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Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, speaks with EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” on March 2, 2023. / EWTN screenshot
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 3, 2023 / 15:40 pm (CNA).
In the wake of new restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass, two American bishops spoke with EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo Thursday about how their dioceses have responded.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas, both defended the Traditional Latin Mass communities within their dioceses during their interviews on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” March 2.
Pope Francis issued a motu proprio titled Traditionis custodes on July 16, 2021, which put heavy restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass. The order directed bishops to designate locations for the Traditional Latin Mass but stated none of the locations should be within parish churches. Because a lot of dioceses already had thriving Latin Mass communities within parishes, some bishops offered dispensations, which allowed those Masses to continue as before.
Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect for the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, issued a rescript on Feb. 21, which is a formal clarification from the Vatican. It stated that such dispensations are reserved to the Holy See and ordered bishops who had issued those dispensations to “inform the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which will evaluate the individual cases.”
Paprocki said during the interview that he questions “the wisdom” of the rescript and suggested that it “seems to contradict what Pope Francis himself said when he issued the motu proprio,” which Paprocki interpreted to say that bishops had discretion to decide how to implement the restrictions “on a case by case basis” within their dioceses.
In addition, Paprocki questioned the legal basis for not allowing the dispensations already granted by bishops to remain in effect.
“I would argue Canon 9 says that laws in the Church are not retroactive, so any dispensations that have already been given remain in effect,” Paprocki said. “But I would also recognize the validity of this new rescript and the restriction that is being placed upon diocesan bishops.”
Paprocki added that these judgments are best made by the bishop based on the principle of subsidiarity, which maintains that “decisions should be made at a local level” unless there’s an overriding reason.
“I’ve yet to see what that reason would be” in the case of these dispensations, Paprocki said.
Instead, he said, “you’ve got a prefect in Rome basically making decisions about what’s happening in the local diocese and the local parishes.”
When the motu proprio was originally issued, the Diocese of Springfield had two parish churches that offered the Latin Mass. Paprocki noted that one of the parishes has a priest from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), which was given a dispensation from the Vatican. The bishop designated the other church as a non-parish church.
“My predecessor merged two parishes together, but he kept the two churches open,” Paprocki told Arroyo. “And so when the Holy Father, in his motu proprio Traditionis custodes, said that you can’t have the Traditional Latin Mass at a parochial church, I simply designated one of those churches as non-parochial. And so therefore, we’re in compliance with that decree.”
Archbishop Naumann noted that the Diocese of Kansas City has not been greatly affected by the Vatican’s orders because there are two Traditional Latin Mass communities operated by FSSP, which has a dispensation from the Vatican.
“I would say the people in those communities, I find them to be very sincere,” Naumann said. “And they love the Lord, they love the Church, they love the Eucharist. I think what the pope was trying initially to correct is, there was an attitude, I think, amongst some, that there was a superiority [of] the Tridentine Mass, to the Novus Ordo, and I think that was an error. But I don’t think that’s how most people in those communities see things. And I think they’re confused by the limitations that are being put upon even bishops in making pastoral judgments.”
You can watch Arroyo’s full interview with Bishop Paprocki and Archbishop Naumann here.
Priest celebrating the traditional Latin Mass at the church of St Pancratius, Rome / Thoom/Shutterstock
Washington D.C., Feb 27, 2023 / 17:28 pm (CNA).
The Diocese of Albany, New York, has at least temporarily banned the Traditional Latin Mass … […]
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield / Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Washington D.C., Feb 24, 2023 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
As the Vatican begins to crack down on bishops who issued dispensations for parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mas… […]
Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker (left) and Kansas City Chiefs’ punter Tommy Townsend watch the ball during Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023. / Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Washington D.C., Feb 13, 2023 / 11:07 am (CNA).
The game-winning kick in Super Bowl LVII was made by a Catholic, who later gave credit to his teammates and glory to God.
With the score even at 35-35 and seconds remaining in the game, Harrison Butker kicked a field goal to give the Kansas City Chiefs a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35.
The 27-year-old kicker is outspoken about his Catholic faith, and many on social media were quick to point out that during the game he was wearing what appeared to be a brown scapular around his neck.
The scapular, which is made up of two pieces of brown wool and is worn hanging across one’s chest and back, is a sacramental from the Carmelite tradition that anyone can wear as a sign of their consecration to Mary.
Chief’s Kicker Harrison Butker (and TLM altar server) wearing a scapular. pic.twitter.com/GgAFn6aUII
— Father V (@father_rmv) February 13, 2023
As the ball went through the uprights, his teammates embraced him in a joyous celebration. Butker had just helped give the Chiefs their second Super Bowl victory since 2020.
“The offensive line did a great job blocking. Great snap, great hold — and thankfully, that ball went through. All glory to God,” Butker said on Feb. 12, according to Arrowhead Pride.
.@buttkicker7 gives the @Chiefs the lead with 8 seconds left!
📺: #SBLVII on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/d8gBDzRt2m pic.twitter.com/zic4DWtJ0a— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
In an interview with CNA in 2022, Butker opened up about his love for the Traditional Latin Mass, saying: “I think it really entices a lot of young people who are looking for answers. They’re looking for happiness. And for me, I found happiness in embracing the faith offered in the Catholic Church.”
“I felt like I wasn’t able to embrace it until I saw it completely exposed in the light. I knew that I had discovered authentic Catholicism. And I found that at the Traditional Latin Mass, in the traditional sacraments, and I think a lot of young people have found that as well,” Butker said.
Butker’s game-deciding field goal looked effortless, despite his having missed a field goal earlier in the game.
In the first quarter, Butker’s 42-yard field goal attempt ricocheted off of the left goal post, resulting in a missed opportunity to give the Chiefs an early lead.
SUPER BOWL DOINK 🚫
Harrison Butker misses the go-ahead FG late in the first quarter 👀pic.twitter.com/5mIGX6ZWDX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 13, 2023
Speaking about the missed kick after the game, Butker said he just focused on the next opportunity to score a field goal.
“You got to get that out of your mind and just focus on the process and the next opportunity that you get.”
“But I felt like as the game went on, I was hitting a better ball, a better rotation, and yeah, glad that last kick went through,” he said.
Butker became the deciding factor on Super Bowl Sunday, but that’s not the only game he helped clinch for the Chiefs. Just two weeks earlier at the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Butker hit the game-winning field goal with three seconds left to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who led his team to victory, also talked about the importance of his Christian faith at a news conference ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“I know that I’m blessed to be in this position … and so to have a faith backing, I know why I’m here — and it’s not about winning football games. It is about glorifying him,” Mahomes said.
“I have no pressure when I step on that football field, because I know why I’m here.”
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President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi (center) attends the consistory for the creation of new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica on Aug. 27, 2022, in Vatican City. / Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Rome Newsroom, Oct 31, 2022 / 10:00 am (CNA).
The head of the Italian bishops’ conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, presided over Vespers on Friday for an annual Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) pilgrimage to Rome.
The pilgrimage is named after Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, which acknowledged the right of all priests to offer Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, which is in Latin.
The Traditional Latin Mass pilgrimage, organized by the People of Summorum Pontificum, is in its 11th year.
In other words, it predates the recent restrictions and changes decreed by Pope Francis, and Zuppi made it clear: There are no special “signs” to be interpreted by his attendance.
Zuppi, 67, said he had received an invitation to participate before he was appointed president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. He agreed to it, “not thinking there was anything wrong.”
Nonetheless, Zuppi’s participation in the pilgrimage, which brings to Rome thousands of pilgrims who favor the Traditional Latin Mass, had a particular, if not surprising, impact.
The pilgrimage over the years has seen several cardinals and archbishops celebrate for the numerous pilgrims.
Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera celebrated with the pilgrims in 2012 in St. Peter’s Basilica when he was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.
Yet, Cañizares — who recently retired as archbishop of Valencia, Spain — was among those who practically applied Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis Custodes to the letter, suspending the celebration of the TLM in his archdiocese.
Traditionis custodes is the July 16, 2021, motu proprio in which Pope Francis placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal, known variously as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Tridentine Mass, and the Traditional Latin Mass. (You can read a further explanation of the document here.)
While some bishops, such as Cañizares, applied the restrictions to the letter, Zuppi, in his archdiocese of Bologna, found a pragmatic solution.
The cleric, who has a reputation as the “bicycling cardinal,” also took into account the particular sensitivity of the faithful of the diocese.
In a decree, Zuppi noted that a traditional community had immediately started in Bologna after Summorum Pontificum and that this celebration had already met the requirements of Traditionis Custodes.
So the cardinal decided to keep everything as it was — except to find another non-parish church — allowing the faithful to attend the Traditional Latin Mass.
Indeed, Zuppi emphasized that “the liturgical tradition has given an unmistakable mark to our local Church. It is a garden to be cultivated with renewed love and passion without ever resigning ourselves to weariness and laziness, which — even when they do not degenerate into abuses — end up weakening the formidable strength of the liturgy from which the Church is born and always is built.”
Zuppi’s decision should not come as a surprise, considering that as a bishop, he also accepted invitations to celebrate the TLM.
His participation in this year’s Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage was to be expected.
Recently, Zuppi also visited the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) in Gricigliano, near Florence.
The ICKSP also celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass, and Zuppi was reportedly impressed by the many seminarians.
While an experienced pastor and much-respected bishop, Zuppi is not considered a “traditionalist” or “conservative” and is known for his active support of the Community of Sant’Egidio.
His tendency to act as a builder of bridges is also noticeable in a fragmented College of Cardinals.
Pope Francis appointed Zuppi as a member of the Dicastery of the Eastern Churches. He is already a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The archbishop of Bologna, therefore, increases his duties in the Curia, becoming a member of a very important dicastery.
Do all these moves make Zuppi a candidate for the succession of Pope Francis? That is idle speculation. How the cardinal-electors might decide in a possible conclave remains to be seen.
The only tangible fact is that Zuppi does not want to be divisive. Instead, he is building bridges — which might yet prove to be an essential role in a Church marred by tensions and divisions.
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