Be generous to those attached to the traditional Latin Mass, Cardinal Parolin tells French bishops

March 26, 2026

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, encouraged the bishops of France to develop “concrete proposals” that will allow for the generous inclusion of persons attached to the traditional Latin Mass.

“You intend to address the sensitive theme of the Liturgy—to which the Holy Father is particularly attentive—in the context of the growth of communities associated with the Vetus Ordo,” the said in his letter, dated March 18 and published March 25. “It is a cause for concern that a painful wound continues to open within the Church regarding the celebration of the Mass, the very sacrament of unity.”

“To heal it, a new way of looking at one another—with greater understanding of each other’s sensibilities—is certainly necessary; a perspective that allows brothers, rich in their diversity, to welcome one another in charity and the unity of faith,” he continued. “May the Holy Spirit inspire you with concrete solutions that will allow for the generous inclusion of persons sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo [Old Ordo], in accordance with the guidelines established by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.”

In his letter, Cardinal Parolin also touched upon Catholic education and on the fight against sexual abuse, two other topics of the French bishops’ spring meeting.

Cardinal Parolin also discussed the traditional Latin Mass on the sidelines of an event in the Vatican Apostolic Library. He told Niwa Limbu of The Catholic Herald:

I think we all share this, this, let’s say, assessment that the Pope gives, right?

In the sense that the liturgy must not become a source of conflict and division among us. It will be necessary to find the formula, well, this I believe, it will be necessary to find the formula that can meet legitimate needs. But I believe that, well, this can happen without turning the liturgy into a battlefield.

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal Parolin speaks on the Latin Mass (The Catholic Herald, 3/26/26)
• Transcript of Cardinal Parolin's remarks (@NiwaLimbu1988, 3/26/26)
• Liturgia: card. Parolin, “non diventi un campo di battaglia” (Società per l’Informazione Religiosa, 3/26/26)
• Le pape Léon XIV encourage les fidèles français et leur clergé à l’annonce de l’Évangile, en des temps certes difficiles (Église catholique en France, 3/25/26)