Cardinal Kurt Koch has declared that it would be “desirable” to expand access to the so -called traditional Mass or Tridentine Mass after Pope Francis drastically restricted the celebration of the traditional Latin liturgy in Latin. Koch has been a prefect of the Dicasterio for the promotion of the unity of Christians, in the Vatican, for 15 years.
In an interview with kath.net On Tuesday, Koch said that “he had not spoken with Pope Leo XIV about this matter and did not want to generate false hopes.” However, he emphasized: “Personally, I would be very happy that we found a good solution.”
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“Pope Benedict XVI marked the way to believe that something that had been practiced for centuries could not simply be prohibited,” Koch recalled, who has been sponsor of the new Ratzinger Student Circle since 2012 and regularly speaks about Joseph Ratzinger at events. “That convinced me.”
“Pope Francis has opted for a very restrictive approach in this regard,” the cardinal continued. “Without a doubt, it would be desirable to reopen the door that is now closed,” he said.
The traditional liturgy was held worldwide until the period after the Second Vatican Council, but later it was only retained by a small group of priests and faithful. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized in 2007 that the old Mass had never been abolished. In essence, it goes back to Pope Gregory Great and even older traditions.
Koch also spoke with Kath.net about a possible common date of Easter for Catholic and Orthodox churches, some of which follow the Julian calendar, which with less precision reflects the orbit of the earth around the Sun in a year.
“My main concern is that we look for a common date, but that in doing so we do not cause new divisions within the individual churches or within the ecumenical community,” Koch emphasized. “It would be desirable and important to find a common date for Easter, but only if this does not generate new divisions,” he added.
“We have a lot in common with the Eastern Orthodox and Orthodox churches in terms of faith and understanding of the Church,” said the cardinal regarding the state of dialogue.
“The central issue is Pedro’s trade. In this case there is also a good starting point, since Orthodox recognize a hierarchy of bishopics in which Rome has precedence. However, the open question is what powers the bishop of Rome has: is it a purely honorary primacy or certain associated duties and rights?”.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA German
Martin Bürger
Martin Bürger is an interim chief editor of CNA Deutsch. It has been writing almost two decades on Catholic issues and has reported from Germany, Austria and North America. He completed his theology studies at a pontifical university with a mastery.