By Phil Lawler ( bio – articles – email ) | Jul 19, 2024
The American presidential race has provided plenty of headlines for the secular outlets this week. As for news of the Catholic world? Not so much.
The National Eucharistic Congress was a spectacular event, apparently inspiring many thousands of the faithful. But while adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is at the heart of Catholic spiritual life, it does not provide catchy story lines. Meanwhile at the Vatican, the relative quiet reveals the fact that in Rome, most sensible people take time off in July. Consequently our headlines have been less numerous and less dramatic than usual.
So let me say something about a potentially dramatic news story that we did not cover—because it did not happen.
For the past several weeks a rumor has been circulating that the Vatican will issue new restrictions on the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass (TLM). We could not confirm those rumors. But several ordinarily reliable journalists insisted that the reports were true: that the document had been prepared, and only awaited final approval and release.
The rumors about this new suppression of the TLM were spread widely enough, and deemed credible enough, to spark several pre-emptive responses. A group of prominent English cultural figures issued an open letter about the “worrying reports,” urging the Vatican to “reconsider any further restriction of access to this magnificent spiritual and cultural heritage.” A similar group of American artists and writers followed suit, saying: “To deprive the next generation of artists of this source of mystery, beauty, and contemplation of the sacred seems shortsighted.” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco added his plea that “this cri de coeur… will be heard.” The retired Archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, urged: “Pope Francis, do not allow this to happen.”
While the rumor mill churned, confident reporters predicted the date when the new Vatican document would be released. Some said it would be July 16, others picked July 19.
Well, I am writing on July 19, as midnight approaches in Rome. The dreaded document has not appeared.
Does this mean that there never was a move for further restrictions on the TLM, or that the idea was considered, but the danger has now passed? No. It’s quite possible that there is a repressive document sitting on a desk somewhere at the Vatican, awaiting only an authoritative signature. It is even possible that the document’s release has already been approved, and those “inside sources” were wrong only about the date of its release. And it is possible that Vatican officials who were planning to release the document had second thoughts, as they considered the public outcry.
Or it is possible that the rumors were mistaken from the start: that there never was a repressive document—or at least not a document that had won approval. There are undoubtedly people in Rome who would like to eradicate all traces of the traditional liturgy, and would willingly draft plans for doing so. There are undoubtedly Vatican officials with a tendency to overstate their own influence—or the influence of their rivals. In a small, closed community where secrecy is the norm, speculation about what might be afoot becomes a way of life, and rumors quickly take on a life of their own.
My own “informed sources” in Rome are divided about the rumored document. Some insist that it still could be imminent—although now a few concede that it might have been forestalled. Others assure me that if there ever was such a document, it never had any traction.
And for now, I’m afraid, that is the best “inside” information I can provide. Stay tuned.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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