Reeling from two blows to liturgical traditionalists in July and December 2021, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) attained a degree of respite last month.
Belonging to the largest of the communities within the Church whose purpose and charism entail the celebration of the sacraments in the Tridentine Roman rites, FSSP leaders Fr Benoît Paul-Joseph and Fr Vincent Ribeton were pleased when Pope Francis himself assured them that their priests were dispensed from his contentious motu proprio Traditiones Custodes. After an unscheduled, “cordial”, one-hour meeting with the Pontiff, the three were photographed jovially together; Francis appeared particularly amiable and disarming.
