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Does a Priest Need Permission to Offer the Traditional Latin Mass?

Tradition and Sanity

How often in recent years have we seen bishops write in diocesan decrees: “I grant permission to Frs. ABC to use the 1962 missal; no other priest is permitted to use it without requesting and receiving my permission”? How often have we heard priests say in homilies, bidding farewell to a beloved Latin Mass in this or that parish: “The bishop has not granted me a continuation of the faculties for offering this form of the Mass”? Language like this is used all the time nowadays. You can even find bishops who believe they must “grant permission” for a priest to offer the old rite in private, by himself—and priests who, for one reason or another, believe that they must have such permission. But this language of permission and faculties is faulty; indeed, it is language without a basis in fact or in law. To see this, we must begin at the beginning, with Pope Paul VI’s apostolic constitution Missale Romanum, announcing the publication of a new missal, dated April 3, 1969. For a long time, it was said by many, and assumed by nearly everyone, that with this instrument Paul VI had promulgated the new missal—and had done so in a way that abrogated the old missal and mandated the use of the new one. As we shall see, this is not true—and that makes all the difference in the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.traditionsanity.com/subscribe