There are moments when the postconciliar liturgical revolution explains itself with almost embarrassing clarity.
Friday evening at Notre-Dame was one of them.
Standing inside the restored cathedral, Leo XIV praised Vatican II for having supposedly “gathered up and deepened” the Church’s liturgical inheritance. Then came the sentence that should make every traditional Catholic’s blood run cold:
“Place communion with the successor of Peter and with the Church before your personal preferences, so as to foster the unity of God’s people.” Vatican Press
The official French is actually sensibilités personnelles — personal sensibilities. The official English says “personal preferences.” Either way, the implication is poisonous.
Leo did not explicitly say, “I am talking about Catholics attached to the traditional Roman Mass.” He did not need to. This was a homily about liturgy delivered amid an international campaign of restrictions on the old rite, only days after another flourishing traditional Mass in New Jersey was ordered to stop and shortly after the Vatican blocked the traditional pilgrimage from celebrating at St. Peter’s.
We are expected to believe the elephant standing on the high altar is merely decorative.
The Mass celebrated throughout the Roman Church for centuries is now treated as though Catholics are arguing about whether Father should wear the green chasuble or the beige one.
Vanilla or chocolate.
Acoustic guitar or organ.
1962 Missal or tambourines.
Just preferences, you see.
That is an insult to the very nature of the dispute.
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