Vatican City, Sep 4, 2014 / 01:01 am
Benedict XVI met in a private audience with two leaders involved in promoting the Traditional Latin Mass, or the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, on Monday afternoon.
Benedict met Sept. 1 with Cosimo Marti, co-founder of the Switzerland-based Juventutem International Federation, and Joseph Capoccia, director of the annual "Populus Summorum Pontificum" pilgrimage to Rome, the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.
Both groups are involved in promoting the Traditional Latin Mass under Benedict's 2007 motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum", which liberalized the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Benedict's personal secretary, in a July letter invited Marti to an audience with the emeritus Pope.
The archbishop's letter came in response to a letter that Marti sent before Benedict's February 2013 resignation, requesting an audience.
The Juvenile International Federation is a network of associations of youth who support the Traditional Latin Mass; it has had a presence in Rome for 10 years.
Marti chose Cappocia to join him at the audience, which was held at Benedict's personal residence in Mater Ecclesiae.
Cappocia is general delegate of the International Union Summorum Pontificum. Since 2012, his organization has organized an international pilgrimage to give thanks for Benedict's motu proprio regarding the extraordinary form and to show their desire to take part in the new evangelization.
The next pilgrimage will be held in late October, and will include an Oct. 24 Mass said by Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, in Rome's Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini parish.
