French bishops support reconciliation, regulation of Tridentine Mass

Published: 2006-11-13

LOURDES, France (CNS) -- The French bishops' conference has pledged to support Pope Benedict XVI's attempts at reconciliation with traditionalists who rejected Second Vatican Council liturgical reforms, but warned that the return of the Tridentine Mass should be regulated. The bishops said they "share the desire for reconciliation with priests and laity who separated from the ecclesial communion after this council." In a Nov. 9 statement issued after a bishops' plenary meeting in Lourdes, France, the bishops said they "also expect from these faithful an unequivocal gesture of assent to the teachings of the church's authentic magisterium." The return of the pre-Vatican II Mass, which is celebrated in Latin and follows the Roman Missal of 1962, should be regulated, rather than left to "personal tastes and choices," the bishops said. They said they would welcome traditionalists and "work for reconciliation in truth and charity," but also recognize "the riches of Vatican II teachings" and believe the implementation of Vatican II's liturgical renewal "testifies to the fidelity of priests and communities."

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