Vatican pushback expected on archbishop’s Latin Mass support

Thursday, July 18th, 2024

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has endorsed an open letter urging Pope Francis not to impose new restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass, a move expected to draw pushback from the Vatican.

The letter, posted online on 15th July, appeals to the Pope to maintain the older liturgical forms of the Catholic Eucharistic liturgy.

This follows a similar plea made by prominent UK figures, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, in a letter published on 3rd July in the Times of London.

Organised by former National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia, the letter includes signatories such as blogger Andrew Sullivan, actor Eduardo Verastegui and theologian Larry Chapp.

The signatories, identifying as Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and nonbelievers, argue that the Traditional Latin Mass has significantly influenced Western culture.

The letter states: “to deprive the next generation of artists of this source of mystery, beauty and contemplation of the sacred seems shortsighted. All of us, believers and nonbelievers alike, recognise that this ancient liturgy, which inspired the work of Palestrina, Bach, and Beethoven and generations of great artists, is a magnificent achievement of civilisation and part of the common cultural heritage of humanity. It is medicine for the soul, one antidote to the gross materialism of the postmodern age.”

Vatican response expected

While such petitions to Pope Francis are not uncommon, they often receive little attention from Church leaders.

However Cordileone’s public support for the letter has garnered significant notice. A spokesman for the archbishop released a statement praising the letter as “an extraordinary statement from some great artists and other cultural influencers about the value and inspiration they have received from the Traditional Latin Mass”.

Cordileone added “I am grateful that faithful Catholics, who make clear that they love the Latin Mass but love Jesus Christ and His Church more, are making their voices lovingly heard.”

The signatories assure Pope Francis of their loyalty:

“Those of us who are Catholics pledge our filial loyalty to you, Pope Francis. We come to you with the humility and obedience but also the confidence of children, telling a loving father of our spiritual needs. We pray that you will not lump us with some of the angry and disrespectful voices magnified by social media.”

Despite the letter’s respectful tone, its endorsement by a sitting American archbishop is expected to provoke a response from Vatican officials.

This all comes amid rising tensions between the Apostolic See and some members of the American episcopate.