Editing Tridentine Mass (section)

==Attitudes of Popes since the Second Vatican Council==
{{Further|Preconciliar rites after the Second Vatican Council}}

===Pope Paul VI===
Following the introduction of the [[Mass of Paul VI]] in 1969–1970, the [[Holy See]] granted a significant number of permissions for the use of the former liturgy. For example, elderly priests were not required to switch to celebrating the new form. In England and Wales, occasional celebrations of the Tridentine Mass were allowed in virtue of what became known as the "[[Agatha Christie indult]]". However, there was no general worldwide legal framework allowing for the celebration of the rite. Following the rise of the [[Traditionalist Catholic]] movement in the 1970s, Pope Paul VI reportedly declined to liberalise its use further on the grounds that it had become a politically charged symbol associated with opposition to his policies.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Collins| first1 = Roger | title = Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy | url = https://archive.org/details/keepersofkeysofh0000coll| url-access = registration| publisher = Basic Books | year = 2009 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/keepersofkeysofh0000coll/page/488 488–489]| isbn = 978-0-465-01195-7}}</ref>

===Pope John Paul II===
In 1984, the [[Holy See]] sent a letter known as ''[[Quattuor abhinc annos]]'' to the presidents of the world's [[Episcopal Conference]]s. This document empowered diocesan bishops to authorise, on certain conditions, celebrations of the Tridentine Mass for priests and laypeople who requested them.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adoremus.org/Quattuorabhincannos.html |title=English translation of ''Quattuor abhinc annos'' |access-date=2004-09-01 |archive-date=2004-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040825175334/http://www.adoremus.org/Quattuorabhincannos.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1988, following the excommunication of Archbishop [[Marcel Lefebvre]] and the four bishops consecrated by him, the Pope issued the ''[[motu proprio]]'' ''[[Ecclesia Dei]]'', which stated that "respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition". The Pope urged bishops to give "a wide and generous application" to the provisions of ''Quattuor abhinc annos'', and established the [[Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei|Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei'']] to oversee relations between Rome and Traditionalist Catholics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_02071988_ecclesia-dei.html|title=Ecclesia Dei (July 2, 1988) &#124; John Paul II|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

===Pope Benedict XVI===
As a [[cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], Joseph Ratzinger was regarded as having a particular interest in the liturgy, and as being favourable towards the pre-Vatican II Mass.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILTWCgAAQBAJ&q=election+Benedict+%22pre-Vatican+II+Mass%22&pg=PT107|title=Legacy of Vatican II, The|first1=Massimo|last1=Faggioli|first2=Andrea Vicini|last2=SJ|date=May 5, 2015|publisher=Paulist Press|isbn=9780809149223|via=Google Books}}</ref> Before his election he celebrated it on number of occasions.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ncregister.com/interview/benedict-xvi-and-tradition-an-analysis-of-his-approach-to-the-traditional-liturgy | title=Benedict XVI and Tradition: An Analysis of His Approach to the Traditional Liturgy | date=9 January 2023 }}</ref> He criticized the erratic way in which, contrary to official policy, many priests celebrated the post-Vatican II form.<ref>[http://www.barroux.org/docum/RATZINGER_REF.pdf Preface to the French edition of ''Die Reform der Römischen Liturgie'' by Klaus Gamber] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327105312/http://www.barroux.org/docum/RATZINGER_REF.pdf |date=2009-03-27 }}; [https://web.archive.org/web/20040208002309/http://www.latin-mass-society.org/ratzshow.htm partial English translation]; cf. ''The Spirit of the Liturgy'', San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000; and ''Looking Again at the Question of the Liturgy with Cardinal Ratzinger: Proceedings of the July 2001 Fontgombault Liturgical Conference,'' Farnborough, Hampshire: St. Michael's Abbey Press, 2002. For a Vatican condemnation of aberrant liturgical practices, see ''[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html Redemptionis Sacramentum]''</ref>

In September 2006, the [[Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei|Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei'']] established the [[Institute of the Good Shepherd]], made up of former members of the [[Society of St. Pius X]], in Bordeaux, France, with permission to use the Tridentine liturgy.<ref>Brian Mershon, "New French traditionalist priestly society founded", ''The Wanderer'', September 18, 2006.</ref> This step was met with some discontent from French clergy, and thirty priests wrote an open letter to the Pope.<ref>"French clerics rebel on Latin Mass", ''The Conservative Voice'', October 29, 2006</ref> In line with its previous stance, the Society of St Pius X rejected the move.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.laportelatine.org/accueil/communic/2006/institutbonpasteur/institut.php |title=Communiqué de la Fraternité Sacerdotale Saint Pie X |access-date=2007-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027124243/http://www.laportelatine.org/accueil/communic/2006/institutbonpasteur/institut.php |archive-date=2007-10-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following repeated rumours that the use of the Tridentine Mass would be liberalised, the Pope issued a ''[[motu proprio]]'' called ''[[Summorum Pontificum]]'' on 7 July 2007,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/summorum-pontificum.html |title=Text of the motu proprio ''Summorum Pontificum'' in Latin and English |access-date=2008-12-19 |archive-date=2012-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010043928/http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/summorum-pontificum.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> together with an accompanying letter to the world's bishops.<ref name="Pope_Letter">{{cite journal |author = Benedict XVI | author-link = Pope Benedict XVI | title = Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter "motu proprio data" ''Summorum Pontificum'' on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970 | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana | date = 2007-07-07 | url = https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi_en.html | access-date = 2008-03-24 }}</ref> The declaring that "the Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the ''lex orandi'' (law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. Nevertheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by St. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of that same 'Lex orandi{{'"}}.<ref>Article 1 of the motu proprio. In his letter to the Bishops he said: "It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were 'two Rites'. Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite."</ref> He further stated that "the 1962 Missal ... was never juridically abrogated". He replaced with new rules those of ''Quattuor Abhinc Annos'' on use of the older form: essentially, authorization for using the 1962 form for parish Masses and those celebrated on public occasions such as a wedding is devolved from the local bishop to the priest in charge of a church, and "any priest of the Latin rite" may use the 1962 Roman Missal in "Masses celebrated without the people", a term that does not exclude attendance by other worshippers, lay or clergy.<ref>Indeed, "Mass should not be celebrated without a minister or at least one of the faithful, except for a just and reasonable cause" ([http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/200707031933.pdf General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 254] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720091216/http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/200707031933.pdf |date=2008-07-20 }}). Masses celebrated without the people were once called "private Masses", a term that fell out of favour in the mid-twentieth century: the 1960 [[Code of Rubrics]], which preceded the Second Vatican Council, declared: "The most sacred Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated according to the rites and regulations is an act of public worship offered to God in the name of Christ and the Church. Therefore, the term 'private Mass' should be avoided" ([http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/missale-romanum-1962.pdf Rubricae Generales Missalis Romani] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215054059/https://sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/missale-romanum-1962.pdf |date=2020-02-15 }}, 269). Cf. [http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2005/apr2005p18_1918.html Review of ''Mass without a Congregation: A Sign of Unity or Division?'', by Fr Marian Szablewski CR.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726192759/http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2005/apr2005p18_1918.html |date=2008-07-26 }}</ref> While requests by groups of Catholics wishing to use the Tridentine liturgy in parish Masses are to be dealt with by the parish priest (or the rector of the church) rather than, as before, by the local bishop, the Pope and Cardinal Darío Castrillón stated that the bishops' authority is not thereby undermined.{{efn|name=intheletter}}

===Pope Francis===
Pope Francis on 16 July 2021 released an [[Ecclesiastical letter#Letters of the popes in modern times|Apostolic Letter]] ''[[Motu Proprio]]'', ''[[Traditionis custodes]]'', on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the Reform of 1970. In ''Traditionis custodes'', the Pope says "the liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the ''[[lex orandi]]'' of the Roman Rite". He also greatly restricted the use of the Tridentine Mass.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Apostolic Letter issued "Motu proprio" by the Supreme Pontiff Francis "Traditionis custodes" on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the Reform of 1970, 16 July 2021 {{!}} Francis|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html|access-date=2021-07-17|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

Pope Francis added that it is the exclusive competence of the [[local bishop]] to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal in his diocese, according to the guidelines of the Apostolic See.<ref name=":0" />

Pope Francis expressed to the Bishops of the world in his letter accompanying the motu proprio that there is a need in "due time" for those who are attached to the 1962 Mass to return to the celebration of the Mass of Paul VI.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the whole world, that accompanies the Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio data "Traditionis custodes" (16 July 2021) {{!}} Francis|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2021/documents/20210716-lettera-vescovi-liturgia.html|access-date=2022-01-05|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

In June 2022, Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Letter ''Desiderio Desideravi'', where he stated that he did not believe the 1962 Missal was the path forward for the Church, insisting that the Church could not "go back to the ritual form which the Council Fathers sought the need to reform".<ref>{{Cite web |title='Desiderio Desideravi': Initial Impressions of Pope Francis' New Document on the Mass |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/desiderio-desideravi-initial-impressions-of-pope-francis-new-document-on-the-mass |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=NCR |date=29 June 2022 }}</ref>

In February 2023, Pope Francis issued a rescript, clarifying that bishops must obtain authorization from the [[Holy See]] before granting permission for parish churches to be used for Eucharistic celebrations with the preconciliar rite and before allowing priests ordained after 16 July 2021 to use the 1962 Roman Missal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-21 |title=Pope Francis clarifies two points of 'Traditionis custodes' |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-02/pope-francis-traditionis-custodes-rescript-bishops.html |access-date= |website=[[Vatican News]] }}</ref>

=== Present regulations and practice ===

The regulations set out in ''[[Traditionis custodes]]'' provide that:<ref name=":0" />
* The bishop of the diocese is the sole authority to decide whether the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal may take place in his diocese. He must abide by the following norms:
**The bishop must decide the locations and times when Mass according to the 1962 rubrics may take place. This cannot occur within [[parochial church]]es, nor can the bishop erect new personal parishes dedicated to the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal. 
**The bishop must ensure that the existing communities that celebrate Mass according to the 1962 rubrics are effective for the spiritual growth of his people, and he has the option to revoke the permissions given to these communities. He may not authorize the establishment of new groups that gather for celebration according to the 1962 Roman Missal.
**The bishop should appoint a priest to act as a delegate for the pastoral care of the groups of the faithful attached to the 1962 liturgical rites. The priest must understand the Missal of 1962 well, must be well-versed in Ecclesiastical Latin, and must exhibit pastoral charity and a desire for ecclesial communion.
*Priests ordained before the publication of ''Traditionis custodes'' (16 July 2021) who celebrated Mass according to the 1962 Missal before the publication of ''Traditionis custodes'' should request permission from the bishop of the diocese to continue to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 rubrics.
*Priests ordained after the publication of ''Traditionis custodes'' must submit a formal request to the bishop of the diocese in order to gain permission to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal. The bishop must then consult the [[Holy See]] before the bishop grants permission to the priest.
*The scriptural readings in a Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal are to be proclaimed in the vernacular according to the translation approved by the respective Episcopal Conference.
*Communities belonging to [[religious order|institutes of consecrated life]] and [[society of apostolic life|societies of apostolic life]] which use the 1962 Missal for conventual or "community" celebration in their oratories fall under the competence of the [[Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life]], which has the authority to grant and revoke permission to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missal.

The ''motu proprio [[Traditionis custodes]]'' abrogates all previous norms, instructions, permissions and customs that do not conform to it.<ref>Article 8 of [https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html Traditionis custodes]</ref>

In December 2021, additional restrictions and guidelines were issued by the [[Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments]] in the form of a ''[[Responsa]] ad dubia:''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Responsa ad dubia on certain provisions of the Apostolic Letter Traditionis custodes issued "Motu Proprio" by the Supreme Pontiff Francis (4 December 2021)|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20211204_responsa-ad-dubia-tradizionis-custodes_en.html|access-date=2022-01-04|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>
* if a non-[[parish church]], [[Oratory (worship)|oratory]] or [[chapel]] cannot be found for a group to gather to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, the [[diocesan bishop]] can ask the [[Holy See]] for permission to use a parish church; however, the Mass should not be listed in the parish schedule and when a non-parish church, oratory or chapel becomes available, the permission to celebrate the Mass in the parish church will be withdrawn.
* The diocesan bishop is only authorized to grant permission to personal parishes dedicated to the celebration of the 1962 Missal, to be able to celebrate the sacraments of [[Baptism]], [[Sacrament of Penance|Reconciliation]], [[Marriage in the Catholic Church|Matrimony]] and [[Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church|Extreme Unction]] according to the pre-Vatican II [[Roman Ritual]].
* The diocesan bishop is not authorized to grant permission for the use of the [[Roman Pontifical|Pontificale Romanum]] (the Pontifical Missal) issued in 1962. This also means that the sacraments of [[Holy orders in the Catholic Church|Holy Orders]] and [[Confirmation in the Catholic Church|Confirmation]] may only be celebrated in the post-Vatican II form. 
* In order for a priest to be granted permission to celebrate the Mass according to the Missal of 1962, he must recognize the validity and legitimacy of [[concelebration]] and is not to refuse to concelebrate at the diocesan [[Chrism Mass]].
* No vernacular lectionaries may be published that reproduce the cycle of readings from the 1962 Rite.
* The faculty to celebrate according to the 1962 missal, granted by a diocesan bishop to a priest, is restricted to the territory of that diocese.
* Deacons and [[instituted minister]]s participating in the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 missal, must have permission from the diocesan bishop to do so.
* A priest who has been granted faculties to celebrate the 1962 missal is not permitted to celebrate both the Mass according to the 1962 missal and the post-Vatican II missal on the same day.

In December 2021, in an interview with the ''[[National Catholic Register]]'', [[Arthur Roche]], the Prefect for the Congregation in charge of the implementation of ''Traditionis custodes'', reiterated Pope Francis' statement that the Mass according to the Missal promulgated by Paul VI and John Paul II, is "the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite". Roche also emphasized that "the liturgy is never simply a matter of personal tastes or preference" and that the lex orandi is "determined by the Church and not individual members". Roche also stated that continuing to allow the celebration of Mass according to the Tridentine form was a concession and that the promotion of the Tridentine Mass has "been curtailed".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Archbishop Roche on 'Traditionis Custodes' and Its Guidelines: 'The Liturgical Possibilities Are in Place'|url=https://www.ncregister.com/interview/archbishop-roche-on-traditionis-custodes-and-its-guidelines-the-liturgical-possibilities-are-in-place|access-date=2022-01-05|website=NCR|date=23 December 2021 }}</ref>

In February 2022, the [[Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter]], a [[society of apostolic life]] dedicated to the celebration of the Traditional Liturgy, was granted full permission to celebrate the Traditional Mass, Breviary, Sacraments and the Pontifical Missal. The permission is restricted to the Fraternity's churches and oratories, unless the local ordinary grants permission for priests of the fraternity to celebrate elsewhere in the Diocese, with the exception of private masses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=FSSP says Pope Francis has issued decree confirming its use of 1962 liturgical books |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250438/fssp-says-pope-francis-has-issued-decree-confirming-its-use-of-1962-liturgical-books |access-date=2022-02-26 |website=Catholic News Agency }}</ref>