Paix liturgique

It is easy to picture a good number of young people, the same who may be identified as Catholic identitarians and who attended the main events of the Pope’s trip to France singing the *Our Father* and the *Salve Regina* at the top of their voices, also attending without any issue a traditional Mass. Sociological analyses confirm this: there is a clear "traditionalization" of the Catholic youth, characterized by a youthful style with no complexes.

But what does our somewhat silent Holy Father think? During this trip, he did not speak directly about the traditional liturgy. Yet the issue was implicit, given his awareness of the importance of its celebration in France. That is why it was also mentioned in the message sent on his behalf to the French bishops on March 18, 2026, by Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State. The message spoke of the "growth of communities linked to the *Vetus Ordo*." It asked the bishops to find "concrete solutions" to "generously include those sincerely attached to the *Vetus Ordo*," but with this important caveat: "in accordance with the guidelines established by the Second Vatican Council regarding the liturgy."

All signs point to the Pope himself being considering a simple solution, but so simple, in fact, that it might reveal a misunderstanding of the problem or an incapacity to understand it. In his book of interviews with journalist Elise Ann Allen—*Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, 21st-Century Missionary* (Penguin Peru, 2025; see the Crux website: Le pape Leo s’entretient avec Elise Ann Allen de Crux sur les questions LGBTQ+ et la liturgie | Fond)—he attempted to explain that the appeal of the Tridentine Mass might stem from the “abuses” all too frequently committed during the celebration of the new liturgy: “the, say, “abuse” of the liturgy from what we call the Vatican II Mass, was not helpful for people who were looking for a deeper experience of prayer, of contact with the mystery of faith that they seemed to find in the celebration of the Tridentine Mass.” It would seem, then, that the mere celebration the new liturgy with dignity would suffice to move people away from the old Mass: “Well, if we celebrate the Vatican II liturgy correctly, do you really find such a difference between this experience and that one?’”

During this trip to France, the controversy surrounding the episcopal consecrations performed by the SSPX on July 1st was also on everyone’s mind. Consequently, the liturgy in Paris, Lourdes, and Metz was particularly “dignified” and meticulously ordered, featuring beautiful vestments and some hymns in Latin. It would appear that his is how the Pope would like the liturgy to appear: the Vatican II liturgy interpreted in a way that will signify unity around him.

Hence the words from his homily at Vespers in Notre-Dame on September 25—following a paragraph denouncing the all-too-frequent “abuses” in liturgical celebrations: “the liturgy remains a reflection of life. Eucharistic joy takes root and spreads wherever harmony is restored, wherever dignity is renewed, wherever authority becomes service, and wherever freedom is able to flourish again. This is the greatest gift we can share. Therefore, place communion with the successor of Peter and with the Church before your personal preferences, so as to foster the unity of God’s people. Thus, together, we will bear prophetic witness to the possibility of a reconciled world.”

The theme of unity around the Pope was also addressed in Lourdes on September 27, in the Sainte-Bernadette amphitheater, in an speech to all the bishops of France: “In addition to these issues, another which could give cause for concern about the future is that of unity. […] This unity is not a flat uniformity, but rather allows every sensibility that is authentically Catholic to converge naturally in a common profession of faith, through obedience to the legitimate Pastors and especially to the Successor of Peter, who is the “lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith and of communion” (SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 18). This is a dynamic unity, nourished by the tradition of the Church — from the Fathers to the Second Vatican Council — and by the post-conciliar Magisterium. At the same time, it is a unity that is enriched through reciprocal dialogue, rooted in faith and expressed in the synodal style that we have been seeking to deepen in recent times.”

Lex orandi, lex credendi. Corresponding to the “dynamic” doctrinal unity that begins “with the Tradition of the Church” and extends “to the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar Magisterium”, we would have a liturgical unity that includes “those who sincerely adhere to the *Vetus Ordo* in accordance with the guidelines established by the Second Vatican Council regarding the liturgy.”

Undoubtedly, this is the principle set forth in Article 1 of *Traditionis custodes* that guides the Pope: “The liturgical books promulgated by the Holy Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II, in accordance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, are the unique expression of the *lex orandi* of the Roman Rite.” Here the principle which the Pope wishes to implement gently yet firmly, taking into account diverse sensibilities, especially traditional ones.

On September 30, back in Rome, he granted a private audience to Bishop Tomáš Holub—the Czech Bishop of Plzen, appointed by Pope Francis in 2016 and a supporter of synodality—who had come to discuss, among other topics, the reintroduction of a liturgy of the chalice for the laity. However, in a lengthy article titled “Synodality and the *Novus Ordo* Mass”—published on July 21 on the blog *Come Se Non*, run by the renowned Andrea Grillo—this bishop argued that true synodality in the Catholic Church is possible only through the *Novus Ordo*, since the *Vetus Ordo* reflects an ecclesiology that “no longer meets current needs.” In his introduction, Andrea Grillo praised Bishop Holub’s concrete proposal that Catholics with different liturgical sensibilities should ultimately find common ground in the celebration of the *Novus Ordo*, through various legitimate expressions. For traditionalists: the *Novus Ordo* featuring Latin, Gregorian chant, and certain other traditional elements.

Is this not the idea underlying the Pope’s statements on the subject—a convergence of liturgical “sensibilities” around the Pope, expressed in a new liturgy that is dignified and free from “abuses”?

If this were the case, the very essence of the attachment to the traditional liturgy would be misunderstood. I can only reiterate what we stated in the Letter of Paix Liturgique of July 24, 2026: "Therefore, it is not out of aesthetic preference—however pious, spiritual, or mystical it may be—that we defend the rights of the traditional liturgy, but simply because it expresses, without weakening it or any complacence for the word, the Mass as a sacramental sacrifice; Holy Orders as a mandate given to men to cooperate with Christ’s sacrifice for the living and the dead; Baptism as liberation from the diabolical chains of original sin; and so forth."

Let us pray, now more than ever, like the sentinels in Paris: at 10 Rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame (Monday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.); at Saint-Georges de La Villette, 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.).