A priest in Wisconsin has faced criticism after characterising the Extraordinary Form of the Mass as spiritually backward and less dignified than the Mass of St Paul VI.

Fr Paul Fliss, pastor of Sheboygan South Catholic Parishes in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, made the remarks in the July 26 edition of the parish’s weekly bulletin.

In the "Pastoral Message" section, Fr Fliss discussed the recent excommunication of members of the Society of St Pius X (SSPX), stating that "it is always sad when disunity develops within the Church", and noting that the SSPX has a presence within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

He went on to clarify that the SSPX "is not the same group that has permission to celebrate Mass in Latin according to the 1962 Roman Missal within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee", referring to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP).

The ICKSP, he said, "are in union with the Church, though the ritual they use does not share equal status and dignity as the Mass of Paul VI which we celebrate in English every time we celebrate Mass".

He continued: "Having the opportunity to celebrate this Latin Mass is an accommodation, meaning it is allowed for those who have not grown deep enough in faith to accept the Mass approved after the Second Vatican Council. The hope is the grace of God will help those participants to move past dependence on the old Latin Mass and come into communion with the rest of the Church in celebrating the Mass in the vernacular."

"The Latin Mass community cannot advertise their Mass and should not invite other Catholics to join their group," he said.

One of the three churches in the Sheboygan South Catholic Parishes, Ss Cyril and Methodius Church, is home to a weekly sung Latin Mass celebrated by the ICKSP.

The Mass does not appear on either the Sheboygan South Catholic Parishes website or in the weekly bulletin, in line with the regulations contained in the December 2021 Responsa ad dubia.

Although Fr Fliss conceded that attending the Mass once "can be educational and a new experience", he said it should not replace attendance at Sunday Mass in English.

Attending the Latin Mass, he argued, would be "a step backward" in a person's faith and spiritual life.

"The Mass we celebrate on Sundays has a very different focus than the old Latin Mass," he wrote, adding: "The Bishops of the world at the Second Vatican Council discerned the need to allow people's faith to deepen into participation that leads to becoming a more vibrant Church in how we celebrate and especially minister and serve others as baptized Catholics."

A level of faith in which Jesus is present in everyday life "demands more from the individual Christian, than attending a Mass where the priest says his prayers, and the faithful center on their individual relationship with God", Fliss wrote.

The comments prompted criticism online, particularly because Fr Fliss is the pastor of a parish that hosts a Latin Mass apostolate.

"It is like they created the most caricatured [Novus Ordo] priest from the fever dreams of the SSPX," wrote one X user.

Another described Fr Fliss as "tone deaf".

"I'll gladly be called weak of faith if that's whats needed to get the TLM. Sinner, ungrateful, backwardist? Bring it on!," another user wrote.

Others questioned the evidence for some of his claims.

"If TLM Catholics have 'not grown deep enough in their faith,' why do surveys consistently show that they overwhelmingly embrace Catholic teachings, compared to the large numbers of NO Catholics who support birth control, abortion, gay marriage, religious indifference, etc?," another user wrote on X.

The Catholic Herald contacted both the ICKSP and Fr Fliss for comment and clarification but did not receive a response before publication.

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