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[Catholic Caucus] Roche falsely claims Summorum Pontificum’s goal was SSPX ‘returning’ to Church Pope Benedict XVI has said it is ‘absolutely false’ that the ‘reauthorization’ of the Latin Mass was ‘primarily a concession’ to the SSPX.Anti-traditionalist Cardinal Arthur Roche has repeated the false claim that Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum to “smooth the way” for the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to “return to the Church.”The prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship told AdVaticanum in an interview published Tuesday that “Summorum Pontificum was created to accommodate, and also to smooth the way for, the Society of Saint...

Exclusive interview: Cardinal Roche to traditionalists: ‘You are edging yourself away from the centre of Catholicism’ In an exclusive interview with AdVaticanum, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship speaks about his dicastery, the controversy over an Islamic chant at a Belgian university Mass, the future of Traditionis Custodes, the validity of SSPX sacraments and whether there was an appetite among bishops for change from Summorum PontificumCardinal Arthur Roche is one of the most senior churchmen in the Vatican. He served as Secretary of the then Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for almost a...

Interview with Cardinal Roche: the Pope is not going back on Traditionis Custodes, Summorum Pontificum will not returnCardinal Roche, the English head of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, granted an extensive interview to website Ad Vaticanum as he nears the end of his term.We provide below the excerpts that concern Traditional Catholics, the entire interview deals with several other matters.... This year will mark five years since the implementation of Traditionis Custodes, the motu proprio from Pope Francis’s pontificate, which adjusted a previous motu proprio from Pope Benedict’s pontificate. Do you think, in view of these changes from pontificate to...

[Catholic Caucus] “We Demand the Latin Mass”: CIC 2026 Statement to the Vatican “Give Us Back the Mass of Our Fathers!” Michael Matt delivers the extraordinary closing statement of the 2026 Catholic Identity Conference—a direct appeal to Pope Leo XIV, a warning against the continued suppression of Tradition, and a declaration that faithful Catholics will not be silenced or driven from the Church. The message is clear: Restore the Latin Mass—or face the resistance of Catholics determined to defend the Faith.Your Holiness:We address our Holy Father as loyal sons of Holy Mother Church, “with burning concern” for the souls of...

[Catholic Caucus] Latin Mass Persecutor Viola Named to Saint Peter’s - And What Happens Now in Divine Worship Liturgical shake-up today at the Vatican:Appointment of vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican and president of the Fabric of Saint PeterThe Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, O.F.M., hitherto secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican and president of the Fabric...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Mutsaerts: Go to Latin Mass instead of trying to fix your own parish 'If there's a bad Novus Ordo Mass, you can't improve those priests, I'm afraid. So just go anywhere else,' Mutsaerts told LifeSite at the Catholic Identity Conference.Bishop Robert Mutsaerts said that Catholics who attend parishes with irreverent Novus Ordo Masses should find a Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or another reverent liturgy instead of attempting to transform their home parish.During a brief October 3 interview with LifeSite after his talk at the 2026 Catholic Identity Conference (CIC), Mutsaerts responded to a question about whether the...

[Catholic Caucus] No Response to Traditional Pilgrimage’s Papal Audience RequestPilgrims process towards St Peter’s Basilica during last year’s Ad Petri Sedem pilgrimage in Rome, Oct. 25, 2025 (Photo: Edward Pentin)Is Pope Leo XIV missing an opportunity to heal wounds felt by traditional Catholics by not meeting with a large representative group of them next month?The Holy Father has so far not responded to a request for a papal audience from the leaders of an annual traditional Catholic pilgrimage to Rome — despite the request having been made nine months ago and the Pope saying last year he would like to...

[Catholic Caucus] BREAKING: Toronto Oratory’s Latin Masses to be curtailed Sept. 20: reports Weekly Traditional Latin Masses at the Toronto's Holy Family and St. Vincent de Paul churches will no longer continue, according to two long-established blogs, and traditional-form sacraments will end immediately. Beginning Sunday, September 20, the weekly Traditional Latin Masses (TLM) at the Toronto Oratory’s Holy Family and St. Vincent de Paul churches will no longer continue as weekly celebrations of the 1962 Missal, according to two long-established Toronto blogs with deep ties to the churches in question.Each parish would instead be required to offer one Novus Ordo...

[Catholic Caucus] They Won’t Let Bishop Schneider Offer the Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Cardinal Burke was allowed to celebrate the Latine Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage in 2025. For this year's event, Bishop Athanasius Schneider will celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Mary Major instead. Rome’s decision to deny him the Altar of the Chair raises uncomfortable questions about the Church’s current treatment of Catholics attached to Tradition.The Vatican’s move to deny Bishop Athanasius Schneider permission to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in St. Peter’s Basilica for this year’s Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican denies Bishop Schneider Latin Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica 'It seems very strange that today the so-called LGBT Catholics can obtain a special Mass in St. Peter's more easily than Catholics attached to the Church’s Tradition,' a source told LifeSite.The Traditional Latin Mass will not be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica during this year’s Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage.On September 9, the organizers of the 15th edition of the traditional Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage at the Tomb of St. Peter released the official program of the event. Unlike last year — and as already happened during Francis’s pontificate — the...

Letter from a Catholic Mother About the TLM Which clergy will defend real Catholicism as the stakes increase? Below is a letter I received from a mother of a large family. She and her husband gave me permission to publish it. I am keeping them anonymous, as well as their bishop and diocese.The TLM community in my diocese is suffering greatly. We are still mourning the loss of our Latin Mass; that school of holiness, valor, beauty, and love. It was our identity; the light of our families and the means of constant conversion in which we were all deeply...

[Catholic Caucus] The Church ‘Cannot Declare War’ on Latin Mass Devotees, Cardinal Robert Sarah Says The cardinal praised Pope Benedict’s 2007 decision to allow the faithful greater access to the Latin Mass but called Pope Francis’ 2021 decision to restrict it neither ‘sensible’ nor ‘respectful.’“We, as a Church, cannot declare war on those who devoutly attend Mass simply because they prefer one form over another; this is a shortsighted and entirely ideological stance and, therefore, neither pastoral nor Christian,” Cardinal Robert Sarah said on Aug. 27. “It is harmful and destructive to the Church.”Cardinal Sarah, the former prefect of the...

[Catholic Caucus] EXCLUSIVE: ‘I hate to see them pained’: Cardinal Radcliffe on traditional CatholicsEXCLUSIVE: Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe speaks to AdVaticanum about Britain’s Catholic revival, the appeal of the faith to young people, synodality, growing Dominican vocations and his sympathy for Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin MassThe first English Dominican cardinal since the convert Cardinal Philip Howard in the 17th century, and the first Englishman ever to serve as Master of the Order of Preachers, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is a symbol of Catholicism’s resurgence in the United Kingdom after centuries of persecution. Like St John Henry Newman before him, he...

[Catholic Caucus] New bishop of West Virginia increases TLM locations from two to five By Mark Lambert via TwitterThis is genuinely encouraging news from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Bishop Evelio Menjívar has appointed Fr Timothy J. Grassi as Episcopal Delegate for Matters Concerning the Usus Antiquior explicitly “to foster greater unity among the Catholic faithful and provide for their various spiritual needs.”Surely Traditiones Custodes is a dead letter?Here is a bishop recognising that the spiritual needs of those who attend the Traditional Mass are real, that they belong within the life of the Church, and that pastoral care rather than...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Sarah condemns Latin Mass restrictions: ‘Destructive to the Church’ Cardinal Sarah said that the Church ‘cannot wage war’ on Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass, calling it ‘a short-sighted and entirely ideological attitude, therefore not pastoral and not Christian.’ Cardinal Robert Sarah said that restricting the Traditional Latin Mass was “neither wise nor respectful” and that war against traditional Catholics is “destructive to the Church.”In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal Sarah addressed Pope Francis’ restrictions on the Latin Mass through his motu proprio Traditiones Custodes and the “war” on traditional Catholics.He was asked...

[Catholic Caucus] Jesuit priest says he ‘hates’ Traditional Latin Mass and criticises Pope Benedict XVI Jesuit priest Fr Thomas Reese SJ has explained why he “hates” the Traditional Latin Mass and criticised Pope Benedict XVI’s approach to liturgical reformJesuit priest Fr Thomas Reese SJ has written a column entitled “Why I hate the Latin Mass”. The column takes the form of the priest pretending to go to confession. He begins by telling the imaginary confessor: “It has been a week since my last column, I mean my last confession. Since that time, I have expressed hatred toward the old Latin...

Vatican Double Standard: Communists IN, Traditionalists OUTWhy does the Vatican tolerate Communist China’s state-appointed Catholic bishops while cracking down on the SSPX and the Traditional Latin Mass? Michael Matt examines the growing double standard and the disturbing ramifications for faithful Catholics. Why is the Vatican eager to tolerate bishops appointed by Communist China without a papal mandate while taking increasingly severe action against Traditional Catholic bishops of the SSPX?Michael Matt examines this contradiction alongside a series of developments affecting Traditional Catholics: reported restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass in Seattle and Pittsburgh, new pressure against the TLM in England, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Backs Liturgical Program after 'Traditionis Custodes' Leo XIV has sent a message to Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship. The occasion is a meeting at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon devoted to liturgical formation. Dated June 29, the brief message was published today in the Vatican bulletin. The text appears to reinforce Cardinal Roche’s recent statement that Leo XIV does not intend to abolish Traditionis Custodes. Leo XIV calls for respect for “the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II.” He adds that this respect must...

[Catholic Caucus] WATCH: Massive earthquake during Latin Mass right at consecration A 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia shook a chapel in the middle of the consecration. But the celebrant and faithful continued to pray calmly.A viral video shows Catholics continuing to pray calmly as an earthquake shook the church during a Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at the chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help this week.During a daily TLM on August 10, a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake, the strongest quake recorded in the country during the 21st century, shook the chapel in the middle of the consecration. Despite the circumstances, the celebrant...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer: Trajectory, Ideology, and Legacy of Catholic TraditionalismEarly Years, Family Environment, and Priestly VocationAntônio de Castro Mayer was born in the city of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, on June 20, 1904. He grew up in a deeply Catholic family of humble origins, being one of twelve children. His father, Johannes (João) Mayer, was a German stonemason from the region of Bavaria who had emigrated to Brazil in search of better work opportunities and stability for his family. His mother, Francisca de Castro, was a devout Brazilian peasant woman whose profound...