Pope Leo asks French bishops for ‘generous inclusion’ of TLM
"May the Holy Spirit suggest to you concrete solutions that will allow for the generous inclusion of those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo."
In a message to the French Bishops’ Conference on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV called for “concrete solutions” to permit the “generous inclusion” of Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass.
A March 18 letter sent by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Leo encourages the French Bishops’ Conference to embrace liturgical diversity and find ways to include “those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo.”
It has largely been expected that Pope Leo would eventually lift restrictions on the celebration of the preconciliar liturgy, which were imposed by Pope Francis in 2021. Parolin’s letter is a clear indication that Pope Leo wishes local bishops to move quickly to that end.
The letter says that the pope is “particularly attentive” to the bishops’ discussion on the liturgy, “in the context of the growth of communities bound to the Vetus Ordo.”
“It is troubling that a painful wound concerning the celebration of Mass, the very sacrament of unity, continues to open in the Church,” the letter says.
To heal this wound, it continues, a “new perspective” is needed. The letter says a fresh perspective, “with a greater understanding of each other’s sensitivities, is certainly necessary; a perspective that can allow brothers, enriched by their diversity, to welcome one another in charity and the unity of faith.”
“May the Holy Spirit suggest to you concrete solutions that will allow for the generous inclusion of those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, in accordance with the guidelines established by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy,” the letter concludes.
France has historically been one of the epicenters of communities attached to the preconciliar liturgy, sometimes known as Traditional Latin Mass, Vetus Ordo, or extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.
Pope Francis published Traditiones custodes, limiting access to the preconciliar liturgy, in 2021. In doing so, he attached an explanatory letter referencing a survey sent out to bishops throughout the world on Pope Benedict’s 2007 Summorum Pontificum, which had allowed wider access to the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Francis said that a majority of bishops responded negatively to the survey, saying that it had heightened divisions within the Church.
The French bishops’ response to the survey later leaked. The bishops of France had said that “In most dioceses, the situation seems to have calmed down. Some points of tension remain, often linked to history and long-standing conflicts. Relationships are highly dependent on the personalities of the priests entrusted with the task of ensuring celebrations according to the EF.”
The French bishops also said in their survey response that “in almost two-thirds of the dioceses that responded, the bishop considers that the EF celebration proposal meets a genuine pastoral need.”
“Many bishops stress that the significance of offering this form of celebration is to help the faithful maintain a link with the Catholic Church and thus prevent them from seeking to join communities or places served by priests of the Society of St. Pius X,” the bishops added.
“However, when a place run by the SSPX is nearby, there is no noticeable flow back to the Catholic Church.”
The French bishops mentioned positive aspects associated with the Traditional Latin Mass communities. They said these communities promoted the sense of the sacred during the Mass, were a “balm for those wounded after the Second Vatican Council,” heightened a “more explicit sacrificial dimension of the Mass,” and that “some priests say that the EF helps them to be more attentive to the mysteries celebrated,” while celebrating the Mass ad orientem “can be an antidote to the risk of clericalism.”
They also noted negative aspects associated with these communities, saying they could “wound Church unity” because many are highly critical of the “conciliar Church,” that the celebration of the pre- and post-conciliar liturgies has created “two worlds that have difficulty understanding each other,” and that those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass often refrain from participant in diocesan activities.
They added that specifically FSSP priests refused to concelebrate even at Chrism Mass with the local bishop.
After the publication of Traditiones custodes in July 2021, the French Bishops’ Conference issued a statement saying that the bishops wished to express “to the faithful who habitually celebrate according to the Missal of St. John XXIII, and to their pastors, their care, the esteem they have for the spiritual zeal of these faithful, and their determination to continue the mission together, in the communion of the Church and according to the norms in force.”
Only about 20% of the French bishops applied restrictions on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite after Traditionis custodes was published. But one French bishop, Bishop Dominique Rey, was forced to resign in early 2025, in part for his support for traditionalist communities in his diocese.
A year after Traditiones custodes was released, Cardinal Parolin wrote a letter to the French bishops on Pope Francis’ behalf. The letter said that “Pope Francis … invites you to the greatest solicitude and paternity for those people — especially young people, priests, and laity — who are disoriented by the motu proprio Traditionis custodes, which you will be working to implement.”
“They are often wounded sheep who need to be accompanied, listened to, and given time,” that letter said.