Archbishop Cordileone: "Many Latin Mass Faithful Have Experienced Rejection and Marginalisation by the Hierarchy"
Speaking to PillarCatholic.com, Cordileone rejects the "stereotype" that "lovers of the Latin Mass are rigid and backward". His argument is that there are "so many great creatives" among them.
"Rather than rigid, some of the most creative Catholic minds are those drawn to the Latin Mass."
Archbishop Cordileone recalls that Francis has called for a listening Church: "These petition signers speak to Pope Francis with great humility and in a spirit of obedience, and with the kind of confidence that children have when they go to a loving father, in order to speak of their spiritual needs."
Monsignor Cordileone sees the Roman Rite as an instrument of evangelisation: "The traditional Latin Mass is a tool that works for some people; not the only one, but it works for some."
Asked about Archbishop Viganò and Spanish sedevacantist nuns, who have declared their separation from Francis' Vatican in recent weeks, Cordileone refers to the internet: "Social media rewards and magnifies the most extreme and disrespectful voices."
He wants to amplify "the voices of those who, as in this petition, are faithful Catholics, declare their loyalty to the pope, and at the same time ask that no further restrictions be placed on their access to a form that feeds them spiritually”.
Further, Archbishop Cordileone suggests some introspection: "Why do some lovers of the Latin Mass show such rigid behaviour? Many, I know, have experienced rejection and marginalisation by the Church’s pastors - the very ones called to nurture them spiritually - simply because of their desire to worship in the way the Church has done for many centuries."
In his own experience, "Latin Massgoers are good Catholics and faithful to the Catholic Church".
And, "They aren't heretics or schismatics as a general rule. Some of the strongest Catholics I know, who serve the poor and their parish, love the Latin Mass."
Picture: Salvatore Cordileone, © EWTN/YouTube Screen Capture, #newsViskbygnki