Traditional Mass at the Heart of French Bishops’ Conference, Plus Leo's Message to Them

The Conférence des évêques de France hates the Traditional Latin Mass. I'm sure many of them celebrated when Pope Benedict XVI died.

From Rorate Cæli

From semi-official French Catholic daily La Croix (excerpt on the Traditional Mass only):

Geopolitics, liturgy, education, and the martyrs of Algeria on the agenda of the bishops' Plenary Assembly in Lourdes

By Céline Hoyeau 

Published March 24, 2026, at 6:50 AM

…

Liturgy on the assembly's agenda

Also on the agenda of this assembly: liturgy — which is among the two topics on the agenda of the next consistory in Rome, in June. At issue, notably, is what action to take following the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes published by Pope Francis in 2021, which had drastically restricted the possibility of celebrating the Tridentine Mass. Will these restrictions need to be maintained, or should the permission granted by Benedict XVI to the traditionalist world be restored, especially given that, beyond the success of the Pentecost pilgrimage to Chartres, other regional "traditionalist" pilgrimages have emerged in France?

 "It has been a long time since this topic, which is not without causing tensions, has been addressed at the assembly. The bishops, whose sensibilities on the subject vary widely, will share how things are going in their dioceses and what questions are arising. This should enable Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline to bring a well-informed contribution to the June consistory," notes an internal source.

… 

[source, in French]

Pope Sends Message to French Bishops Regarding the Traditional Mass

An update to our latest text on the French Bishops' Conference analysis of the Latin Mass matter.

The Pope sent a message, by way of his Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin which included a paragraph on the matter -- emphasis added below:

Dear Brethren,

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has asked me to convey to you his best wishes for the smooth and fruitful progress of the work of your Plenary Assembly. He assures you of his fraternal prayer. He hopes that this occasion will be a renewed opportunity to strengthen the bonds of fraternal charity among you, in the shared pursuit of God's Will for the Church in France.

The Holy Father has taken note of the topics you intend to address, and several have drawn his interest. In particular, you will be taking up, in response to the Apostolic Letter Drawing New Maps of Hope, the theme of education — a theme that had especially captured the attention of Pope Francis because of its paramount importance both for the future of the world and for the proclamation of the Gospel. Your work takes place in the context of growing hostility toward Catholic institutions and challenges to their distinctive character. While respecting the convictions of all and always maintaining a spirit of broad welcome, the Pope encourages you to defend with determination the Christian dimension of Catholic education, which, without reference to Jesus Christ, would lose its very reason for being.

One aspect of your reflection will concern the continued fight against the abuse of minors and the reparations process that you have undertaken with determination. It is indeed fitting to persevere over the long term in the prevention efforts already underway, and to continue demonstrating the Church's attentiveness to victims and God's mercy toward all. It is right that priests guilty of abuse not be excluded from this mercy and that they be the subject of your pastoral reflections. Moreover, after several years of painful crises, the time has come to turn resolutely toward the future and to address to the priests of France, who have been sorely tried, a message of encouragement and trust.

Finally, dear brothers, you intend to address the delicate theme of the Liturgy, to which the Holy Father is particularly attentive, in the context of the growth of communities attached to the Vetus Ordo. It is troubling that a painful wound continues to open in the Church concerning the celebration of the Mass, the very sacrament of unity. To heal it, a fresh regard from each person toward the other, with a greater understanding of the other's sensibility, is surely needed — a regard that could allow brothers enriched by their diversity to welcome one another mutually, in charity and in the unity of faith. May the Holy Spirit suggest to you concrete solutions that would generously include those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while respecting the orientations set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy.

Dear brothers, the Sovereign Pontiff assures you of his affection and of the interest he takes in the Eldest Daughter of the Church. He prays for all the Catholics of France and for her clergy, that they may persevere in the faith and in the courageous proclamation of the Gospel, in times that are certainly difficult but in which signs of hope and of God's presence in hearts are not lacking. Renewing his encouragement, and entrusting you to the intercession of Our Lady of the Assumption and of all the Saints of France, the Holy Father willingly grants you the Apostolic Blessing.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin 

Secretary of State of His Holiness

From the Vatican, March 18, 2026

[Source: Conférence des évêques de France, in French]