Enzo Bianchi, founder of the Bose Community and removed from it by decision of the Holy See following an apostolic visitation in 2020, attended the celebration of Holy Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal at the Church of Mercy in Turin on July 19. At the conclusion of the liturgy, he addressed a few brief words to those present, expressing his desire that the two forms of the Roman rite “may walk together.”
Bianchi’s presence at a Vetus Ordo celebration has drawn attention in Italy, given that he is one of the figures most historically identified with progressive Catholicism and with the reception of the Second Vatican Council.
An uncommon gesture
According to the Italian newspaper Lo Spiffero, Bianchi remained for the entire celebration and, at its conclusion, reiterated his support for the Second Vatican Council and the liturgical reform, while also defending the coexistence of both forms of the Roman rite, in a line reminiscent of the spirit of Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which proposed a mutual enrichment between the two liturgical forms.
The founder of Bose had already expressed weeks earlier his desire to move toward greater liturgical reconciliation within the Church.
From Francis to Leo XIV
In a recent article published in the magazine Vita Pastorale, Bianchi recounted a conversation he had with Pope Francis in which, he explained, the Pope advised seeking reconciliation with the Lefebvrians through “a mercy that would attempt to include them, making the Eucharist once again the origin and source of communion for all.”
In the same text, he praised the tone adopted by Leo XIV on this issue and stated that the new pontiff represents “an urgent invitation to mutual understanding” and to the abandonment of judgments between ecclesial sensibilities. As a horizon, he proposed an authentic “liturgical peace” (pax eucharistica).
The Bose precedent
In 2020, an apostolic visitation ordered by Pope Francis concluded with a decree, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin and specifically approved by the Pontiff, which obliged Bianchi and three other members to leave the Bose Community.
The Holy See justified the measure by citing the “serious concerns” received regarding the founder’s exercise of authority, the governance of the community, and the fraternal climate within it. Following notification of the decree, the community itself reported that some of those affected initially rejected the measures adopted, which increased internal tension.
A debate that goes beyond the traditionalist sphere
Bianchi’s presence at a traditional Mass comes at a time when voices calling for a review of the restrictions introduced by the motu proprio Traditionis custodes, promulgated by Pope Francis in 2021, continue to multiply.
The gesture is significant because it comes from a figure who for decades has been associated with the most progressive sector of Italian Catholicism. According to Lo Spiffero, several attendees interpreted his presence as a “gesture of reconciliation and closeness” between faithful of different liturgical sensibilities.