Cardinal Robert Sarah criticizes restrictions on Traditional Latin Mass

Cardinal Robert Sarah has criticized the restrictions placed on the Traditional Latin Mass, stating that the Catholic Church “cannot declare war” on devotees who prefer the older liturgy. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship described the current stance as “shortsighted,” “ideological,” and “neither pastoral nor Christian.”

Sarah’s comments address the impact of Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, which significantly limited the celebration of the Vetus Ordo. The cardinal praised the 2007 decision by Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum, which had liberalized access to the traditional form. Sarah argued that the previous approach helped priests celebrate Mass better and that the recent restrictions are “harmful and destructive to the Church.”

Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, responded to the remarks by accusing Cardinal Sarah of using “incendiary, belligerent language” directed at the papacy. Ivereigh characterized the cardinal's tone as unbecoming of his position.