Deep Dive: Why Pope Francis restricted the Latin Mass

This summer, Pope Francis made the controversial decision to place significant restrictions on the celebration of the Tridentine Latin Mass. He said that a survey of the world’s bishops showed that John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s generosity in allowing the pre-Vatican II Mass to be celebrated had been “exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the church...and expose her to the peril of division.”

In this special deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle unpacks Pope Francis’ decision, the history behind it, and how it has affected devotees of the old Latin Mass. With a church that seems even more divided after this decision, the question remains: Where do we go from here?

This episode features interviews with:

Fr. John Baldovin, SJ, professor of historical and liturgical theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and author of several books on Vatican II

Rita Ferrone, author of several books about liturgical renewal and a contributor to Commonweal magazine and PrayTellBlog

Jonathan Culbreath, a Latin teacher and writer on Catholic Social Teaching who has attended the Latin Mass since the late 1990s

Links from the show:

Rita Ferrone: “A Living Catholic Tradition” | Commonweal Magazine

Jonathan Culbreath: “I love Latin Mass and Pope Francis. Please don’t let a few (very loud) traditionalists ruin it for the rest of us.” | America Magazine

James T. Keane: “Explainer: What is the history of the Latin Mass?” | America Magazine

Gerard O’Connell: “Pope Francis restricts celebration of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass in new decree” | America Magazine

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