In Naples, the clash continues between the faithful of the ancient rite and the Curia over the celebration of the Latin Mass. At the heart of the dispute is the decree issued on May 10 by Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, who will become a cardinal on December 7. The measure banned all celebrations in the pre-conciliar rite, except those authorized by an institute of French religious.

The faithful, opposing the decision, have collected 250 signatures on a petition addressed to Archbishop Battaglia and the president of the CEI, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. To support their position, they will gather theologians, canonists, and scholars for a meeting tomorrow in a hotel in the city center, with the aim of calling for a revision of the decree and greater openness to the motu proprio. Traditionis Custodes di Pope Francesco.

Theologian Monsignor Nicola Bux, former advisor to Pope Benedict XVI and speaker at the conference, explained the roots of the conflict. According to Bux, Benedict XVI had liberalized the ancient rite with the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum in 2007, recognizing its diffusion and responding to critical issues found in the new liturgy. “It did not want to replace the new rite, but to allow the old rite where there were interested priests and faithful, to counteract the deformations that were alienating the faithful”.

Regarding Naples' decision, Bux underlines that Traditionis Custodes He did not abolish the ancient rite, but regulated it, taking it out of the parishes and requiring Vatican authorization for new celebrants. However, he believes that the application in Naples was too restrictive. "Naples is a large metropolis: one cannot think that a single Latin Mass is enough to satisfy the needs of the faithful. I would suggest at least three Masses, distributed in key points of the city."

Bux also links the crisis in vocations and the decline in religious practice to a loss of priestly and liturgical identity: “Priests often no longer wear the habit and do not embody the sacred, while magicians and sects proliferate. A Doxa study from six years ago estimated that the Latin Mass could bring up to two million people back to church”.

The recent Censis survey confirms the interest in this rite, which attracts almost three million faithful. "In the Church, attention has always been shown to minorities. Why not towards this minority? Taking it out on the Coetus Fidelium groups is unrealistic. I hope that Archbishop Battaglia will review his decision and allow the priests of the diocese, in addition to the religious, to celebrate the Mass in the ancient rite."