Cardinal Sandoval of Mexico to Pope Francis: Do not prohibit the traditional Latin Mass

A Mexican cardinal has written to Pope Francis imploring him not to ban the traditional Latin Mass, or Tridentine Mass, amid rumors that the Vatican could further restrict the ancient liturgy.

In a letter sent to the Holy Father on July 6, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara (Mexico), referred to the “rumors that they want to definitively ban the Latin Mass of Saint Pius V.” These rumors have circulated in recent months, although there has not yet been a statement from the Vatican.

In his letter, the cardinal wrote that “the Lord’s Supper, which he commanded us to celebrate in memory of him, has been celebrated throughout history in various rites and languages, always keeping what is essential: celebrating the death of Christ and participating at the Table of the Bread of Eternal Life.”

“Even today the Lord’s Supper is celebrated in various rites and languages, inside and outside the Catholic Church.”

The cardinal then highlighted that “what the Church celebrated for four centuries, the Mass of Saint Pius V in Latin, with a rich, pious liturgy that in itself invites us to penetrate into the Mystery of God, cannot be bad.”

The archbishop also noted that “several Catholic and non-Catholic people and groups have expressed the desire that it not be suppressed, but rather preserved,” such as a group of British personalities who asked the Holy See to preserve the “magnificent” Mass. traditional in Latin, a request similar to that made by the Mexican filmmaker Eduardo Verástegui.

Cardinal Sandoval also highlighted that these requests are given “because of the richness of its liturgy and in Latin, which, together with Greek, is the matrix of culture, not only in the West, but also in other parts.”

“Pope Francis, don’t let this happen. “You are also custodian of the historical, cultural and liturgical wealth of the Church of Christ,” the Mexican cardinal pleaded.

Who is Cardinal Sandoval?

Juan Sandoval Íñiguez is a cardinal of the Catholic Church who was born on March 28, 1933. He is 91 years old.

He was ordained a priest on October 27, 1957, when he was 24 years old. On March 3, 1988 he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Ciudad Juárez, a diocese whose pastoral government he fully assumed in 1992.

He was appointed Archbishop of Guadalajara on April 21, 1994, where he served until his retirement in 2011. Pope Saint John Paul II created him cardinal in the consistory of November 26, 1994.

He participated in the 2005 and 2013 conclaves in which Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis were elected, respectively.

In October 2023 he made the news when, along with four other cardinals, he sent a series of questions (doubts) to Pope Francis on a series of doctrinal issues within the framework of the Synod on Synodality that would be held in the Vatican.

The Vatican and the traditional Latin Mass

Although the Vatican has not issued an outright ban on the Latin Mass, the Holy See has significantly restricted its use.

In 2021, Pope Francis published the motu proprio Keepers of Tradition which established a series of restrictions for the celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

When publishing the document, the Holy Father noted that he was acting “in defense of the unity of the body of Christ” since there was a “distorted use” in the possibility of priests celebrating Mass according to the 1962 Missal.

More recently, at the beginning of this month, the Vatican prohibited the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Covadonga, something that was usually done at the conclusion of that annual pilgrimage in Spain, attended by thousands of young people.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA