(ZENIT News / London, April 7, 2024) – A group of British celebrities, including artists, entrepreneurs, journalists and politicians, have published an open letter calling for the preservation of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, better known as the Traditional Latin Mass. The letter, published in The Times of London on July 3, expresses concern over reports suggesting that the Vatican may impose new restrictions on this form of the liturgy.
A call to preserve spiritual heritage
The letter, signed by more than 40 people including “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes, human rights activist Bianca Jagger and soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, highlights the cultural and spiritual importance of the traditional Latin Mass. The signatories lament “alarming reports from Rome that the Latin Mass is being banished from nearly all Catholic Churches” and call on the Vatican to reconsider further restrictions on this form of worship.
Historical precedent
The letter echoes a similar appeal published in The Times in 1971 that led Pope Paul VI to authorize the celebration of the traditional Mass on special occasions, known as the “Agatha Christie Exception,” named after the famous author who was one of the signatories. This precedent has been used to argue that the traditional Latin Mass belongs to “universal culture” and has inspired countless works of art over the centuries.
In their letter, the signatories argue that the traditional Latin Mass is a “cathedral of text and gesture” that has developed over the centuries. In their view, abolishing this rite would be “an unnecessary and insensitive act” in a world where history and traditions are in danger of being forgotten. They also emphasize that the power of the ancient rite to encourage silence and meditation is an invaluable treasure.
Support from all sides
The letter's signatories include celebrities such as composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, historian Tom Holland and Princess Michael of Kent, a member of the British royal family, and it also includes support from musicians such as Steven Isserlis and Mitsuko Uchida, and politicians such as director Jane Glover and human rights activist David Alton.
In a supplementary opinion piece published in The Times, composer James MacMillan said the restrictions imposed in 2021 were a “devastating blow” to young Catholics who have found spirituality in the traditional liturgy. MacMillan criticized the “narrow-minded, philistine authoritarianism” of some Vatican officials and stressed the importance of protecting religious freedom.
Ecumenical and non-political support
The letter is described as “fully ecumenical and apolitical” and its signatories include both Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and non-believers. This diverse support reinforces the message that the traditional Latin Mass is not only the spiritual heritage of Catholics, but also the cultural heritage of all humanity.
Below is the full letter.
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The Latin Mass in Danger
On July 6, 1971, The Times published an appeal to Pope Paul VI in defense of the Latin Mass, signed by Catholic and non-Catholic artists and writers, including Agatha Christie, Graham Greene, and Yehudi Menuhin. It became known as the “Agatha Christie Letter” because it was her name that reportedly prompted the Pope to issue a license to celebrate the Latin Mass in England and Wales. The letter argued that “the rite in question, with its magnificent Latin text, has inspired immeasurable achievements by poets, philosophers, musicians, architects, painters and sculptors of all countries and times; it therefore belongs to universal culture.”
Recently, from Rome, there have been disturbing reports that the Latin Mass will be expelled from almost all Catholic churches. This is a painful and confusing prospect, especially among the growing number of young Catholics who have cultivated their faith by it. The traditional liturgy is a “cathedral” of texts and gestures, which has developed over the centuries just as those venerable buildings have developed. Not everyone understands its value, and that is fine. But to destroy it seems an unnecessary and insensitive act in a world where history is too easily forgotten. The power of the old liturgy to encourage silence and contemplation is a treasure that is not easily reproduced and, once lost, impossible to reconstruct. This Appeal, like its predecessor, is “fully ecumenical and apolitical”. Signatories include Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and non-believers. We beg the Holy See to reconsider further restricting access to this great spiritual and cultural heritage.
Robert Agostinelli
Sir Alton de Liverpool;
Lord Baillie de Paddington;
Lord Bamford;
Sir Berkeley de Knighton;
Sophie Bevan
Ran Bostridge
Nina Campbell
Megan Cassidy
Sir Nicholas Coleridge;
Ms Imogen Cooper
Lord Fellowes of West Stafford;
Sir Rocco Forte;
Mrs. Antonia Fraser;
Martin Fuller
Lady Getty;
John Gilhooly
Ms Jane Glover;
Michael Gove
Susan Hampshire
Lord Hesketh;
Tom Holland
Sir Stephen Hough;
Tristram Hunt
Steven Isserlis
Bianca Jagger
Igor Levit
Lord Lloyd Webber;
Julian Lloyd Webber
Ms. Felicity Lott;
Sir James Macmillan
Prince Michael de Kent;
Baronesa Moncton de Darrington Forest;
Sir Moore de Etchingham;
Fraser Nelson
Alex Polizzi
Mishka Rushdie Momen;
Sir András Schiff;
Lord Skidelsky;
Lord Smith de Finsbury;
Sir Paul Smith
Rory Stewart
Lord Stirrup;
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Ms. Mitsuko Uchida;
Ryan Wigglesworth
A. N. Wilson;
Adam Zamojski
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