Pope Leo XIV has asked Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, that the liturgical formation of priests and faithful be accompanied by fidelity to the approved texts and by respect for «the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II».
The Pontiff does so in a letter addressed to Roche on the occasion of an international meeting on liturgical formation that has been taking place since this Friday at the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel, in Oregon (United States), and whose conclusions will later be conveyed to Leo XIV himself.
«Respect» for the rites promulgated by Paul VI and John Paul II
Leo XIV’s letter is dated June 29, although the Holy See published it on August 14, coinciding with the beginning of the Mount Angel meeting.
Addressing the celebration of the sacraments, the Pontiff expressly calls for fidelity to liturgical norms: «To promote the worthy celebration of the sacred mysteries, we must emphasize the need for fidelity to the approved texts and instructions».
Leo XIV thus introduces an explicit reference to the liturgical books issued after the Second Vatican Council:
«In my recent catecheses on the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, I have drawn attention to the respect that all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, and priests in particular, must show toward the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II»
The Pope adds that this respect must spring from «an interior attitude of openness and trust in God» and be manifested through «humility before His greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion».
The reference points to the liturgical books that emerged from the reform following the Second Vatican Council. Paul VI promulgated the new Roman Missal, whose first typical edition appeared in 1970, while John Paul II approved its third typical edition in 2000.
Roche stated that Leo XIV will maintain the restrictions on the Traditional Mass
The Pope’s words come a few weeks after Roche himself made an explicit statement about the future of Traditionis custodes.
In an interview given at the end of July to the British weekly The Tablet, the Prefect assured that Leo XIV will not modify Francis’s motu proprio nor restore the juridical framework established by Benedict XVI in 2007 with Summorum Pontificum.
«Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis custodes and is not going to return to Summorum Pontificum», Roche stated.
The statement was particularly significant because it was Roche, and not Leo XIV himself, who attributed to the Pontiff a definitive position on one of the most controversial liturgical issues of recent years. To date, the Pope has not published any document that expressly modifies or confirms Traditionis custodes.
Roche has defended over the past years the restrictions established by Francis on celebrations according to the 1962 Missal. He also prepared a document on the liturgical question for the extraordinary consistory held in January, in which he defended the post-Vatican II reform and justified the line followed by Traditionis custodes.
The issue, however, was not debated at that time and was again left out of the consistory held at the end of June, whose agenda focused on other matters.
A meeting whose conclusions will be conveyed to Leo XIV
The letter is addressed to the participants of a meeting on liturgical formation taking place from August 14 to 19 at Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine abbey located in Oregon.
Roche will preside over the sessions together with the Secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, OFM. Also participating is the Abbot of Mount Angel, Jeremy Driscoll, a member of the same dicastery and previously a consultor since his appointment by Saint John Paul II in 2005.
Among the attendees are Cardinals Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, and Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Kraków; Archbishops Richard Henning of Boston and Mark O’Toole of Cardiff-Menevia; the Abbot of Solesmes, Geoffroy Kemlin; as well as bishops, priests, and professors from various ecclesiastical and academic institutions.
The question guiding the sessions is: «What is needed for better liturgical formation?» According to information released by Mount Angel Abbey, the conclusions arising from the deliberations will later be shared with Leo XIV.
Roche has explained that the choice of a monastic community is intended to foster dialogue in an atmosphere of prayer. According to the Cardinal, it is not primarily conceived as an academic conference, but as a time of «spiritual discernment» on liturgical formation and the continuation of the path marked out by Sacrosanctum Concilium.
Leo XIV calls for formation «for the liturgy and by the liturgy»
The Pontiff’s letter is not limited to demanding fidelity to the liturgical texts. Leo XIV takes up Desiderio desideravi, Francis’s apostolic letter on liturgical formation, to point out that this formation cannot be reserved for specialists, but must reach the entire People of God.
The Pope assigns particular responsibility to those who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders, called to be «mystagogues» capable of accompanying the faithful in the knowledge of the sacred mysteries.
The first practical opportunity for this formation, Leo XIV notes, is found in the regular Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. Hence he calls for a deepening of the ars celebrandi, which does not belong solely to the presiding priest but involves the entire assembly.
The goal is that, through appropriate formation and reverent celebration, Catholics may be formed «for the liturgy and by the liturgy».
It is in this context that Leo XIV introduces his specific reference to the rites promulgated by Paul VI and John Paul II. The letter reaffirms the need to respect them and to follow the approved texts and instructions, but it contains no reference to the status of the 1962 Missal nor an explicit confirmation of Roche’s recent statements on Traditionis custodes.
Full text of Leo XIV’s letter to Cardinal Arthur Roche
To His Eminence
Cardinal Arthur Roche
Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments
I send cordial greetings to you and to all gathered at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon as you reflect on the important theme of the liturgical formation of the People of God.
In his apostolic letter Desiderio desideravi, which described the beauty of the theological and spiritual depth of the liturgy, Pope Francis emphasized the need for attentive and ongoing formation, both of the clergy and the laity, to revitalize the liturgical life of the universal Church (cf. n. 38). Later he reminded us that this kind of formation «is not a specialization for a few experts, but an interior disposition of the entire People of God» (Address to participants in the Plenary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, February 8, 2024).
Therefore, I would like to encourage you to explore concrete paths for liturgical formation at all levels of the Body of Christ. At the same time, we must not «exclude a priority in the formation of those who, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, are called to be mystagogues, that is, to take the faithful by the hand and accompany them in the knowledge of the holy mysteries» (ibid.).
The first practical opportunities for liturgical formation are found in our regular practice of gathering each Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist. These celebrations are inserted into the annual rhythm of the liturgical year, which has the Paschal Mystery at its center. For this reason, it is essential that they also be deeply formative, promoting an ever deeper understanding of the ars celebrandi, expressed not only by the one who presides over the liturgy, but also by the entire assembly (cf. Desiderio desideravi, n. 54).
In this way, through appropriate formation and reverent worship, Catholics will be formed both for the liturgy and by the liturgy (cf. ibid., n. 34).
Moreover, to promote the worthy celebration of the sacred mysteries, we must emphasize the need for fidelity to the approved texts and instructions. In my recent catecheses on the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, I have drawn attention to the respect that all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, and priests in particular, must show toward the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II.
It is vital that this respect «spring from an interior attitude of openness and trust in God, manifesting humility before His greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion» (Catechesis, May 27, 2026).
With these sentiments, I entrust your deliberations to Mary, Seat of Wisdom, and gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to all present at this meeting, as a pledge of wisdom and peace in the Lord.
Vatican, June 29, 2026
LEO PP. XIV