Toronto archbishop says wider use of Tridentine Mass enhances church

Published: 2007-07-11

TORONTO (CNS) -- Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto said wider use of the Tridentine Mass enhances the diverse Catholic Church in Canada. "We celebrate Toronto as the most diverse diocese in the world. We've just been enriched. I think the whole church has," Archbishop Collins said, referring to the release of Pope Benedict XVI's July 7 letter allowing wider use of the Tridentine Mass, the liturgy that predates the Second Vatican Council. "This is a great thing, and it solves all of this disputing and all this stuff." Noting that before the papal letter's release there had been rumors and gossip about its contents, he said, "Now we have this wonderful document, and now we can move onto other things." For Toronto's 1.7 million Catholics, Mass already is celebrated regularly in 34 languages. The Tridentine Mass, celebrated in Latin, is offered at five parishes. In the apostolic letter, "Summorum Pontificum," Pope Benedict eased restrictions on the use of the 1962 Roman Missal, which was standard before the new Order of the Mass was introduced in 1970. The papal decree was issued "motu proprio," a term that reflects the pope's personal initiative in the matter.

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