Washington DC Newsroom, July 16, 2024 / 16:20 pm
Amid growing concern over a possible ban on the traditional Latin Mass, prominent Catholic and non-Catholic artists, activists and leaders penned a letter urging Pope Francis to refrain from further restrictions on the extraordinary form of Mass.
The letter, released on Monday and titled “An Open Letter from the Americas to Pope Francis,” calls the Latin Mass “a great achievement of civilization” and “part of the common cultural heritage of humanity.”
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who was a vocal supporter of a similar letter in support of the Latin Mass published in Britain last week, endorsed the letter from the Americas and shared it on his social media accounts.
Signatories include Dana Gioia, former president of the National Endowment for the Arts, who organized the letter through the Benedict XVI Institute; Frank La Rocca, composer of the Mass of the Americas;, Larry Chap, Dean and Professor of Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Theologian Eduardo Verastegui, founder of the Dorothy Day Workers Farm; film producer and actor Eduardo Verastegui; international religious freedom advocate Nina See; and writer and author Andrew Sullivan.
The authors of the letter respectfully ask that “no further restrictions be imposed so that the traditional Latin Mass may be preserved for the good of the Catholic Church and the world.”
What is the Latin Mass? What happens there?
The Latin Mass, also known as the Mass offered using the 1962 Roman Missal, was codified after the Council of Trent in the 16th century and is thought to have ancient origins.
While the Vatican has not banned the Latin liturgy outright, the Holy See has significantly restricted its use in recent years. In July 2021, Francis issued a papal decree. Traditionis Custodes It imposed restrictions on the Latin Mass.
The authors acknowledge the sanctity of the Novus Ordo (Post-Vatican II) Mass, and are careful to distance themselves from advocates of the Latin Mass who have opposed Francis. The Catholic signatories further explicitly pledged their continuing “filial fidelity” to the Pope.
But in the letter they seek to make their point: “It seems shortsighted to deprive the next generation of artists of this source of contemplation of mystery, beauty and the sacred,” they argue.
“We come to you with humility, obedience and the confidence of a child, conveying our spiritual needs to a loving Father,” the authors write. “All of us, believers and non-believers alike, recognize that this ancient liturgy, which inspired the works of Palestrina, Bach, Beethoven and generations of other great artists, is a great achievement of civilization and part of the common cultural heritage of mankind. It is medicine for the soul, an antidote to the crude materialism of the postmodern age.”
“Beauty evangelizes”
In a July 8 op-ed for the National Catholic Register, a sister news partner of CNA, Cordileone said the beauty of the Latin Mass is an important part of the church’s ministry in “an age of de-Christianization, when traditional religious views are becoming less and less acceptable.”
The Pope pointed to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the importance of reading the signs of the times, saying, “One sign that is staring at us now in big block letters is: ‘Beauty spreads the Gospel.'”
“We live in times when we need to harness the power of beauty to touch hearts, minds and souls, for beauty is a real experience that cannot be escaped, an indisputable one. In times of anxiety and absurdity, beauty is a largely untapped resource with which to reach people, especially young people, with the gospel message of hope,” Cordileone writes.
In a statement to CNA, Scheer explained his decision to sign the letter, emphasizing that the Latin Mass is “part of our cultural heritage.”
(Continued below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Seer said one of his most memorable experiences with Latin Mass was attending a liturgy conducted by Chinese Cardinal Ignatius Kun shortly after his release from 33 years of imprisonment by the Communist Party.
“Though he did not speak English, we were able to unite in prayer in a way that was familiar to me through our shared ancient liturgical language,” she explained.
“Though I don’t often go to Latin Mass, I have always appreciated its beauty and the idea that our ancestors worshipped that way for centuries,” Seer said. “I believe that we as Catholics should learn about and preserve our core ancient traditions that have been passed down through the centuries, and nothing is more central to that tradition than our liturgical practice.”
Peter Pinedo is CNA’s DC correspondent. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves.
