A profound sense of anticipation filled St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday as hundreds of traditionalist Roman Catholics assembled for a special celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. This ancient liturgy, largely set aside by church reforms in the 1960s and significantly curtailed during Pope Francis’s pontificate, took center stage once more.
The Mass was held with the explicit permission of Pope Leo XIV, an event that has ignited a spark of hope among traditionalists globally. Many now believe the new pontiff may be willing to ease the previous tight restrictions on this form of worship.
For attendees like Luigi Casalini, the distinction is stark. He vividly compared the traditional Latin Mass to ‘eating caviar’ while describing the post-1960s Mass as ‘eating beans,’ highlighting the profound reverence and spiritual depth traditionalists find in the older ritual.
During Pope Francis’s tenure, discussions surrounding the traditional Latin Mass often became a battleground for wider ideological clashes. Many conservatives viewed Francis’s policies as a departure from core church doctrine and a dilution of sacred traditions and rituals.
The images captured Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square, dressed in his papal white, riding an open popemobile. While his permission for this Mass speaks volumes, he has yet to give a clear official stance on the future of the traditional Latin Mass.
While Pope Benedict XVI had shown greater openness to the use of the traditional Latin Mass, Pope Francis enacted stringent restrictions on its celebration in 2021. Despite this recent permission, Pope Leo XIV has remained tight-lipped about his broader views on a liturgy embraced by a comparatively small fraction of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
In a new biography published just last month in Spanish, Pope Leo expressed deep regret that the traditional Latin Mass had become a source of division. He stated his openness to further dialogue on the matter, aligning with his consistent calls for unity and reconciliation within the Church.
Notably, Saturday’s Mass was presided over by Cardinal Raymond Burke, a prominent American leader of the Church’s conservative and traditionalist factions. Burke has been a vocal critic of Pope Francis’s policies concerning the ancient liturgy.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica, a traditional Latin Mass was conducted, with a gilded bronze throne visible above a large gathering of the faithful.
Rubén Peretó Rivas, an organizer of the annual pilgrimage to Rome for traditional Latin Mass supporters, emphasized the significance of the papal authorization: “To be authorized by the pope to celebrate a Mass in St. Peter’s — it means something.” He noted that for the past two years, such a celebration inside the basilica was not possible due to a lack of approval from Pope Francis.
Mr. Peretó Rivas also believes Pope Leo’s decision sends a clear message to bishops worldwide, many of whom have restricted the traditional ritual, including his own bishop in Argentina.
Underneath Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s magnificent gilded bronze throne, priests adorned in elaborate, gold-threaded vestments conducted the incense-filled Mass. They faced away from the congregation, a traditional practice, as the liturgy was spoken and sung almost entirely in Latin. Organizers reported attendees from all five continents, with the crowd so large that it overflowed into the basilica’s transept.
The faithful participated reverently, standing, kneeling, singing, and praying in a centuries-old liturgical choreography. Many women observed the tradition of wearing lace veils. In his homily, Cardinal Burke shared his profound joy at celebrating the Mass within the sacred walls of the basilica.
The traditional Latin Mass, also referred to as the Tridentine Mass, was the standard form of worship until the late 1960s, when the Church transitioned to celebrating Mass in modern vernacular languages. However, the Tridentine Mass persisted in certain communities. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI advocated for its broader acceptance and easier celebration, a move enthusiastically welcomed by conservatives.
Then, in 2021, Pope Francis significantly curtailed its use, asserting that its proponents were leveraging it to resist more recent church reforms and foster division among believers.
A portrait of Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American leader and a central figure in the conservative and traditionalist movement within the Roman Catholic Church.
Across the United States, debates surrounding the traditional Latin Mass have been especially intense. Small but fervent groups of traditionalists have actively resisted bishops who have imposed restrictions in various dioceses. Among its adherents are several influential conservative bishops and a notable number of young adults who find themselves drawn to more rigorous forms of religious observance.
Many liturgical traditionalists in the U.S. felt Pope Francis held a particularly antagonistic view towards them. He famously criticized the ‘backwardness’ of some American conservatives and dismissed the elaborate vestments favored by many traditionalist priests as merely ‘grandma’s lace’.
Even with Pope Leo XIV’s ascendance, some American bishops have continued to implement new restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass. For instance, Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, N.C., recently sparked widespread outrage by reducing its availability from four parish churches to just one designated chapel.
Despite these ongoing local challenges, American advocates for the traditional Latin Mass express a renewed sense of optimism, believing Pope Leo XIV is already fostering a less confrontational atmosphere.
“There’s a different atmosphere,” stated the Very Rev. Joshua Caswell in a recent interview. He heads the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, a Chicago-based religious community dedicated to what they term ‘reverent’ liturgical forms, including the traditional Latin Mass.
Christian Marquant, representing the French traditionalist group Paix Liturgique, attended Saturday’s Mass and shared his personal ambition: “My dream, my objective, is to meet the pope” face-to-face to personally advocate for the traditional Latin Mass.
Mr. Casalini, who manages a blog for Italian traditionalists, passionately asserted, “We are a living force inside the church.” He highlighted that the average age of attendees at Tridentine Masses in Italy is notably half that of those attending standard Masses, underscoring their desire: “All we want to do is celebrate in our own way.”