Pope Leo XIV and the Latin Mass
What does Pope Leo XIV think about the Latin Mass? Will he continue the suppression of it which began in 2021 under Pope Francis? Notably, his recent speech to representatives of the Eastern Catholic Churches gives some clues as to how these questions will be resolved.
In that speech, Leo offered praise to eastern liturgies and noted the use of original language of Jesus, Aramaic, in some of them. Like Aramaic, Latin is also a language which was spoken during the lifetime of Jesus.
Furthermore, he reiterated the appeal of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, that the “legitimate variety of Eastern liturgy and discipline... may redound to the great honor and benefit of the Church.” The current Pontiff noted that his predecessor's desire “remains ever timely."
Of further interest is the Pope's statement that Catholics in the West must "recover the sense of mystery that remains alive in [eastern Catholic] liturgies, liturgies that engage the human person in his or her entirety, that sing of the beauty of salvation and evoke a sense of wonder at how God’s majesty embraces our human frailty!"
In light of these statements, it is not surprising to see Cardinal Gerhard Muller note in an interview with the Associated Press, that new Pope seems like someone who will be able to find a solution to end current tensions regarding the Latin Mass.
This appears even more likely after his inaugural Mass homily, where he noted the role of the Petrine ministry is to ignore the temptation of autocracy and to shepherd the church in the "co-existence of diversity."
A Pope who shuns autocracy and embraces liturgical diversity will not, at the same time, attempt to eradicate the Latin Mass, which has existed in various forms since the 5th century A.D. Pope Leo XIV does not seem like he is a Pope who will continue the liturgical suppression of the previous pontificate.
If anything, it seems like Latin will flourish in the upcoming pontificate, as seen early on by the Papal Institute for Sacred Music posting a video on YouTube encouraging the public to learn basic Latin word and phrases in order to pray along with Pope Leo, who has notably incorporated Latin into his papal liturgies and public appearances. Several Catholic YouTubers have also embraced Pope Leo as a way to help peope improve their knowledge of Latin.
But back, then, to the original questions: 1. What does Pope Leo think of the Latin Mass? 2. Will the suppression of the Latin Mass continue? The answer to the second question appears to be no. The answer to the first is less certain. However, if what has transpired so far in this pontificate continues, this question will end up answering itself.
The issue is not fundamentally about the Mass, but about theology. The Mass is just a reflection of theology, i.e. we pray as we believe. For modernist like Prevost he could care less if you celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, the Novus Ordo, a Protestant prayer service, or worship in a Buddhist temple. That is what is at the root of the problem, this heresy promoted by Vatican II and Francis, JPII, Benedict XVI . . . that all religions lead to God. And it is something Catholic need to understand and get right — There is NO Salvation outside the CATHOLIC CHURCH.