Pope restricts use of old Latin Mass

Pope Francis took a significant step toward putting the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgy solidly on the side of modernization Friday by cracking down on the use of the old Latin Mass, essentially reversing a decision by his conservative predecessor.

The move to restrict the use of an old Latin rite in celebrating Mass dealt a blow to conservatives, who have long complained that the pope is diluting the traditions of the church.

Francis placed new restrictions on where and by whom the traditional Latin Mass can be celebrated and required new permissions from local bishops for its use.

Francis’ new law, issued only days after his release from the hospital for colon surgery, amid questions about whether his recent health scare would slow him down, or speed up his upheavals, was an indication that the pope intends to press ahead with his agenda for the church.

His latest salvo in the church’s so-called liturgy wars, came weeks after conservative American bishops, many of whom are attached to the old Latin Mass, essentially shrugged off the Vatican’s strong guidance to slow down a potential confrontation with President Joe Biden over his support for abortion rights. In recent days, influential prelates in Rome have also argued that Francis had not followed through on his promises to modernize the church.

But Francis’ action on Friday was bold and concrete.

He wrote that he believed champions of the old Latin Mass were exploiting it to oppose more recent church reforms and to divide the faithful.

Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had relaxed restrictions on the old Latin Mass, also called the Tridentine Mass, in 2007.

It was a move seen as reflective of a shift toward traditionalism.

In statements released by the Vatican on Friday, Francis argued that the change, designed to bring unity to the church and its most traditionalist and schismatic corners back into the fold, had become a cause of division and a cudgel for conservative opponents of the Second Vatican Council, the major church meetings of the 1960s that ushered in many modernizing measures.

Francis cited those measures in explaining his law, called “Traditionis Custodes.” Many analysts see Francis’ pontificate as the restoration of engagement with the modern world after three decades of leadership by conservative popes.