Pope intervenes again to restrict celebration of Latin Mass

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has intervened for the third time to crack down on the celebration of the old Latin Mass, a sign of continued friction with Catholic traditionalists. Francis reasserted in a new legal decree published Tuesday that the Holy See must approve new celebrations of the old rite by signing off on bishops’ decisions to designate additional parish churches for the Latin Mass or to let newly ordained priests celebrate it. The decree states that the Vatican’s liturgy office is responsible for evaluating such requests on behalf of the Holy See. Francis in 2021 made a remarkable decision to reimpose restrictions on its celebration that were relaxed in 2007 by then-Pope Benedict XVI.