"We Grant and Concede in Perpetuity" ~ Pope Saint Pius V's promulgation of the Tridentine Mass in Quo Primum, AD 1570

“In virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We grant and concede in perpetuity that, 
for the chanting or reading of the Mass in any church whatsoever,
this Missal is hereafter to be followed absolutely, without any scruple
of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment, or censure,
and may freely and lawfully be used.” 
—Pope Saint Pius V
taken from Quo Primum, AD 1570

Once again, there are sad rumblings coming from Rome of yet another attempt to hamper the usage of the traditional Tridentine Mass. Anyone paying attention is aware that the traditional Catholic movement is growing quickly and is one of the few sources of dynamism within the Church.  

By comparison, the post-Conciliar Church is now free-falling into ruin in most of its traditional regions. Parishes are emptying out, consolidating, and closing with alarming rapidity in the US, Canada and Europe. More Catholic elementary and secondary schools are being shuttered every year. Institutions of higher learning which traditionally claimed to be Catholic are no longer recognizable as such. Many actively and openly work against Church teachings on a variety of worldly moral and theological questions. The typical parish of the post-Vatican II Order is populated by a high percentage of elderly faithful, many of whom lament that their own children have left the Catholic Faith. As a parishioner of such a church, I can attest to this sad state of affairs first hand. Perhaps worst of all, even among those who still self-identify as Catholics, only about 30% believe one of the core tenets of the Catholic Faith: that the Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ present on the altar at Mass. 

At the same time that the post-Conciliar Church is dying, the traditional practice of Catholicism is growing and spreading, particularly among young Catholics. A visit to any traditional parish such as those run by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, or the Institute of Christ the King, or the Society of Saint Pius X, will quickly reveal the shocking dichotomy. While there are certainly numerous elderly parishioners in traditional parishes, one is immediately struck by the plentitude of young families whom God has blessed with numerous children. One will also notice the abundance of altar boys, seminarians and young priests. The joyful energy in such parishes is palpable. The seminaries run by the above groups do not suffer from the same "vocations crisis" as afflicts the post-Conciliar Church in Europe and North America.

A look at some statistics reveals the stark differences between those who practice the Faith in the post-Conciliar form, and those who retain the usage of the Tridentine form, as taken from the Traditional Latin Mass National Survey conducted by Fr. Donald Kloster in 2020:

Click to see the original article and methodology on the LiturgyGuy blog.

Is anyone at all surprised by these results?

And yet, it seems that Rome is on the cusp of coming down hard on that faithful remnant who dare to practice the Faith of the Catholic Church as great saints have done through the centuries. Is it possible that the elders of the Church at the Vatican are so tone-deaf that they fail to comprehend the movement of the Holy Spirit within the Church? Our Lord Himself taught us how to recognize it:

“By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.” [Matthew 7:17-20].

Anyone who pays even a modicum of attention to Church affairs can clearly discern where the good fruit is being generated. There are large swathes of the post-Conciliar Church that bear very bad fruit when they bear any fruit at all. Certainly, I need not go into detail of the bad fruit here. We can see it every day before our eyes on the social media cesspool, and the various scandals have been covered to death, even on this very blog. Sadly, to the laity it often appears that there is no will at the Vatican to resolve such scandals.

It is worth remembering, however, that the current auto-destruction of the Church by those entrusted by Christ with preserving Her and spreading His Gospel was perhaps foreseen by our saintly ancestors. For those who seek to curtail the use of the traditional Tridentine rite, it is arguable that they even possess the authority to do so. In AD 1570, Pope Saint Pius V promulgated the Tridentine Liturgy in an encyclical entitled Quo Primum. This document is relatively short and certainly worth reading in its entirety. In Quo Primum may be found the quote shown at the top of this post. Following is the quote with some greater context:

“Furthermore, by these presents [this law], in virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We grant and concede in perpetuity that, for the chanting or reading of the Mass in any church whatsoever, this Missal is hereafter to be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment, or censure, and may freely and lawfully be used. Nor are superiors, administrators, canons, chaplains, and other secular priests, or religious, of whatever title designated, obliged to celebrate the Mass otherwise than as enjoined by Us. We likewise declare and ordain that no one whosoever is forced or coerced to alter this Missal, and that this present document cannot be revoked or modified, but remain always valid and retain its full force notwithstanding the previous constitutions and decrees of the Holy See, as well as any general or special constitutions or edicts of provincial or synodal councils, and notwithstanding the practice and custom of the aforesaid churches, established by long and immemorial prescription – except, however, if more than two hundred years’ standing.”

It is possible, therefore, to make the argument that any attempt to contravene the clear, precise and perpetual grants made by Pope St. Pius V in Quo Primum are automatically void. Sadly, I doubt many of the bishops who currently preside in most places throughout the earth will see things that way. If the diktat comes down from Rome that the traditional Tridentine practice of the Mass is to be suppressed, most bishops will attempt to enforce it. Scandals and quarrels will emerge. And as always, the good priests and the devout laity will suffer the most. Yet more bad fruit.

That said, let us remember that suffering is our calling as Catholics. If those with ecclesiastical authority seek to persecute you for daring to pray the Mass as Saint Pius V, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Cure of Ars, Padre Pio, and thousands of other saints throughout the ages, then remember to pray for them and offer up the persecution for the salvation of their souls. 

Woe to those bishops and priests who see the Will of the Holy Spirit and yet actively work to thwart it. May God have mercy on them.

Lord Jesus Christ, save your Church! Send us a new Athanasius and a new Gregory the Great to rescue the Church which is travail.