Pope ends curbs on the Roman Latin Mass

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

* Perilous Times and The Revived Roman Empire

Pope ends curbs on the Roman Latin Mass*

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:21am BST 15/09/2007

One of the Pope's most contentious reforms, the liberalising of the use
of the old Roman Latin Mass, has come into force.

The pontiff pushed through the changes, despite the objections of a
number of bishops who argued that they could exacerbate divisions
between conservatives and liberals.

Use of the old Roman Tridentine Rite was restricted after the Second
Vatican Council in the 1960s.

It was replaced by a Mass in the vernacular, which is designed to be
more accessible to contemporary worshippers but which critics say lacks
gravitas.

Although individual bishops were permitted to authorise use of the old
Rite in the 1980s, many discouraged it because it was associated with
conservatives who opposed Vatican II reforms.

The Pope is keen to heal rifts with traditionalists, and he issued a
motu proprio (on his own initiative) in July, allowing priests and
certain groups to celebrate the Mass without permission.