In nomine Patris

last updated 8 January 2015

Rome

The Latin Mass is back. Pope Benedict XVI decreed last week that Catholic priests no longer have to get permission from a bishop to conduct Mass in Latin, as long as a “stable group of faithful” requests it. The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith called the decision a “theological setback” because the Latin version of the Good Friday Mass contains a prayer that calls for the conversion of the Jews. That prayer was dropped from the service in the 1960s, when the Second Vatican Council overhauled Catholic practices and ordered Mass to be celebrated in local languages. At that time, a group of traditionalists broke off and formed the Society of St. Pius X. Religious scholars say that relaxing restrictions on Latin may be an attempt to lure the group back to the church.