Top 10 Religion Stories

#4. The Pope's Moto Proprio

The Pope has made it easier for priests to celebrate the Latin Mass, whose eclipse was one of the major symbolic consequences of Vatican II — but now, a priest who wants to celebrate old-school need no longer get his bishop's permission to do so. To many Catholics the Pope's moto proprio meant an unwelcome comeback of a ritual they regarded as elitist, in which the priest turns away from the congregation and speaks a language few understand. But the papally approved access to the Latin Mass has nonetheless been soothing to traditionalists, as well as a good many people who never knew they missed the beauty of Latin.

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