Cardinal Burke says he spoke to Pope Leo about ending ‘persecution’ of Latin Mass faithful
American Cdl. Raymond Burke said he personally appealed to Pope Leo XIV to reverse Francis-era restrictions and restore Summorum Pontificum's freedoms.
September 7, 2017:
Cardinal Raymond Burke celebrates the pilgrimage Summorum Pontificum for the
tenth anniversaryemanuelecapoferri/Getty Images
Michael
Haynes,
Snr.
Vatican
Correspondent
Mon Jun 16, 2025 - 12:20 pm EDT
Listen to this article
5 min
LONDON (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Raymond Burke revealed that he has already spoken to Pope Leo XIV about the future of the traditional Mass, hoping that the Pope will follow the example of Benedict XVI.
Addressing participants of the Latin Mass Society’s 60th anniversary conference in London on Saturday, Burke spoke of his personal intervention to the new Pope regarding the future of the traditional Mass:
It is my hope that Leo XIV will put an end to the present persecution to the faithful in the Church who desire to worship God according to the more ancient usage of the Roman Rite, this persecution from within the Church.
I have already had occasion to express that to the Holy Father. It is my hope that he will – as soon as it is possible – take up the study of this question and try to restore the situation as it was after Summorum Pontificum and even to develop what Pope Benedict XVI had so wisely and lovingly legislated for the Church.
Burke, who spoke via a video-link to the conference, has been a leading proponent of the traditional liturgy for many years.
The American cardinal regularly celebrates the traditional Mass and also
annually offers ordinations in the traditional rite for priestly fraternities
dedicated to it, such as the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
Following the sweeping restrictions on the traditional Mass ushered in by Pope Francis with Traditionis Custodes in July 2021, bishops have been clamping down on the proliferation of the old rite. The late pope’s text was further bolstered by Cardinal Arthur Roche’s supplementary restrictions in December of that year, and have continued to be implemented even in recent weeks.
Commenting on Traditionis Custodes shortly after its release, Burke called it a “severe and revolutionary action of the Holy Father.”
Such commentary has remained constant by the cardinal when questioned on the topic, including earlier this year when he told this correspondent in an interviewfor PerMariam:
Because of the confusion about Traditionis Custodes – the document itself is problematic from the point of view of canon law and also of the theological reality of the sacred liturgy – and so a number of Bishops believe that they have to restrict greatly the possibilities for the offering of the Holy Mass according to the Usus Antiquior and also the administration of the other sacraments according to the Usus Antiquior.
This is a cause of great suffering. It’s not just. We must pray that Our Lord will intervene to put an end to this persecution of devout Catholics who simply are spiritually nourished by the more ancient form of the Roman Rite.
Devotees of the traditional Mass have expressed the hope that Leo will move to roll back his predecessor’s restrictions.
Their hope has been buoyed by the warm welcome given to Leo XIV by Burke and Cardinal Robert Sarah, both of whom are prominent champions of the old rite.
Indeed, Bishop Athanasius Schneider – also a speaker at the conference on Saturday – has called upon Leo XIV to abrogate Traditionis Custodes entirely:
It is really a humiliation, a persecution of a part of the faithful and also a rejection of the entire tradition of the liturgy of the Church. So, this must be healed. He must restore the complete liberty of use of the liturgy of all ages.
Rumors had swirled online shortly after the papal election suggesting that Leo himself had offered the traditional Mass as a cardinal; however, no firm evidence has been forthcoming on the subject, and contradictory rumors have also surfaced suggesting he was opposed to the Latin Mass.
Haut du formulaire
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY HEADLINES
US Canada Catholic
Bas du formulaire
As noted, a number of high-profile closures of the traditional Mass in the United States have been advertised in recent weeks, prompting increased criticism of the ill-fated Traditionis Custodes as well as further speculation about how Leo XIV will address the question.
Much may hinge upon which advisors he has around him, and whose voices are allowed to reach him.
But the Pope has also shown his own liturgical sensibilities within the first week of his nascent papacy. Welcoming Jubilee pilgrims of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, Leo praised them for the sense of “mystery” remaining in their liturgy, and expressed the hope that such might return to the West:
We have great need to recover the sense of mystery that remains alive in your liturgies, liturgies that engage the human person in his or her entirety, that sing of the beauty of salvation and evoke a sense of wonder at how God’s majesty embraces our human frailty.
Praising Leo’s liturgical commentary, theologian and liturgist Dr. Peter Kwasniewski told LifeSiteNews that Leo “shows that he is sensitive to the language of symbolism and beauty, and especially to the normative value of tradition.”
TOPICS
TAGGED AS
- Cardinal Raymond Burke
- Catholic
- Catholic Church
- Catholic Tradition
- Latin Mass
- Pope Francis
- Pope Leo XIV
- Raymond Leo Burke
- Tradition
- Traditional Latin Mass
- Traditionis Custodes
