Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has made new comments about Pope Leo’s intentions regarding the Latin Mass. Recall that Cardinal Robert Sarah previously held this post under Pope France, and in that role made comments in support of both the Latin Mass and the “Reform of the Reform.” Cardinal Roche, however, has followed the approach of Traditionis Custodes since his appointment in 2021. Miss Diane Montagna provides the comments here:
The Tablet: “Will it be as important to Pope Leo as it was to Pope Francis to restrict the celebration of the Tridentine Mass?”
Cardinal Roche: “Well, let me say, first of all, it’s a very complex area. And it’s a very important area because the Eucharist is the sacrament of unity: it’s the place where we should all be able to be together to celebrate Mass. So if it begins to divide us, there’s something seriously amiss. But no, Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes, and he’s not going back to Summorum Pontificum.”
“It’s interesting. When I meet with groups who want the antecedent liturgy, and I say: ‘Well, the Holy Father has given you that, so what’s the problem?’, they can’t answer. But then they go away and say, ‘We’re still being persecuted’. In what way persecuted? Why is the band still playing a tune that is discordant with the life of the Church?”
The Tablet: “So if I were an old lady who had grown up with the Tridentine Mass, would Roche be telling me that the way I had practised as a child had been wrong?”
Cardinal Roche: “No. What Vatican II did was to say that the Church needs to be more missionary than it had been. And that to prepare people to be missionary, the very central core of the life of the Church, which is the Eucharist, has to nourish people in a different way. The abundant diet of Scripture that is now given through the celebration of the Mass and the sacraments is something that wasn’t available to use before, but it is now.” And whereas the emphasis in the Tridentine Mass is that the priest is acting on behalf of the congregation, “in fact, when the Mass is being celebrated, because the baptised people are a priestly people, they too are celebrating with the priest.”
One wonders what His Eminence means by “missionary,” since history shows us that the Latin Mass helped to convert much of the world after Trent. Nevertheless we heartily agree that the liturgy and the Holy Eucharist should not divide Christians from one another, and we should be aware that as traditionalists it is possible for us to make an idol out of externals, instead of looking at the heart. We also commend His Eminence for confirming that the way the pious “old lady” practiced is not wrong, since all traditionalists are attempting to do what that old lady does.
Mr. Michael Haynes had these comments:
Leo XIV has avoided commenting publicly on the traditional Mass.
With this [interview] Cardinal Roche has not been as cautious, but his timing now is interesting: his 5yr term as DDW prefect ended in May and a replacement is technically due. His departure is rumoured though not announced.
The question is does Roche speak for Leo or for himself?
Yes, that was my question as well. We know where Roche stands, but it is not entirely clear where Pope Leo stands, except that he is not against the use of Latin in the Mass (“You can say Mass in Latin right now”), and has met with bishops who support the Latin Mass (unlike Pope Francis), and he has permitted the excommunication of the SSPX. Rorate also comments that “Cardinal Roche is 76. He is therefore past the age of retirement.”
So what do these comments even mean? What they mean for Cardinal Roche is clear. What is Roche’s current and future role in shaping liturgical policy under Leo is not clear. These comments simply don’t give us anything, one way or another. Time will tell.