There has been much chatter on the interwebs lately about possible further restrictions being imposed upon the celebration of the classical Roman Rite, or the Traditional Latin Mass, as it is often called. However, it appears that such rumors are not going to materialize for now, even as the Vatican liturgical office devises new ways to express its contempt for those who attend celebrations of the TLM, in addition to the continued banning of such celebrations in cathedrals and parishes.
Having said that, it does appear that the push to excise the older Mass from the body of the Church might be running out of steam. Recently, Larry Chapp, a conservative Catholic who is not necessarily a fan of the TLM, wrote an article for the National Catholic Register claiming the effect of Traditionis Custodes was to deepen divisions in the Church. Perhaps more surprisingly, two writers for the more liberal Catholic La Croix have penned separate articles claiming the restrictions imposed by Traditionis Custodes have actually sparked interest among young Catholics, having a sort of Streisand effect on the situation. There is still more the Vatican could do to clamp down on the old liturgy, but as I write these words, the Vatican seems to be in a holding pattern.
However, even the rumored restrictions don’t attempt more than to prevent it being celebrated in parishes and leave untouched the priestly societies that offer the Latin Mass. Perhaps they are hoping someone like Cardinal Parolin, who supports their cause, will succeed Pope Francis. For now, however, it seems they are content to “herd” TLM Catholics toward those societies and segregate them from the rest of the faithful. These measures, just as those preventing pilgrims from having the TLM celebrated in a cathedral, are “nasty and stupid” as one source has stated. But none of these abolish the celebration of the old Mass entirely, which Pope Francis clearly articulated as his goal in Traditionis Custodes.
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