By Daniel Payne
CNA Staff, Jul 16, 2024 / 12:20 pm
A Mexican archbishop emeritus is imploring Pope Francis not to ban the Traditional Latin Mass amid rumors that the Vatican is moving to further restrict the ancient liturgy.
In a letter to the Holy Father dated July 6, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, the archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara, Mexico, wrote to Francis of the “rumors that there is a definitive intention to prohibit the Latin Mass of St. Pius V.” Those rumors have circulated in recent months, though no definitive pronouncement has yet come from the Vatican.
In his letter, Sandoval noted that “the Lord’s Supper, which he commanded us to celebrate in his memory,” has “been celebrated throughout history in various rites and languages, always preserving the essentials: commemorating the death of Christ and partaking in the table of the Bread of Eternal Life.”
“Even today, the Lord’s Supper is celebrated in various rites and languages, both within and outside the Catholic Church,” the prelate wrote.
“It cannot be wrong what the Church has celebrated for four centuries the Mass of St. Pius V in Latin, with a rich and devout liturgy that naturally invites one to penetrate into the mystery of God,” he argued.
The archbishop noted that “several individuals and groups, both Catholic and non-Catholic, have expressed the desire for it not to be suppressed but preserved.” Earlier this month a distinguished coalition of British public figures called upon the Holy See to preserve what they describe as the “magnificent” cultural artifact of the Latin Mass.
Sandoval said the calls for the Mass’ preservation were being made “because of the richness of its liturgy and in Latin, which alongside Greek, forms the foundation of not only Western culture but also other parts.”
“Pope Francis, do not allow this to happen. You are also the guardian of the historical, cultural, and liturgical richness of the Church of Christ,” he wrote.
Ordained in 1957, Sandoval served as the archbishop of Guadalajara from 1994 to 2011. Prior to that he was coadjutor bishop of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and briefly served as its bishop. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
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He also served in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI as well as the 2013 enclave that elected Pope Francis.
The archbishop made headlines last October when, along with four other cardinals, he sent a set of questions to Pope Francis expressing concerns on matters of doctrine and discipline in the Catholic Church. The “dubia” were sent just before the opening of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican.
Though the Vatican has not issued a comprehensive ban on the Latin liturgy, the Holy See has in recent years significantly restricted its use.
Pope Francis in July 2021 issued the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes that placed restrictions on Masses celebrated in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite.
The Holy Father in issuing the decree said he acted “in defense of the unity of the body of Christ,” on the grounds that there was “distorted use” of the ability for priests to say Mass according to the 1962 missal.
More recently, earlier this month, the Vatican prohibited the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, a rite that customarily takes place at the conclusion of the annual Our Lady of Christendom pilgrimage in Spain.
