2007-07-07 · Vatican City

Summorum Pontificum: The Traditional Latin Mass

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum, declaring that the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass had never been abrogated and that any priest could celebrate it without special permission, dramatically expanding access to the older form of the Roman Rite.

After the Second Vatican Council reformed the Mass in the late 1960s, the older form — the Tridentine Mass codified by Pius V in 1570 — was widely assumed to be gone for good. Most parishes switched to the new rite, celebrated in the vernacular with the priest facing the people. But a significant minority of Catholics never accepted the change. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre went so far as to ordain bishops without papal permission in 1988, resulting in his excommunication. Even among Catholics who stayed in communion with Rome, many yearned for the older liturgy and felt its suppression was a mistake. John Paul II had tried to address this in 1988 with Ecclesia Dei, which allowed the old Mass under restricted conditions, requiring the local bishop's permission. Benedict XVI went much further. Summorum Pontificum declared that the 1962 Missal — the last edition before the Vatican II reforms — had never been legally suppressed. It established two 'forms' of the one Roman Rite: the 'ordinary form' (the post-Vatican II Mass) and the 'extraordinary form' (the older Latin Mass). Any priest could celebrate the extraordinary form privately without permission, and groups of faithful could request it in their parishes. The practical effect was immediate. Latin Mass communities grew across the world. Young Catholics who had never known the old liturgy discovered it and were drawn to it. Traditionalist groups that had been on the margins found themselves more integrated into the mainstream Church. The document was controversial from both directions. Traditionalists appreciated it but wanted more. Progressives worried it undermined Vatican II. In 2021, Pope Francis significantly restricted Summorum Pontificum with Traditionis Custodes, arguing that the old Mass was being used to reject the council. The debate about the place of the traditional liturgy in the modern Church continues and shows no signs of resolution.

Why it matters

Declared that the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass had never been abolished and granted broad permission for its celebration, reshaping Catholic liturgical life and reigniting debate about the relationship between tradition and reform in worship.