The traditional Latin Mass has a liturgy entirely in Latin, but there are other major differences between the Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo (New Order) Mass which uses the common language of the country, and is the familiar Mass that has been used for the past 50 + years. In the Latin Mass the priest faces the altar in the same direction as the people. Prayers and readings are different. Gregorian chant is sung. The choir or the server, may make the responses to the priest’s prayers depending on if it’s a high or low Mass. Women generally cover their heads. Communion is distributed to the recipients kneeing at the communion rail in a line. Communion is received on the tongue and the recipient does not respond “Amen” to the priest. Many voices have praised the Latin Mass, saying it is a beautiful tradition and it contains a long lineage of sacred rituals, and prayers. But some of the traditionalists celebrating the Latin Mass believe that the New Mass is an abomination and they are the true church and everyone else is in error. Pope Benedict had experienced great spiritual nourishment in the old liturgy and hoped that by allowing its greater use it would bring about church unity, especially for those traditionalists. Benedict also wanted to introduce the old liturgy to young people who were attracted to it. He widened the availability of the Latin Mass by allowing pastors to celebrate it without the permission of their bishops when a group of people requested it. If a pastor could not fulfill the group’s wishes then the bishop was required to provide a suitable solution. But in making the Latin Mass more available, Pope Benedict was fostering two different ways of praying which signified two competing communities within the Catholic Church. Pope Francis after taking a survey of the world’s bishops about this division said that it revealed “a situation that preoccupies and saddens me and persuades me of the need to intervene. ‘ So to promote the unity of the Church, Pope Francis said, bishops should care for those Catholics “who are rooted in the previous form of celebration” while helping them “return in due time” to the celebration of Mass according to the new Missal. On July 16, 2021 Francis announced new rules to restrict the use of the Latin Mass, reversing his predecessor’s policy. He did not prohibit priests from saying the Mass in Latin, but he restored the obligation of priests to receive their bishop’s permission. And for any priest ordained after July 16, the bishop must consult with the Vatican before granting authorization. He also ordered bishops not to establish any new groups or parishes in their dioceses devoted to the old liturgy. Many bishops have since responded to these new restrictions buy granting permission for the Traditional Latin Mass to continue in their dioceses while they study the Popes orders and determine how to proceed. Father Thomas Reese writing about Pope Francis’s actions commented that “the need for pastoral sensitivity means that it will take time for the old liturgy to fade away, but this ultimately is the goal. He went on to write “when my mother was alive, she used to go to the Saturday evening Mass at her parish. One Saturday she showed up and the Mass was in Spanish. She kept going to that Mass even though she did not know a word of Spanish. When I asked her why, she responded, “It is wonderful, just like the old Latin Mass. I don’t understand a word they are saying.” Then she added, “It is even better, I don’t understand the homily.”
