Spanish Report Fuels Anxiety Over Pope Leo’s Intention Regarding the Traditional Latin Mass

Report’s ignorance of basic Vatican procedures presumes too much about the Pope.

(Photo: Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY, 3 August 2026 — Dubious claims made by a Spanish media outlet are causing widespread distress and scandal among many faithful Catholics.

In an Aug. 3 article displaying a woeful lack of accuracy, the Spanish secular daily La Razon claims that Cardinal Arthur Roche’s discredited report on the liturgy, distributed to Cardinals in January at Pope Leo XIV’s first extraordinary consistory, conveys the mind of the Pope on the traditional Roman liturgy and indicates the decisions he is to make in the future.

According to La Razon, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship’s recent statement to The Tablet — that “Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes” — merely echoes a position that was already communicated to Cardinals in January.

Noting the “firmness” of the Cardinal’s comment to London daily, the Razon author writes:

“In any case, the Pope with a background in mathematics had already been reflecting on this issue since the beginning of his pontificate. Thus, according to information obtained by LA RAZÓN, the first extraordinary consistory of cardinals, held at the beginning of the year, proved decisive. On the first day of the gathering, Wednesday, January 7, Leo XIV invited the participants to choose two of the four proposed subjects they considered most important for discussion: synodality, evangelization, reform of the Curia, and liturgy. By a large majority, the nearly 170 cardinals set aside the question of liturgy and the central governance of the Church.

In light of the participants’ lack of interest, Roche distributed among them a one-and-a-half-page document on liturgy, signed by him, defending Francis’ position and his motu proprio [Traditionis Custodes]…”

The author continues:

“After it was distributed to the cardinals, the document was quickly leaked through conservative digital forums, which immediately rushed to describe it as controversial, partial, and tendentious—as though its circulation among the cardinals in the room had been Roche’s own initiative or merely an accidental occurrence. This newspaper has confirmed that the cardinal distributed the text at Leo XIV’s request and therefore with the Pope’s approval of its contents.”

It’s absurd to think that Cardinal Roche would have circulated his report on the liturgy among the Cardinals at an extraordinary consistory without the permission of the Holy Father. Moreover, the fact that the text was distributed at Pope Leo XIV’s request does not mean that he “therefore” approved its contents in general or in its specific details. This simply doesn’t follow.

What took place in January was a normal Vatican procedure. Due to time constraints, the Cardinals were asked to choose two of the four topics originally proposed by Pope Leo for discussion. The Holy Father therefore had the other two reports distributed to the Cardinals (Cardinal Baggio’s report on the Reform of the Roman Curia, which was also not discussed, received exactly the same treatment as Cardinal Roche’s).

La Razon says further:

“It appears that the document was written by Roche and the members of his Dicastery at the request of the Pontiff, who later reviewed it himself. ‘He did not change a single comma,’ Vatican sources affirm.”

Once again, this is normal Vatican procedure for any consultation document. That the Pope read the text and said it could be discussed does not mean that he agreed with all its contents or that it conveyed his own opinions on the matter.

The fact that the Pope “did not change a comma” means nothing, as it was not a report intended to reflect the mind of the Holy Father, but a text prepared by the relevant dicastery to serve as a point of departure for discussion among the Cardinals.

However, without foundation, La Razon, quoting its sources, insists that “‘the distribution of the document to the cardinals was intended to make the new Pope’s position on this matter visible, not to serve as a provocation by Roche, as some sought to portray it by separating him from his superior.’”

The Razon author concludes the article with surprising confidence, writing:

“Indeed, in recent months pressure has increased on Leo XIV both to overturn Traditionis Custodes and even to remove Roche from office. Neither will happen. ‘Furthermore, the second consistory convened for this June has once again confirmed that this is not an issue that concerns the vast majority of the Church, since it did not arise spontaneously in the discussions. It is an issue that a vocal minority wants to keep alive,’ the same source maintains.”

The reason why the Cardinals did not discuss the liturgy at the June consistory was simply because it was not on the agenda, as indicated in the June 3rd letter of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the Sacred College, to the Cardinals.

One Cardinal told Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni that the topic of the liturgy was removed from the June 26-27 agenda due to the impending SSPX episcopal consecrations.

Moreover, although the liturgy was not officially on the agenda, it did come up during the discussions. In his free intervention, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller called for the establishment of a commission along the lines of Ecclesia Dei to facilitate the reception of clergy and faithful who leave the SSPX.

The former prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith was not the only cardinal to raise the issue. As Nico Spuntoni also reported shortly after the consistory concluded: “On the final day of meeting, an Asian cardinal also criticized the continuing restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass, arguing that if they did not exist, it would be easier to attract the faithful ready to leave the SSPX.”

Dampening media furore

To be perfectly clear, therefore: the distributing of a discussion document to Cardinals during an extraordinary consistory does not indicate that it reflects the mind of the Pope or that he agrees with all of its contents. La Razon’s interpretation of this oversteps the mark.

It is likewise a matter of fact that the Cardinals themselves did not regard Cardinal Roche’s document as expressing the Pope’s own position. They took it for what it was: a text the Pope approved for discussion, without approving of all of its specific contents.

In any document of the Holy See whose contents have received the Pope’s specific approval, that fact is stated unambiguously.

Why all the noise?

Is it a coincidence that Cardinal Roche’s interview appeared in The Tablet last week, and that the Razon article — which makes the egregious claim that Pope Leo had already made up his mind on the liturgy before a consultatory meeting with members of the Sacred College — appeared this week?

The Pope Leo seems to be a studious man who examines issues carefully and does not act hastily. Furthermore, it’s perfectly clear from his first two extraordinary consistories that he wishes to listen and not dictate, before he discerns and decides.

The only official document that may properly be regarded as expressing the mind of the Holy Father is the letter sent in March by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the French bishops on the Pope’s behalf. The letter states that the Holy Father is “particularly attentive” to the growth of communities attached to the TLM, acknowledges the “painful wound that continues to open” over the celebration of the Mass, and calls for “concrete solutions that would generously include those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while respecting the orientations set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.”

We also know that he has received in audience proponents of the traditional Roman liturgy such as U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, and the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah.

In December, he also received Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who afterward stated openly that he spoke to the Holy Father about the Traditional Latin Mass, encouraging him to bring “liturgical peace” through the coexistence of the new and old forms. Bishop Schneider remarked that the Pope “listened” attentively, demonstrated “understanding,” and acknowledged that the traditional liturgy is fostering conversions and having a profound impact on many young people.

The idea that Pope Leo XIV has already made up his mind therefore seems unlikely. Could it be that the recent media noise is itself a form of pressure?

---

My Substack is sustained entirely by you, its readers. Your support doesn’t just keep it going — it makes possible the kind of reporting, analysis and independence that would be difficult to maintain otherwise. I’m deeply grateful to those who choose to become paid subscribers or support this work by donating.

---