The forever remembered Pope Benedict XVI — who will quite possibly be declared a Doctor of the Church one day — sought in Summorum Pontificum, his 2007 motu proprio on the two uses of the one Roman Rite in its ordinary and extraordinary forms, to liberalize the celebration of the Mass commonly called “traditional,” “Tridentine,” “of Saint Pius V,” or “of the ages.” He did so with the aim of contributing to liturgical peace and out of the respect owed to an ancient and venerable custom. Thus, any priest could celebrate the Latin Mass without needing special permission or risking ideologically-motivated reprisals from certain bishops.
In his letter to the world’s bishops that accompanied the motu proprio, the Pontiff emphasized that “what was sacred for previous generations remains sacred and great for us as well, and cannot all of a sudden be entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.” God alone knows how much the German Pope suffered when, 14 years later, on July 16, 2021, his successor in the papacy revoked that legislation with a stroke of his pen and imposed draconian restrictions on the Vetus Ordo. Something of that suffering has been revealed in recent days by his faithful personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.
Traditionis Custodes, issued five years ago, far from closed wounds — it only deepened them. Contrary to what its promoter sought, the document contributed to a growing interest in tradition and orthodoxy, especially among the young. Today a good deal of conversions occur among those who prefer the usus antiquior. To a significant degree, the transmission of the faith no longer passes from parents to children, but from young people to young people. I recall here what I have said on so many occasions: I was ordained a priest in 1972 according to the Novus Ordo, and I have never celebrated the extraordinary form.
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