Intervening in a bid to curb dissension within a Franciscan
community, the Vatican has appointed a new leader for the Franciscan
Friars of the Immaculate, and ruled that all priests of the group must
celebrate Mass using the ordinary form rather than the traditional Latin
Mass. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate have grown rapidly, and became especially prominent in traditionalist circles.
But the group has also been torn by internal disputes-- including disputes over liturgical practices.
The Congregation for Religious has now issued a decree that installs an outsider-- a Capuchin, Father Fidenzio Volpi-- as acting superior for the order.
The decree also states that the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate must use the ordinary form of the liturgy.
Any use of the extraordinary form must be explicitly authorized by Church authorities, the decree states.
This special rule, which applies only to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, marks a departure from Summorum Pontificum, in which Pope Benedict XVI ruled that priests are authorized to use the extraordinary form for their private Masses without any further approval from superiors.