New restrictions on the celebration of both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the liturgy will take effect in the Archdiocese of Detroit from July 1st, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger has decreed.
The new norms, which include the restriction of the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass to four designated regional sites and a personal parish, as well as prohibiting the celebration of Mass ad orientem in the ordinary form, are to implement fully the provisions of Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis custodes.
The Detroit norms follow similar measures which were announced in the Diocese of Charlotte earlier this month, but subsequently delayed until October by Bishop Michael Martin.
As in the case of Charlotte, Archbishop Weisenburger’s announcement — made by canonical decree and accompanied by a letter to local Catholics on June 13 — has generated considerable pushback from Catholics, both locally and online, who favor the extraordinary form of the liturgy.
Rorate Caeli, the traditionalist website which first reported the announcement, accused the archbishop of “obviously enjoy[ing] being a cruel anti-liturgical enforcer,” while noting the archbishop could have asked the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for an extension to the period granted for the full implementation period of Traditionis custodes.
Several dioceses, including Charlotte, have been allowed to continue with transitional arrangements until October of this year.
The announcements in Detroit and Charlotte highlight the ongoing controversy over the implementation of Traditionis custodes nearly four years after its promulgation, and the mounting hopes among TLM communities that Pope Leo XIV may revisit its provisions.
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