Many of the actions of the late Pope Francis, no matter their intention, caused division, confusion, and pain amongst Catholics, especially those most immersed in the traditional teachings and customs of the Catholic Church. One of the most glaring examples of this division, confusion, and pain came in the form of Traditionis custodes. In 2021, Pope Francis issued a motu proprio heavily restricting the celebration of the vetus ordo — the form of the Mass celebrated prior to the Second Vatican Council, often referred to as the Tridentine Mass, the Traditional Latin Mass, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Catholics may simply never know why Pope Francis chose to so heavily and suddenly restrict the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. At the time, Pope Francis cited division as a chief problem stemming from the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, accusing traditionalist Catholics of “exploit[ing]” Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which liberalized the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, in order “to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division.” Pope Francis alleged a “close connection between the choice of celebrations according to the liturgical books prior to Vatican Council II and the rejection of the Church and her institutions in the name of what is called the ‘true Church.’” In other words, the celebration of the Tridentine Mass was a catalyst for division, schism, and the rejection of the authority of the Catholic Church and Her Pontiff. What led Pope Francis to this conclusion? He explained in 2021 that he had sent a “questionnaire” to Catholic bishops across the globe, requesting their insight into the implementation of Summorum Pontificum and the celebration of the Tridentine Mass in their dioceses. “The responses reveal a situation that preoccupies and saddens me, and persuades me of the need to intervene,” Pope Francis wrote in his letter accompanying and justifying Traditionis custodes. In the motu proprio itself, restricting the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, he wrote, “At this time, having considered the wishes expressed by the episcopate and having heard the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I now desire, with this Apostolic Letter, to press on ever more in the constant search for ecclesial communion.” While many traditionalist Catholics quietly and respectfully questioned the basis for issuing Traditionis custodes and wondered if such widespread division and schism really did exist in the parishes, apostolates, and communities devoted to the Tridentine Mass, a new report is revealing that no such division was widespread, if it even existed at all. Instead, it was a handful of bishops who pushed for the restriction of the Tridentine Mass. Veteran Catholic reporter Diane Montagna obtained a report that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) compiled based on bishops’ responses to the Summorum Pontificum questionnaire. “Where liturgical peace is lacking, the report shows it stems more from a level of nescience, prejudice, and resistance of a minority of bishops to Summorum Pontificum than from any problems originating from those drawn to the traditional Roman liturgy,” Montagna wrote. The majority of Italian bishops and bishops in Spanish-speaking regions refused to implement Summorum Pontificum, according to the report, even when asked to by Catholics. Other bishops erroneously claimed that Summorum Pontificum was intended to bring the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) into full communion with Rome and, having not achieved that goal, ought to be done away with. Some bishops also shared that they would like to have greater control over who can and cannot celebrate the Tridentine Mass in their dioceses. These positions from a handful of bishops is contrasted against the reporting from the bishops who did implement Summorum Pontificum. The latter group of bishops “ultimately express satisfaction with” the celebration of the Tridentine Mass in their jurisdictions. In fact, the report noted, “The majority of bishops who responded to the questionnaire state that making legislative changes to the MP Summorum Pontificum would cause more harm than good.” In analyzing the results of the questionnaire, the CDF advised that “weakening or suppressing Summorum Pontificum would seriously damage the life of the Church, as it would recreate the tensions that the document had helped to resolve.” The CDF warned Pope Francis that if he were to follow through on his plans for Traditionis custodes, he would more than likely reignite the contentious “liturgy wars,” damage the faithful’s trust in Rome, push would-be faithful Catholics into the arms of groups like the SSPX, and even potentially bring about “a new schism.” Far from falling into stereotypes, many traditionalist Catholics have urged charity in response to news of the report, urging fellow Catholics not to vilify the late Pope Francis but to fault his advisors where fault is evident. Unfortunately, Montagna’s reporting also observes that Pope Francis himself saw this report — he impatiently snatched it from then-CDF prefect Cardinal Luis Ladaria shortly before issuing Traditionis custodes. Catholics may simply never know why Pope Francis chose to so heavily and suddenly restrict the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. Perhaps he really did believe traditionalist Catholics to be “rigid” and sought to “break” them and bring them in line. Perhaps he suspected or even had reason to believe that traditionalists were rejecting the authority of the Church at a higher rate than the report — or any other survey or study — suggested. Perhaps he genuinely believed that the novus ordo was of such importance that declaring it the “unique expression of the lex orandi” was worth risking schism over. No matter what Pope Francis’s intentions — even had they been the purest and noblest of intentions — the fact remains that Traditionis custodes was less-than-honest, at best, and outright deceptive, at worst. Its provisions deprived millions of Catholics around the globe of one of the most beautiful and ancient of the treasures of the Catholic Church, the form of the Mass celebrated for centuries throughout the world, the form of the Mass for which countless saints — both named and unnamed — had given their lives. Already, the Tridentine Mass was an uncommon gem by the first half of 2021, with many driving an hour or more each way to attend. Without basis, without charity, Pope Francis and his advisors stripped that venerable gem away from Catholics almost entirely. Upon his death, many cautious commentators in the Catholic world anticipated that Pope Francis’s would be a mixed legacy in which confusion predominated, but with moments of joy, clarity, or courage. The more pessimistic among us predicted that the division, confusion, and pain caused by the Francis pontificate would far outweigh and overshadow those few positive moments. Unfortunately, it appears that we were probably right. READ MORE from S.A. McCarthy: Ketanji Fatigue The Sacred Heart Is the Remedy to Pride   The post %POSTLINK% appeared first on %BLOGLINK%.