The apostolic nuncio in Great Britain, Mons. Miguel Maury Buendía, communicated to the bishops of England and Wales that Leo XIV has no intention of repealing Traditionis Custodes, the 2021 letter in which Pope Francis imposed severe limitations on the celebration of the traditional Mass according to the 1962 Missal. However, the new Pontiff would be willing to grant temporary two-year dispensations, extendable at the request of each bishop.
The information was made public on November 13 during a meeting with the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales. The Vatican did not respond to subsequent clarification requests sent by the press, but the nuncio’s statements were confirmed by officials of the Holy See.
The dispensations are not a novelty, but a practice already in place
According to what Mons. Enda Murphy, an official of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, explained to Catholic News Service on November 14, the dispensations mentioned by the nuncio «are nothing more than the reiteration of the usual practice» that the dicastery has maintained since the entry into force of Francisco’s motu proprio.
Murphy specified that these requests correspond to what is established in article 3 §2 of Traditionis Custodes, which requires an express derogation to allow the traditional Mass to be celebrated in parish churches, something generally prohibited by the current regulations, and always without erecting new personal parishes dedicated to the ancient rite.
Several bishops have already received authorization to continue with the traditional Mass
In October, various Catholic media reported that the diocese of Cleveland, led by Mons. Edward C. Malesic, had obtained permission to maintain the use of the 1962 Missal in two parishes. In July, Mons. Michael Sis, bishop of San Angelo (Texas), announced that a similar request of his had also been approved.
Likewise, the Pope himself personally granted permission at the end of October to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke to celebrate the traditional Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The line marked by Francis remains in force under Leo XIV
Traditionis Custodes redefined the discipline of the traditional Mass by declaring that the liturgical books after the Second Vatican Council constitute «the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite«. The norm also imposed the obligation that priests have explicit permission from the bishop to celebrate the pre-conciliar Mass and prohibited the creation of new groups or parishes dedicated exclusively to it.
Francis justified these measures as necessary «to promote harmony and unity in the Church».
In light of the statements of the nuncio in Great Britain, the pontificate of Leo XIV has no intention of reversing that legal framework, but it will allow bishops to continue requesting—and receiving—specific dispensations.