Official German Catholic website all but concedes Pope lied about Bishops' survey on the Latin Mass. Even the German Bishops' Conference apparently satisfied with "Summorum Pontificum"

Responses to Vatican survey apparently less critical than known

Leak: Did Francis Restrict the "Old Mass" Against the Advice of the Bishops?

Rome – In his restrictions on the pre-conciliar liturgy, Pope Francis relied on feedback from the universal Church: Allegedly, his predecessor's liberalization caused divisions. Documents now made public appear to show the opposite.

Pope Francis appears to have ignored the advice of bishops previously surveyed worldwide in his restrictions on the "Old Mass." The responses to a survey by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the implementation of the "Old Mass" issued by Pope Benedict XVI. According to documents now made public, the rules for the pre-conciliar liturgy enacted by the Pope were significantly more positive than the Pope himself had portrayed them. This emerges from a summary by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and a collection of quotations from the bishops' feedback published by Vatican journalist Diane Montagna on Tuesday. The authenticity of the documents has not yet been confirmed.

Pope Francis (2013-2025) significantly restricted the celebration of the liturgy according to the books in force in 1962 with his motu proprio Traditionis custodes in 2021, thereby largely reversing the liberalization introduced by Benedict XVI (2005-2013) with his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (2007). In a letter accompanying his motu proprio, he referred to the results of the survey he commissioned the previous year: "The responses received have revealed a situation that saddens and worries me and confirms my belief in the need to intervene." The possibility of celebrating the pre-conciliar liturgy more simply has been "used to widen the gaps, to harden the differences, to create oppositions that hurt the Church and hinder her progress, exposing her to the danger of division."

German Bishops' Conference apparently satisfied with "Summorum Pontificum"

The general assessment now published, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is said to have prepared based on the feedback received, paints a less negative picture. The feedback showed that the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum plays a clear, albeit modest, role in the Church. The simplification of the celebration of the pre-conciliar liturgy introduced by Benedict XVI "affirmed the equal dignity of the two forms of the same Roman Rite and thus created the conditions for genuine liturgical peace, also with a view to a possible future unity of the two forms." The majority of responses from bishops emphasized that the introduction of the then-new regulations was viewed positively, especially where personal parishes were established for the celebration of what was then called the "extraordinary form." This brought peace to the dioceses. It cannot be generalized that supporters of the pre-conciliar Mass generally oppose the Second Vatican Council.

Cardinal Raymond Burke (center) is one of the greatest advocates of the liturgy according to the books in force in 1962. The solemnity of this form is highly valued by his friends.

Another positive point was that some young people are attracted to the Old Mass and its "holiness, seriousness, and solemnity": "What impresses them most, even in an overly noisy and verbose society, is the rediscovery of silence in the sacred acts, the restrained and essential words, the proclamation faithful to the Church's teaching, the beauty of liturgical chant, and the dignity of the celebration: a seamless whole that is deeply attractive." The number of vocations in communities celebrating the pre-conciliar liturgy was also emphasized.

The exemplary feedback from the questionnaire also cites the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) with two responses. It states that the current offering of Masses in the Extraordinary Form corresponds to the pastoral needs of the faithful. The initial conflicts over the establishment of Masses in the Extraordinary Form have been peacefully resolved in recent years. Therefore, the DBK has a positive assessment of the implementation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum: 

"The current practice has proven successful and should not be changed for pastoral reasons."

Concern about disruption caused by changes to the status quo

According to the summary, while there was some feedback in favor of stricter regulation, the majority opposed changes to the legal situation existing at the time: "Any change—whether through the repeal or weakening of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum—would seriously harm the life of the Church, as it would revive the tensions that the document helped to resolve." To date, little feedback has been received. In 2021, the responses of the French Bishops' Conference, which expressed criticism of Summorum Pontificum, became public.

In his accompanying letter to Traditionis custodes, Pope Francis, however, emphasized a supposedly close connection between the celebration according to the liturgical books valid before the Second Vatican Council and a "rejection of the Church and its institutions in the name of what they consider the 'true Church'." While Benedict XVI spoke of two forms of the Roman Rite, the ordinary form and the extraordinary form valid before the liturgical reform, Francis abolished this distinction and emphasized the unity of the Roman Rite.

The restrictions imposed by Pope Francis stipulate, among other things, that newly ordained priests are generally no longer permitted to celebrate the Old Mass, that it may no longer be celebrated in parish churches, and that no new groups or personal parishes may be established for the celebration according to the 1962 books. The provisions of the Motu proprio were later further tightened by the Congregation for Divine Worship through implementing provisions.

Source