Now is the time for the bishops to come into their own. The Pope, in his motu proprio  – Traditionis Custodes – on restricting the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form, the Tridentine rite, has said that any would-be celebrant must first obtain the permission of the local bishop. Hearteningly the signs are that there has been no pressure from within the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to discriminate against the Old Mass. However, there are now reports that there will be further pressure from Rome to enforce the restrictions on the celebration of the rite, and the bishops have an opportunity to demonstrate that they really do have what Francis called the “smell of the sheep” by protecting their priests and the faithful.