Paris, France, Jul 17, 2021 / 14:40 pm
France’s Catholic bishops expressed “esteem” on Saturday for the people and pastors of Traditional Latin Mass communities following the publication of Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis custodes.
The bishops issued a statement on July 17, the day after the pope made sweeping changes to his predecessor Benedict XVI’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, which had acknowledged the right of all priests to say Mass using the Roman Missal of 1962.
The new motu proprio, issued with immediate effect, states that it is each bishop’s “exclusive competence” to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal in his diocese.
“The bishops of France, together with all the faithful of their dioceses, have received the motu proprio Traditionis custodes of Pope Francis, which was made public yesterday,” the statement said.