Did leak in England suggest broader shift in Vatican policy on the Latin Mass?

Pope Francis receives the bishops of England and Wales for their ad limina visit at the Vatican, Sept. 28, 2018. / Credit: Vatican Media

London, England, Dec 4, 2025 / 13:07 pm (CNA).

A policy change concerning restrictions on the old Mass is relevant to the whole of the universal Church, not just England and Wales, the head of the Latin Mass Society in England said.

In a telephone interview with CNA, Joseph Shaw said a leaked report stating that the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain had told English and Welsh bishops that they can apply for two-year exemptions to license the celebration of the old Mass in their dioceses was a “universal” change in policy.

“The nuncio’s alleged comments are very positive, and I hope they are true. It indicates the confidence that the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales [CBCEW], to be pastoral and sensitive,” he said.

“Is this development special to England and Wales? The response from the nuncio and from the dicastery suggest that this is now a universal policy and that is very significant because it removes the most consequential element of Traditionis Custodes; namely the demand that every Mass in a parish church must have special permission from the dicastery. This is a significant step which will make a huge difference, and I would expect further developments over time from Pope Leo along these lines.”

The CBCEW met for its yearly fall plenary meeting Nov. 10–13, and since then several publications have reported that the bishops were told by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, that bishops could be granted renewable two-year exemptions that would enable them to permit the celebration of the Latin Mass within their dioceses.

CNA approached the CBCEW for clarification as to whether the reports were accurate. In an email, Stephanie MacGillivray, senior press officer at the CBCEW, said: “We’re not able to comment further at this stage except to say we take our lead from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.”

A Nov. 14 communique from the CBCEW expressed regret that Maury Buendía’s statement had been leaked, leading to “confusion to the faithful.” When CNA approached Maury Buendia’s office for further clarity, it was referred back to the same statement. 

Catholics who attend the old Mass in England and Wales have experienced a tumultuous period since the new Roman Missal was introduced in 1970, overriding the 1962 missal.

Due to the upset among traditional Catholics following the change, Pope Paul VI permitted the use of the 1962 missal in England and Wales, and this permission was extended across the whole Church in 1984 during the papacy of St. John Paul II.

The hopes of traditional Catholics were raised further when Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum in 2007, further easing restrictions on the old Mass. However, in 2021, Pope Francis introduced new restrictions on the celebration of the old Mass via his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, stating that previous concessions regarding the old rite were exposing the Church to the “peril of division.”