America Magazine: Pope Leo calls on priests to ‘respect’ the post-Vatican II liturgies in new letter
by Colleen Dulle August 14, 2026
In a recent letter publicly released today, Pope Leo XIV said that anyone involved in preparing liturgies, especially priests, must show “respect” for the liturgical rites of the Second Vatican Council.
The letter, addressed to Cardinal Arthur Roche, the head of the Vatican’s liturgy office and dated June 29, is the latest in a series of strong signals Pope Leo has sent indicating he does not plan to reverse Pope Francis’ restrictions on the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass…
Pope Leo must know that the current English translation of the Roman Missal is a travesty that no one can respect.
So, we are told that Pope Leo is to retain the restrictions Pope Francis placed on the Latin Mass. I hope this is not true. The Latin Mss had a strict liturgy and rubrics. Today’s Mass in the vernacular is often a curious service, with many omissions and insertions e.g. “we will say the short form of the Creed today” and a Hail Mary is said. The Latin Mass served the people well for so many years. What would be wrong with its form being said in English? Why upset loyal Catholics who regularly attend Mass and are faithful to the Church?
“Its form being said in English”? — well, how is this compatible with the “strict liturgy and rubrics” touted as the great selling-point of the TLM? It savours of buyers’ remorse from TLM worshippers who realize that without Latin they are at sea.
The only Canon used in the TLM is the venerable and beautiful Roman Canon. But the English translation we had of that prayer after Vatican II was fine, and I often recited/prayed it. There was a booklet explaining all the translation decisions (I found a copy in the British Library). The current translation, however, has made it IMPOSSIBLE to pray the Roman Canon in English (and much the same goes for the 4th Eucharistic Prayer). In fact the entire current translation of the Roman Missal is an attack on prayer, such as I never dreamed the Church could commit. Is it any wonder that people are flocking to the TLM?
What’s wrong with adding the Hail Mary — at the end of the Prayers of the Faithful for example? Here in Italy I noticed that at the end of Mass the celebrant turned to the image of Mary above the altar and recited the Hail Mary.
What’s wrong with reciting the Apostles’ Creed as an alternative to the Nicene? This is not something the celebrant chooses arbitrarily, but is actually the alternative provided in the Missal.
The Vatican is not impressed by the “strict liturgy and rubrics” of TLM worshippers. Pope Leo XIV, a canon lawyer steeped in St Augustine, the nemesis of Donatism, has graver concerns: the unity of the Church, the integrity of a worldwide community united in prayer, not divided by rituals, and yes, obedience to the authority of the Holy See (looking at an Italian publication of his early writings I see these are recurrent themes from early on).
TLM worshipped has a regrettable habit of seeing themselves as more orthodox than the Pope, and many of them lost all balance in denouncing Pope Francis for his alleged repressiveness.
The Abyss of SSPX sectarian fanaticism and venom shows the dangers of all this. Leo has taken a firm stand and deployed the weapon of Excommunication (which cuts no ice with the schismatics). He will run the Church as a tight ship. I note that his Encyclical only cites popes and councils, whereas Francis went out of his way to cite Episcopal conferences, something without precedent. Synodality? A fading dream. (Like collegiality, the term can be interpreted any way you want, and the Leonine interpretation is already looking very different from the Bergoglian.)
Joe @ 3. A brief comment of clarification. At the Mass NO CREED WAS SAID. Of course reciting the Holy Mary after the Creed is very appropriate.