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Unconfirmed reports from the plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales suggest that a policy could be implemented whereby any bishop who requests dispensation for the Traditional Latin Mass to occur will have it granted.
Reports have emerged from Hinsley Hall, where the CBCEW plenary is happening, that Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, addressed bishops and conveyed that Pope Leo XIV is willing to grant a dispensation allowing the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) to any bishop who requests one.
It was Mark Lambert of the popular podcast Catholic Unscripted who first broke the news, reporting the claims emerging from the bishops’ plenary before they were widely circulated.
While the conference has not yet issued anything official, the suggestion carries significance for the liturgical life of the Church in England and Wales. The CBCEW meets twice a year for their plenary meetings. The conference gathered in Leeds for their Autumn Plenary meeting at Hinsley Hall, where these meetings, as a rule, take place, from 10-13 November 2025.
The policy would appear to ease the restrictions introduced by Traditionis Custodes in 2021 under Pope Francis, which placed tighter controls on the older liturgy. Under the new guidance, several dioceses that already permit the Tridentine Mass would see little change, while others may now feel authorised to likewise facilitate the TLM.
The move also hints that the next Archbishop of Westminster may be able to maintain a more flexible approach than Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who adopted a stricter interpretation of the provision, which included prohibiting the Easter Triduum service and the sacrament of confirmation under the Traditional Rite.
At present the details remain informal and no official statement has been released by the Vatican or CBCEW. Though a spokesperson for the conference confirmed to the Catholic Herald that they “have been made aware” of the developing story, but emphasised that no transcript of the nuncio’s remarks would be forthcoming.
The spokesperson explained: “There will be no transcript available for the Apostolic Nuncio’s speech as it was a private conversation with the bishops.”
Historically, the Church’s provision for the Traditional Latin Mass has travelled a meandering and contentious path. Before the latest developments, England and Wales had the so-called Agatha Christie indult, a unique permission granted in 1971 allowing continued celebrations of the older rite after an appeal signed by prominent cultural figures.
Later, in 2007, Summorum Pontificum, issued by Pope Benedict XVI, opened broader access to the older form of the Mass by describing it as an “extraordinary form” of the Roman Rite. Then came Pope Francis’s more restrictive pivot.
If the recent report about the potential dispensation holds true, this would mark a modest but meaningful shift, restoring greater latitude for bishops in England and Wales to authorise the older form.
Photo: Thurifer Paul Mills swings an incense burner, or thurible, as a sung Requiem Mass in Latin is offered for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in London, England, 5 January 2023 (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
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