Cardinal Roche defends Traditionis custodes: a response

This is Dr Joseph Shaw's 'Briefing' to supporters of the Latin Mass Society. You can join the email list for these occasional briefings here.

At the recent Consistory of Cardinals in Rome, Arthur, Cardinal Roche, distributed a short text on the liturgy to those assembled, which is critical of the Traditional Mass. Readers can see my analysis of the arguments employed there on the FIUV website here [reposted to Rorate Caeli below]. In this Bulletin I want to take a step back to consider its wider implications.

As I note in my analysis, this text does not respond to the criticisms that have been made of the official justification of Traditionis custodes, but simply reiterates this justification, at greater length. The argument is that liturgical pluralism undermines the unity of the Church. Critics have pointed out that the Church has always fostered a plurality of Rites and Usages, with Vatican II itself supporting this policy. Cardinal Roche’s text does nothing to address this. Is there a good kind of pluralism to be distinguished from a bad kind? Is there a difference between a pluralism of Rites (as in Eastern and Western) and pluralism within the Western Rite? Is there a difference between the pluralism represented by the Ordinariate or the (reformed) Ambrosian Rite of Milan, and the pluralism of Ordinary and Extraordinary Form, that we need to understand? There might be arguments along these lines, but no the defender of Traditionis custodes has made a serious attempt to set them out. They have just repeated the original claim, that pluralism is a problem, and in this text Cardinal Roche does so all over again.

What are we to make of this?

Una Voce responds to Roche Consistory Report against the Traditional Mass

During the recent consistory, the meeting of cardinals in Rome, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, handed out a two-sided piece of paper containing some reflections on the liturgy to those present: this has been made available by Diane Montagna here. The liturgy had been among the four topics originally proposed for discussion at the meeting, but the cardinals decided to focus on just two, leaving the liturgy out. Cardinal Roche’s document was accordingly handed out without being formally discussed.

Attack on the Traditional Mass and on Orthodoxy in the consistory - Roche and Tucho Fernandez

  Via Messa in Latino; the Roche report against the Mass at the end, made available by Diane Montagna:

Nico Spuntoni for Il Giornale

January 13, 2026

Almost a week has passed since the extraordinary Consistory, and curiosity remains about what the Pope and the cardinals said behind closed doors in the new Synod hall.

 

As Il Giornale had anticipated on December 16, the four topics brought to the twenty working tables were a re-reading of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, the Synod and synodality, an in-depth study of the Apostolic Constitution Predicate Evangelium, and the liturgy. However, only the first two were the focus of the Consistory's work. This was because during the first session, the cardinals were asked to make a choice dictated by the limited time available.

THE VELVET REVOLUTION OF LEO XIV: The Consistory, Church governance, the Latin Mass.

 by Jean-Marie Guénois

Rome Correspondent

Le Figaro

January 11, 2026

Unlike his predecessor, who distanced himself from the Roman Curia, the pope has decided to convene all of his cardinals each year to reflect on the strategic direction of the Church.

Leo XIV launched a velvet revolution at the Vatican this week. He casuallysummoned his 245 cardinals for two short days of work on Wednesday and Thursday, which could be the matrix for a new vision of the governance of the Catholic Church. Officially, four issues were on the agenda for this consistory: evangelization, the synod, the Roman Curia, and the liturgy. The pope had even recommended that the men in red prepare carefully, as he was awaiting the opinion of the Church Senate before making any decisions.

Pope Leo’s first extraordinary consistory: A messy learning curve and a handful of hints

by Serre Verweij

for Rorate Caeli

Pope Leo has just held his first extraordinary consistory with the College of Cardinals. The pope gave the cardinals a chance to perform one of their two key tasks, that is, to advise the Pope in governing the universal Church, even before he appointed any of his own cardinals. The meeting came to be viewed as more important when it was announced that it would deal with liturgy, with synodality, with Pope Francis’ controversial curial reforms and the late pope’s first important document Evangelii Gaudium.

Pope Leo XIV: The West is now dominated by Orwellian "inclusive" language that violates fundamental human rights, including that of conscience

 

From his address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See:

Today, the meaning of words is ever more fluid, and the concepts they represent are increasingly ambiguous. Language is no longer the preferred means by which human beings come to know and encounter one another. Moreover, in the contortions of semantic ambiguity, language is becoming more and more a weapon with which to deceive, or to strike and offend opponents. We need words once again to express distinct and clear realities unequivocally. Only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings. This should happen in our homes and public spaces, in politics, in the media and on social media.  It should likewise occur in the context of international relations and multilateralism, so that the latter can regain the strength needed for undertaking its role of encounter and mediation.  This is indeed necessary for preventing conflicts, and for ensuring that no one is tempted to prevail over others with the mindset of force, whether verbal, physical or military.

We should also note the paradox that this weakening of language is often invoked in the name of freedom of expression itself.  However, on closer inspection, the opposite is true, for freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed precisely by the certainty of language and the fact that every term is anchored in the truth.  It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking.  At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.

Unfortunately, this leads to other consequences that end up restricting fundamental human rights, starting with freedom of conscience.  In this regard, conscientious objection allows individuals to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict with moral, ethical or religious principles deeply rooted in their personal lives.  This may be the refusal of military service in the name of non-violence, or the refusal on the part of doctors and healthcare professionals to engage in practices such as abortion or euthanasia.  Conscientious objection is not rebellion, but an act of fidelity to oneself.  At this moment in history, freedom of conscience seems increasingly to be questioned by States, even those that claim to be based on democracy and human rights.  This freedom, however, establishes a balance between the collective interest and individual dignity.  It also emphasizes that a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric.

---

The full address is available below:

JERUSALEM - "My take on all of this is that I think the world cannot be redeemed."

Right before Christmas, two tragic events burst through the quietness of early New England winter: the attack at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, which left two deceased young students; and the murder of a celebrated MIT professor in his own home in Brookline, Massachusetts. We pray for their souls, and for consolation of those left behind.

Dominic J. Grigio, “Why I Wrote The Disastrous Pontificate”—Exclusive for Rorate

Prefatory note: On January 7, 2026, a major new book, The Disastrous Pontificate: Pope Francis' Rupture from the Magisterium, was released by Os Justi Press. Endorsed by a constellation of luminaries including Rev. Gerald E. Murray, Edward Feser, Eduardo Echeverria, Philip F. Lawler, John Rist, Michael Sirilla, Claudio Pierantoni, and Josef Seifert, the work has already attracted international attention for its comprehensive research and bold claims. Today, in an exclusive for Rorate Caeli, the author, Dominic Grigio, tells us why he wrote it. If you'd like to hear it being read aloud, go here, or scroll to the bottom.—PAK

During his last general audience before his abdication Pope Benedict XVI declared his confidence in the barque of the Church weathering the storms of history, ‘Nor does the Lord let it sink; it is He who guides it, surely also through those whom He has chosen.’^[1] Yet amid the escalating crises of his successor's pontificate, it seemed to me that the barque was being deliberately steered onto the rocks. Good and faithful Catholics—those who simply cherished the Traditional Latin Mass and the Church's perennial doctrines and moral teachings—were being cast overboard, incurring scornful ire and punitive measures merely for their fidelity.

Address of the Pope at Opening of Consistory of Cardinals

Dear Brothers,

I am very pleased to welcome all of you. Thank you for your presence! May the Holy Spirit, whom we have invoked, guide us during these two days of reflection and dialogue.

I consider it highly significant that we have gathered in Consistory on the day after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, and I would like to introduce our work by proposing something drawn precisely from this mystery.

The Consistory of Cardinals Starts Today

 Also today, Leo XIV started a new catechesis series on... Vatican II. The Council that will never go away, apparently.

On the consistory, Nico Spuntoni of La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana has the report:

Today and tomorrow, the Sacred College will hold a meeting, which was requested during the pre-conclave congregations. The main topics will be the Synod, synodality, and liturgy, but Bergoglio's method of working groups will remain unchanged.

A Sermon for the Epiphany

For the Epiphany: Homage to T.S. Eliot

 by Fr. Richard Cipolla

The stars have always been important to me. My name is Melchior and  I am a king of a small country, but I have always been interested in the stars. I believe the stars are not just objects in the sky.  They are part of the mystery of the universe and tell us things> I have studied the stars for most of my life, and so have my two friends, who are also kings of small countries near mine.  So when I saw this star, this particular star that shone brighter than any other star I have ever seen, I knew that it meant something great, something very important. It announced the birth of someone very special, a king that was much more than I was a king, a king whose power was greater than any other king.  

“If I Were the Bishop”

The following op-ed, by guest writer Mark Rose, is in the style of Paul Harvey’s “If I were the Devil.”

If I were the Bishop—if I were the successor to the Apostles, charged with the care of souls in the United States—I’d want to make the Church irrelevant. I wouldn’t do it with persecution; that only makes the faithful stronger. I’d do it with “modernization.”

The Traditional Mass a Topic at the January Consistory?

 By Paix Liturgique (Christian Marquant)

Nicola Spuntoni, in an article published in Il Giornale on December 16, reveals that the Pope, who has convened an extraordinary consistory for January 7 and 8, will be sending the cardinals a letter before Christmas outlining the three-point agenda for this consistory: their participation in the governance of the Church, synodality, and the liturgical question.

The “Tucho Fernandez” note on the Blessed Virgin is a grievous offense against Our Lady

 Letter from a faithful Catholic laywoman in Rome to a dear priest, regarding the Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis

 

Rome, December 6, 2025

 

Dear Father, 

 

I share in your sorrow over the recent offenses against Our Lady. You have told me, now is the time to perform acts of faith: I believe that You can do all, O Queen of Heaven and Earth, seated at the right hand of the Son, above all the angels and saints, Mediatrix of All Graces, Coredemptrix, Immaculata full of grace, Mother of God! And above all, you have told me, now is the time to multiply acts of love. Loving is the most perfect way to make reparation (and if Our Lady was able to make reparation, with and under Christ, through Her Compassion on Calvary, it is precisely because, from all eternity, the Most Holy Trinity had placed all its love in Her: no creature, even all the holy creatures combined, will ever be loved by God as the Most Holy Virgin is loved, nor will they ever be able to love as She loves). To love Our Lady more means to love Our Lord Jesus Christ more, the Mother and the Son being united and conform in all things; to love Her Immaculate Heart more means to love the Sacred Heart of Jesus more, the two hearts being but one heart; and to love the Cross more means to love the Son and the Mother more, and through them, the Father, and us sinners too, for it was by embracing the Cross that Christ and the Virgin Mary, the formerthrough an external and internal sacrifice, the latter through a whollyinternal sacrifice, loved the Father perfectly, loved one another perfectly, and loved us perfectly, accomplishing our redemption together.

Midnight Mass in Rome: Let us be unafraid of the night

Pope Leo XIV

Midnight Mass

 

For millennia, across the earth, peoples have gazed up at the sky, giving names to the silent stars, and seeing images therein. In their imaginative yearning, they tried to read the future in the heavens, seeking on high for a truth that was absent below amidst their homes. Yet, as if grasping in the dark, they remained lost, confounded by their own oracles. On this night, however, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:2).

Pope Leo XIV’s first Christmas Address to the Roman Curia: What Unity in the Church means

 The Christmas Address to the Curia is often used by popes to express important opinions on the Church. This is the new pope’s first.

Your Eminences,
Venerable brothers in the Episcopate and the priesthood,
Dear brothers and sisters,

The light of Christmas comes to meet us, inviting us to rediscover the newness that, from the humble grotto of Bethlehem, runs throughout human history.

Images of the First Traditional Ambrosian Rite Mass in Decades (in the Basilica of Saint Ambrose) - Milan

For the first time in almost fifty years the traditional Ambrosian rite — the rite of the Church of Milan as it was prior to the post-conciliar reforms—was publicly celebrated again in the most emblematic temple of the Ambrosian tradition. The event, that took place this past Sunday, December 15, in the Basilica of Saint Ambrose is part of the events of the Jubilee Year proclaimed by the archdiocese.

20th Anniversary of Rorate Caeli - Pause for Christmastide

 

This Sunday, Rorate Sunday, the Fourth in Advent, this weblog reaches its 20th anniversary.

Thank you so much for your readership!

Papa Stronsay 2026 Calendar Available

The Papa Stronsay Calendar 2026 is now available on the website of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

It really is beautiful, and filled with spiritual prayers and advices.

The Number One Priority of the Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina: NO ALTAR RAILS

Thankfully, the Church in western North Carolina has a liturgical heavyweight to guide it, a true giant of the faith.

From his episcopal letter, "on the reception of holy communion":

The episcopal conference norms logically do not envision the use of altar rails, kneelers, or prie-dieus for the reception of communion. Doing so is a visible contradiction to the normative posture of Holy Communion established by our episcopal conference.

Pope Leo XIV, Cherubini's Mass, and King Charles X: Sacred Music returns to the Vatican in an event rich in symbols

Leo XIV, Cherubini's Mass, and Charles X

by Roberto de Mattei

 

The Coronation of Charles X at Rheims (1825)

On December 12, in the Vatican, in the presence of Leo XIV, Maestro Riccardo Muti conducted Luigi Cherubini's Mass for the Coronation of Charles X, performed by the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra and the Guido Chigi Saracini Choir of Siena Cathedral.

The event was rightly hailed as a sign of the return of great sacred music to the Vatican, which had been conspicuously absent during the papacy of Pope Francis. But the choice of this Mass as a musical tribute to Leo XIV also appears to be an event rich in symbolic allusions. 

Confirmed by Local Radio: Bishop Ronald Hicks to be named new Archbishop of New York!

 

The rumors had been floating around since yesterday, but the local radio station of Joliet, Illinois, has confirmed it: current Bishop of Joliet, Ronald Hicks, is to be named to the great American See, New York -- to be announced in the coming days, maybe as soon as tomorrow?

Italian Daily "Il Giornale": Liturgical question at the heart of the Consistory of Cardinals called by the Pope for early January

Nico Spuntoni

Il Giornale

December 16, 2025

[Main excerpts:]

In these last days of 2025, the anticipation in the Vatican will not end with the conclusion of Advent. A more “secular” anticipation, in fact, is that for the extraordinary consistory on January 7 and 8, called for by Leo XIV.

French Semi-Official Catholic Daily "La Croix": The "Normalization" of the Latin Mass is Here

Towards a "normalization" of the Tridentine Mass?

Those Catholics who pray in both Latin and French

La Croix

Matthieu Lasserre & Eve Guyot

December 14, 2025

While Gregorian chants still resonate inside Saint George's, in Old Lyon, several fathers are already on the church square, letting their children get some fresh air. Among them is Grégoire, 31 years old. This Lyon native began attending the parish five years ago to follow his wife, a devotee of the Latin Mass. Full of preconceived notions about "this world of traditional Catholics," he now alternates between the ordinary rite without any problem: "First, there's the place of silence, which fosters my contemplation, and, more strangely, the power of Latin."

FRIENDS OF CAMPOS: Help Sisters in the only Diocesan Structure in the World Exclusively Dedicated to the Traditional Mass

 

 

This Advent and Christmas, the Friends of Campos invite you to join them in supporting the sisters of the Religious Institute of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Campos, Brazil.

 

How the Bishop Stole Tradition

How the Bishop Stole Tradition

(by a diocesan priest)

Filiae Laboris Mariae, a Semi-Contemplative Community of Sisters in the Kansas City area

Our History

The Filiæ Laboris Mariæ was founded on the Feast of Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace (June 9th) in 2017, at Saint Mary’s Parish in Independence, Missouri, in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph. Our community is a semi-contemplative Marian community of women Religious, whose members live a rich liturgical and interior life and share those riches through some external apostolate, especially in the context of the parish.

Edelweiss House - Retreats with the Traditional Mass in Indiana

Do you long for silence? Do you long for time alone with God where you can work on the most important relationship in your life? Invest in your soul and enter into one of the Edelweiss House retreats. We offer traditional silent retreats all year round. Our mission is to sanctify families by standing as a roadblock against the destruction of the family. The goal of each retreat isn’t fulfilled at the end, rather, it is for the retreatants to carry this grace into their lives, practicing mental prayer daily so that they may grow in the love of God and sanctify the world. 

Pope Leo XIV: Revelation is always History

God has in time spoken through events and people. He has spoken in the history of Israel, in the life of Jesus and in the journey of the Church. Indeed, Revelation is always history. If this is so, then understanding Revelation requires an adequate knowledge of the historical, cultural and material contexts in which it took place. Christian archaeology contributes to this knowledge. It illuminates the texts with material evidence. It examines, completes and scrutinizes written sources. In some cases, it confirms the authenticity of traditions. Other times, it places them in their proper context, or even raises new questions. All of this is theologically relevant. If theology is to be faithful to Revelation, it must remain open to the complexity of history.

The Demented War on Altar Rails Moves North -- to Pennsylvania

 After Charlotte, the war on Altar Rails moves north.

This past June, Rorate reported on a Pennsylvania parish reeling from a persecution of traditional pastors. 

The Golden Thread of Christian Civilization: A Compendium on the Greatest Civilization (a first look)

How do you tell a story that has been told a thousand times before?

One way to do it is through an all-encompassing masterpiece. And that is the vast work that Professors James Hankins and Allen Guelzo have managed to accomplish in THE GOLDEN THREAD: A History of the Western Tradition (Encounter Books, New York),* which we can honestly call the most important non-religious book to be published in America in this troubled decade. (Non-religious, we say, though Catholicism is an essential part of the story it tells.)

A Poem on the Sixteen Documents of Vatican II

Good Pope John, he summoned a council, a jolly big council he called,
With a spirit so bold, midst a war so cold, that critics were appalled.
He set up commissions and gave them permissions:
Let the old-time religion be overhauled!

Archbishop Gänswein: Benedict XVI’s path “is the right way,” Traditionis custodes “is and remains a mystery to me”

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the former private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI and current nuncio to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, recently gave an interview to Athinea Andryszczak, broadcast in two parts (1, 2) on the German Catholic television station K-TV.

Immaculate Mother, the Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix: "Every kind of grace we receive from the treasury of the redemption is ministered as it were from the hands of the Virgin."

Quæ est ista quæ progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol, terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata?

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?

Canticles (Song of Solomon), vi, 9

***

Because the Doctors of the Church by common consent profess that, if the Most Blessed Virgin did not apparently have any participation in the public life of Jesus Christ, and then suddenly reappeared on the path to Calvary and under the Cross, she could not have been present without Divine design.

Pope Leo XIV Extends Apostolic Blessing to SSPX Chapel in North Carolina for Its 25th Anniversary

In a remarkable gesture of pastoral solicitude, Pope Leo XIV has extended an Apostolic Blessing to the Society of St. Pius X's chapel in the Charlotte Diocese of North Carolina:

Vatican II ended 60 years ago today - "The Smoke of Satan has entered the Temple of God - Doubt has entered through windows meant to be open to light - We believed it would be sunny: instead, darkness and clouds."

The Second Vatican Council ended 60 years ago today, on December 7, 1965 (the official end came on the next day, with the publication of several documents and messages, but December 7th was the last day of official business). You may read the still optimistic closing address by Paul VI here.

Seven years later, we can see through Paul VI's own eyes the devastation that followed the assembly: in his famous homily on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29), 1972, Paul VI was not so optimistic anymore -- main excerpt:

Obedience in All Things but Sin?

 

By James Baresel

A priest of my diocese, who occasionally offers the Tridentine Mass on an as needed basis, has developed a habit of preaching on obedience every single time he does so—basing himself, sometimes explicitly, on Saint Alphonsus Liguori’s principle that it is never sinful to obey a superior’s command to do something which is not itself sinful. No attempt to explain just how the saint’s highly qualified statement might be relevant to the priest’s obvious implication has not, to my knowledge, ever been made.

Families and Children – Another View

A guest article by Joseph Bevan, in honor of the feast of St. Nicholas.

Pope Leo XIV on Music in the Liturgy

Music has always had an important role in Christian experience. In the liturgy, in particular, singing is never a “soundtrack”, a simple backdrop, but is intended to lift the soul to lead it as close as possible to the mystery that is celebrated. Saint Augustine, referring precisely to singing in prayer, wrote in his Comment on the Psalms: “You must sing to Him, but not out of tune. He does not wish for His ears to be offended. Sing with artistry, O brethren.” How important in music are care, commitment, artistry, and, finally, the harmony that comes from them: it is truly a precious gift that God has given to all humanity. ...

A Reply to John Lamont: In Defense of Christian Neoplatonism

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Dionysius the Areopagite with Thomas Aquinas, Madonna and the Child, 1486.

The following article by Dr. Sebastian Morello replies to Dr. John Lamont's critique of his work.

I was initially pleased to see that recently Rorate Caeli had published a critical essay by John Lamont on my writings. Given that Lamont has often shown himself to be a thoughtful writer, I was flattered that he deemed my work worthy of his critical engagement. Indeed, one of his essays is among the works cited in Mysticism, Magic, and Monasteries (see p. 105), the very work that has caused controversy among niche platforms of the internet. One can imagine my disappointment, then, when I read Lamont’s paper and found that, whilst it contained some interesting history of classical philosophy and its relationship with Christian intellectual culture, insofar as it claimed to respond to my writings, it comprised a sequence of attacks on straw men.