In an interview granted yesterday to Raymond Arroyo of EWTN, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Abp. Paul Coakley, had choice words on the Traditional Latin Mass and the Francis document that aimed to gradually annihilate it, Traditionis Custodes:
This is the specific part of the interview dedicated to it (our transcript):
Raymond Arroyo: The fight over the Traditional Latin Mass isn't going away. Cardinal Arthur Roche told The Tablet in July that Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes—Summorum Pontificum being Benedict's liberality, if you will, to celebrate the old traditional rite whenever and wherever it was celebrated or a priest wanted to celebrate it.
After the SSPX illicit episcopal consecrations last month, you were among a handful of U.S. bishops who told the faithful in your dioceses not to attend the SSPX masses and instead go to the Traditional Latin Mass available in your own diocese. With more bishops placing further restrictions on the diocesan Traditional Latin Masses, what are the faithful to do, and wouldn't this be a great opportunity to heal what many are calling an unnecessary rift?
Archbishop Paul Coakley: Well, it's a dilemma that many people who are attached to the Traditional Latin Mass are facing. We have taken the course of trying to encourage people who are so attached to visit and participate in the Mass at our local Fraternity of St. Peter parish. We did have—we still do have—a chapel here that is not in communion with us, an independent chapel that celebrates, still I believe, the Traditional Latin Mass. I've encouraged people no longer to attend that if they had been, and to visit our own parish where they can be nourished spiritually.So I think bishops are going to be discussing this among themselves and within their own dioceses. I noticed one of the dioceses in Texas has just this week relaxed some restrictions in order to make the Traditional Latin Mass more available, at least in that one diocese. So I think those are conversations that are happening internally, and certainly want to be solicitous for the pastoral needs of our Catholics who are attached to the Traditional Latin Mass.
Raymond Arroyo: Yeah, and there are a lot of young people. I had Archbishop Cordileone on the program saying that he didn't see Traditionis as being sustainable because of the so many young people and young families who are drawn to the traditional ancient Mass. So it seems there's an evangelical attraction there that I wonder if is being arbitrarily stifled?
Archbishop Paul Coakley: Yeah, it could be. I'm not sure that we've heard the last word from this pontificate on Traditionis Custodes. I think, our Holy Father is—Cardinal Roche has spoken, but until Pope Leo has spoken, I'm not sure that we know for sure what the way forward will be.
[The full interview is available on video below:]
