According to a report in the French newspaper "La Croix" on Monday, the Vatican has decided not to officially deny the rumours that have been circulating in traditionalist blogs for weeks.
It is customary to leave rumours of this kind uncommented so as not to give them any weight, it added.
A high-ranking Vatican representative described the rumours about a tightening of restrictions as "gossip" and "completely unfounded".
Several sources told the newspaper that the rumours were possibly due to a misinterpretation of Roman decisions on certain communities or institutes.
One of these concerns the Missionaries of Divine Mercy in southern France.
Rome has currently suspended the ordination of five seminarians indefinitely. It is being examined whether it would make sense to allow the prospective priests of the traditionalist community to celebrate Mass in the pre-conciliar form, as provided for in the community's statutes.
Following the Moto Proprio "Traditionis custodes" of 2021, Pope Francis imposed a restriction on the Traditional Latin Mass.
Priests who are ordained after its publication and wish to celebrate according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 must submit an application to the diocesan bishop.
The latter must consult the Vatican before granting permission.
Reproach to Vatican representatives
According to a media report, German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller emphasised at a priestly ordination near Chartres at the weekend that the pre-conciliar liturgy does not meet with the approval of all Vatican representatives.
The former Prefect of the Faith accused high-ranking representatives of the Dicastery for Divine Worship of persecuting old traditions such as the pre-conciliar liturgy because they saw "a greater danger to the unity of the Church" in this than in the "reinterpretation of the Creed".
Among other things, Müller reported on a conversation with a representative of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, to whom he had reported on the faithfulness of young Catholics to the faith at the recent traditionalist pilgrimage in Chartres.
The Vatican representative replied to Müller that this was "no reason at all to rejoice, as this Holy Mass was celebrated in the old Extraordinary Latin Rite".
Rumours have been circulating in traditionalist circles for several days that the Vatican wants to further restrict the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
The rumours were intensified after Pope Francis received the prior of the "Christ the King Institute", Gilles Wach, in audience last week.
The institute celebrates the liturgy in the pre-conciliar form. Nothing was initially revealed about the content of the conversation.
The institute later reported that the Pope had asked them to stick to their charism.