As the Vatican begins to crack down on bishops who issued dispensations for parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass, at least one bishop is defending the Latin Mass community within his diocese and urging a more localized approach.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, told CNA that the Latin Mass community in his diocese has been faithful to the Church and that bishops should be given the authority to allow these faithful Masses to continue.

“I think the local diocesan bishops are much more in tune with what’s going on in their diocese than an office in Rome,” Bishop Paprocki said.

On July 16, 2021, Pope Francis issued a motu proprio titled Traditionis custodes, which directed bishops to designate locations for Latin Masses but stated that none of those locations be in parish churches. Because some parishes already had thriving Latin Mass communities, a number of bishops offered dispensations to allow certain parishes to continue offering the Latin Mass.

[Good for him. It’s very brave pushing back against this pope’s truly unpopular – and often seemingly unCatholic – agenda. ~ Beege]