In addition, they stated that "no priest is authorized to continue celebrating according to the ancient liturgy."
The bishops of Costa Rica also said that "we have never had a group of faithful who adhered to and continues to adhere to with much love and affection to the previous liturgical forms."
The president of the Summorum Pontificum Association said that the group received the statement from the Costa Rican bishops "with great pain," because "we have always sought the pastoral care of our bishops."
"We have always tried to act in absolute, full and unwavering communion with our ecclesiastical authorities," he said.
Arias said the Costa Rican bishops went "beyond what Traditionis custodes calls for," which does not contemplate the total elimination of the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form, but rather its obligatory approval by each prelate.
Arias said that they have turned to the apostolic nuncio in Costa Rica, Archbishop Bruno Musaró, "as a form of intermediation” seeking "some type of a harmonious dialogue" with Bishop Bartolomé Buigues Oller of Alajuela.
So far, he lamented, Bishop Buigues "has absolutely closed the door on us", but they trust that through the nuncio there may be a new opportunity for dialogue in "the coming weeks."
Arias recognized that there are groups with "a radical position" that "hide behind Traditional Mass to criticize the pope or to criticize the Second Vatican Council."
However, he pointed out, “when these types of groups exist, the correct thing would be to try to correct them in particular and specifically them, and not close off the possibility of celebrating a Traditional Mass, which will only affect those groups that have been obedient.”
He pointed out that the groups that have remained in disobedience to the pope and the Second Vatican Council "are going to continue celebrating the Traditional Mass, because they are not interested in having visible communion with the Church."
Arias stressed that his love for the traditional Mass is not about experiencing "a fad or something eccentric."
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“I got to know this Mass from a spiritual point of view and also an intellectual point of view, with a profound knowledge of each one of its rites and prayers. And I have found a depth of theological richness that has helped me draw closer to God,” he said.
Participating in this liturgy, he continued, “has helped me to find the Mystery of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in a profound and full way”.
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. I have been part of the ACI Prensa team for more than 10 years. I have covered Pope Francis' trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. I covered the beatification ceremony of today's Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2015. Special envoy for investigation in Honduras in 2016. Head of the ACI Prensa Office in Mexico since 2018.