Rorate Cæli continues to follow with interest the doings of Bishop Marc Aillet of the diocese of Bayonne in France. Pray that His Excellency is the prototype for French bishops who will restore the “eldest daughter of the Church” to her former glory.Bordeaux: A bishop among the "trads"
BORDEAUX (Novopress): Mgr. Aillet, Bishop of the diocese of Bayonne, was in Bordeaux this weekend. He celebrated ordinations in the church of Saint-Eloi, personal parish of the Institute of the Good Shepherd. This visit constitutes a first for the former parish of Father Philip Laguérie, superior of the Institute and erstwhile pastor of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris while he was a member of the Society of Saint Pius X.
For the first time a sitting French bishop came to Saint-Eloi to celebrate Mass in the extraordinary form (in Latin with back to the people) and took the opportunity to meet members of the Institute which was erected as a "society of apostolic life" by the Vatican in 2006. The visit by Bishop Aillet, known for his strong positions on family values, is the first step of the dialogue that is developing between him and the Institute of the Good Shepherd.
Indeed, Bishop Aillet wishes to increase the number of Tridentine Masses in his diocese - he has even established a Latin Mass in Bayonne every Sunday - and he is relying on the establishment of religious communities dedicated to the Latin Mass to achieve this end. Will the Institute of the Good Shepherd benefit from this project by obtaining a parish on the Basque coast? The process seems to be under way.
