Msgr. Pope on Traditionis Custodes

As a pastor of souls, I cannot find words to express the hurt and anger (righteous, I pray) I experience over the treatment of Catholics who are attached to the older forms of the liturgy and the sacraments. I have not seen such language or harshness directed against any other group, in or out of the Church. The tone is singular and shocking. Those who love the Traditional Latin Mass are my brothers and sisters in the Lord and I have long admired their tenacity and orthodoxy. Many of them have large families and take the faith very seriously. For them, Catholicism is not only a faith, but also a culture both ancient and new. They are up for the battle of living the faith in an increasingly secular world. They are not a particularly large segment of the Church in the United States, but they are one of the few segments of the Church that is growing and flourishing. They love the faith and the Mass, and I grieve that they are being treated so brusquely and harshly. 

 

To read more, go to National Catholic Register.

+Gregory and Traditionis Custodes

 As you know, +Francis issued Traditionis Custodes earlier this months.  It gives bishops the right to restrict what is commonly known as The Latin Mass (TLM). 

Here is what has been written in the Catholic Standard, as of July 26th:

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington told priests of the archdiocese July 16: ”I will prayerfully reflect upon ‘Traditionis Custodes’ in the coming weeks to ensure we understand fully the Holy Father’s intentions and consider carefully how they are realized” in the archdiocese.

In the meantime, until there is “further guidance,” he said, he would allow “those who celebrate the Mass using the liturgical books issued before 1970 to continue to do so ... in the days to come.”