Paix liturgique

As has been the case for half a century, the attitude of Church authorities toward the traditional liturgy remains disconnected from the times.

The Letter from Paix Liturgique 1353, dated April 7, 2026, analysed the message of March 18, addressed on behalf of the Pope by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, to the bishops of France gathered in Lourdes for their assembly held from March 24 to 27. Everything indicates that the Holy Father is deeply concerned about this persistent rejection of the new liturgy by a sector of Catholics and a significant number of young clergy. For him, it is a “painful wound.”

Furthermore, Cardinal Parolin’s message acknowledged that we are in a context of “growth of the communities adhering to the Vetus Ordo.” Given that France has historically been the main centre of such non-reception, the Secretary of State's message to the bishops, on behalf of the Pope, asked them to find "concrete solutions" to design what is, in reality, a square circle: "to generously include those who are sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo," not simply, but "within the framework of the guidelines established by the Second Vatican Council regarding liturgy."

An article in La Croix entitled "Tridentine Mass: Will France find the solution to the 'traditional question' in the Church?", from March 31, written by the newspaper's specialists on the subject, Céline Hoyeau, Gonzague de Pontac, and Matthieu Lasserre, offered a fairly clear view of the episcopal debates on the topic. These debates were led by Bishop Olivier de Cagny of Évreux, the current bishop in charge of the liturgy within the French Episcopal Conference. As La Croix noted, all the bishops affirmed that “behind the liturgy lie problems of doctrine and ecclesiology, the question of the acceptance of the Second Vatican Council.” This observation is not new. Two positions were expressed (a third could have been that of the more “traditional” bishops, but, being nowadays a very small minority, they refrained from commenting):

- Some bishops advocated for the application of Traditionis Custodes in all its rigor. They are also troubled that the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) has obtained a kind of dispensation—somewhat unclear—from Pope Francis, and some rumours suggest that Pope Leo XIV will continue it though with a particular structure.

- The other bishops, who were the majority, were open to compromises, but under somewhat draconian conditions:

* Adoption of the new lectionary and liturgical calendar (this was, as I mentioned in my previous letter, one of the proposals of the Abbot of Solesmes; the Abbot of Fontgombault, on the other hand, believed that combining the new lectionary with the old missal would be incompatible: https://lanef.net/2026/04/09/dom-jean-pateau-leglise-a-besoin-dune-paix-liturgique-loin-de-toute-rigidite-et-de-toute-ideologie );

* Celebration of the other sacraments—baptism, marriage, confirmation—according to the new rite (possibly in Latin);

* And, above all, the end of "exclusivism," that is, the refusal to celebrate according to the new missal, which the bishops considered "unacceptable."

So, nothing new under the sun: there is a willingness to "generously include" those who follow the old liturgy, but only on the condition that they submit to the new one. In practical terms, today, the aim is to grant them the celebration of the Mass just in small doses, but with the new lectionary, the new sacraments, and the obligation to celebrate it also according to the new Ordo. Therefore, our pastors seem incapable of freeing themselves from their old habits.

And the French Episcopal Conference (CEF), under Cardinal Aveline, after these debates, refers the solution to the problem back to Leo XIV. In reality, the traditional liturgy has become firmly established on the field, and the Roman decisions, after unnecessarily hindering it, gradually legitimized it in 1984, 1988, and 2007. This was before returning to the era of Paul VI with Pope Francis and the encyclical Traditionis Custodes in 2021. And before returning to the old prescriptions of the years of lead: restrictions, limitations, conditions.

Except that the current context is completely different: churches continue to empty inexorably; the consecrations announced by the Society of Saint Pius X, whose arguments in favour of them are thus powerfully reinforced; young converts, newly baptized, who “love the Latin Mass”; communities, schools, various apostolic works, and traditional pilgrimages are flourishing with youthful boldness. Despite the obstacles and persecution, the celebration of the traditional liturgy—of the entire traditional liturgy, the Mass and the sacraments—continues and will continue to flourish. Pilgrimages, such as those to Chartres in May and Rome in October, are a clear sign of this.

There is, therefore, a growing disconnect between pastors and their faithful. If the former were to conduct an honest synodal survey among the latter, they would discover that a large proportion of the faithful would be delighted to attend the Traditional Latin Mass in their own parishes, and that, in any case, complete freedom should be granted to both the priests who celebrate it and the faithful who attend.

The participants in the Parisian vigils receive constant confirmation of this Catholic opinion through the encouragement they receive from passers-by as they pray their rosaries on the sidewalk: at 10 rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame, Monday to Friday, from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.; at Saint-Georges de La Villette, at 114 avenue Simon Bolivar, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:00 p.m.; and in front of Notre-Dame du Travail, Sundays at 6:15 p.m.