on balance worldwide Latin Mass provision has remained at roughly the same level as prior to Traditionis Custodes. A small number of bishops have taken a hard line, sometimes cancelling existing Masses, but this has been offset by other bishops who have allowed new Masses to be introduced. For the vast majority of bishops, it is business as usual, allowing existing Masses to continue, while being reticent about introducing new locations. The impression is that interest in the Latin Mass continues to grow, especially amongst young people, in all parts of the world where it has a foothold. The result being that, whilst the number of locations where the Latin Mass is offered has remained roughly the same, the size of individual congregations has tended to grow. Although there are many places where supporters of the Latin Mass have been deprived of their local opportunity to attend the Mass of their choice, it seems that at least some of them are now travelling across diocesan boundaries for their Sunday Mass. All the traditional orders of priests have healthy numbers of seminarians, and high levels of enquiries from prospective candidates, which bodes well for the future. This contrasts with the dwindling numbers of young men joining diocesan seminaries in most countries outside Africa and Asia. The inevitable consequence of these trends is that in the long run, certainly in Europe and North America, the proportion of priests favouring or sympathetic to the Latin Mass is going to increase in the coming decades.
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This is a trend that cannot be ignored, and will surely result in the Latin Mass being more widely available. The Application of Traditionis Custodes to Ecclesia Dei Communities One very significant news item has emerged recently. On Friday, 4 February, two members of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, Fr Benoît Paul-Joseph, superior of the District of France, and Fr Vincent Ribeton, rector of St Peter’s Seminary in Wigratzbad, were received in private audience by the Holy Father. In the course of the audience, the Pope made it clear that institutes such as the Fraternity of St Peter are not affected by the general provisions of Traditionis Custodes, because the use of the ancient liturgical books was at the origin of their existence and is provided for in their constitutions. At the request of the two FSSP priests, the Holy Father subsequently issued a decree which he signed on 11 February, (incidentally the day the Fraternity was solemnly consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary) confirming that members of the Fraternity have the right to use the liturgical books in force in 1962, namely: the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary. Here is the text of the decree. ‘The Holy Father Francis, grants to each and every member of the Society of Apostolic Life “Fraternity of Saint Peter”, founded on July 18, 1988 and declared of “Pontifical Right” by the Holy See, the faculty to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, and to carry out the sacraments and other sacred rites, as well as to fulfil the Divine Office,
according to the typical editions of the liturgical books, namely the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary, in force in the year 1962. ‘They may use this faculty in their own churches or oratories; otherwise it may only be used with the consent of the Ordinary of the place, except for the celebration of private Masses. ‘Without prejudice to what has been said above, the Holy Father suggests that, as far as possible, the provisions of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes be taken into account as well. ‘Given in Rome, near St Peter’s, on 11th February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the year 2022, the ninth year of my Pontificate.’ Although the decree only refers to the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, canonists from around the world have opined that it can reasonably be taken to apply to all the societies and institutes that formerly came under the Ecclesia Dei Commission. Indeed, the two priests have said that the Pope made this clear at the audience. Rosary Gatherings in Chicago
Traditionis Custodes has been applied in a particularly harsh way in the Archdiocese of Chicago, where Archbishop Cupich has banned all celebrations of the Traditional Mass on all first Sundays of the month. In response, supporters of the Latin Mass have been gathering outside the cathedral at 11am on first Sundays to recite the Rosary and sing hymns. Many carried banners with the words: “Cardinal Cupich, why are you persecuting faithful Catholics?”
Protesters at Chicago Rosary Gathering
SUMMER 2022
