Why All Christians Should Care about the Fate of the Latin Mass

In the last few weeks, acting on orders from Pope Francis, some leaders of the Catholic Church in America have begun shutting down or limiting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). In the past month, the bishops and cardinals in Savannah, Ga., Chicago , and Washington, D.C., have all severely restricted or promised to end the celebration of this form of Catholic liturgy. It’s a stunning reversal of the policy set forward by Pope Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who had specifically authorized priests to celebrate the TLM wherever Catholics were requesting it.

A few non-Catholic Christians have reached out to me and asked: Why do Catholic leaders hate the Latin Mass? Others have posed the opposite question: “Why do you like it?” (I’ve been attending a TLM for 20 years.)

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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In the last few weeks, acting on orders from Pope Francis, some leaders of the Catholic Church in America have begun shutting down or limiting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). In the past month, the bishops and cardinals in Savannah, Ga., Chicago , and Washington, D.C., have all severely restricted or promised to end the celebration of this form of Catholic liturgy. It’s a stunning reversal of the policy set forward by Pope Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who had specifically authorized priests to celebrate the TLM wherever Catholics were requesting it.

A few non-Catholic Christians have reached out to me and asked: Why do Catholic leaders hate the Latin Mass? Others have posed the opposite question: “Why do you like it?” (I’ve been attending a TLM for 20 years.)