Bagnasco advocates for the coexistence between the traditional Mass and the Novus Ordo

Two weeks after the schismatic consecrations in Écône, an experienced Roman voice reminds us that unity is not built against the ancient rite.

The Fact

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, emeritus archbishop of Genoa and former president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (2007-2017), intervened on July 9, 2026, in the columns of Infovaticana to defend the peaceful coexistence between the traditional Mass and the Novus Ordo. His words carry weight in a particular climate: just two weeks after the schismatic consecrations in Écône on July 1 and the notification by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of the latae sententiae excommunication of the six bishops concerned. The cardinal calls not to identify attachment to the ancient rite with a break with Rome.

Our Reading

Bagnasco's voice matters. It reminds us that Summorum Pontificum (Benedict XVI, July 7, 2007, art. 1) established as a principle that the extraordinary form of the Roman rite "was never abrogated" and remains a treasure of the Church. The Second Vatican Council, in Sacrosanctum Concilium n° 4, professed the "equal" respect due to "all legitimately recognized rites," and the Church "wants in the future to conserve and promote them in every way." The restriction imposed by Traditionis custodes (2021), maintained by Leo XIV, has not extinguished the theological debate. The cardinal speaks as a pastor, not as a polemicist: he reminds us that no pastoral approach has ever gained by striking its faithful, and liturgical exclusion feeds schismatic temptations more than it cures them. Distinguishing between the legitimate attachment to Tradition and true dissidence is the first duty of a bishop.

To Ponder

Pray for the bishops who, in Rome, will know how to maintain this distinction. The wisdom of the ancients counts when the new ones decide: the liturgical heritage of the Church is a common good before being a motive for discipline.