Apostolic Letter "Summorum Pontificum" issued Motu Proprio

Benedict XVI

On Saturday 7 July 2007 Pope Benedict XVI issued an Apostolic Letter on
the celebration of the Roman Rite according to the Missal of 1962. The
following text is the unofficial Vatican Information Service translation
of the official Latin text.

Up to our own times, it has been the constant concern of supreme pontiffs
to ensure that the Church of Christ offers a worthy ritual to the Divine
Majesty, 'to the praise and glory of His name,' and 'to the benefit of all
His Holy Church.'

Since time immemorial it has been necessary - as it is also for the future
- to maintain the principle according to which 'each particular Church
must concur with the universal Church, not only as regards the doctrine of
the faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages
universally accepted by uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which must be
observed not only to avoid errors but also to transmit the integrity of
the faith, because the Church's law of prayer corresponds to her law of
faith.' (1)

Among the pontiffs who showed that requisite concern, particularly
outstanding is the name of St. Gregory the Great, who made every effort to
ensure that the new peoples of Europe received both the Catholic faith and
the treasures of worship and culture that had been accumulated by the
Romans in preceding centuries. He commanded that the form of the sacred
liturgy as celebrated in Rome (concerning both the Sacrifice of Mass and
the Divine Office) be conserved. He took great concern to ensure the
dissemination of monks and nuns who, following the Rule of St. Benedict,
together with the announcement of the Gospel illustrated with their lives
the wise provision of their Rule that 'nothing should be placed before the
work of God.' In this way the sacred liturgy, celebrated according to the
Roman use, enriched not only the faith and piety but also the culture of
many peoples. It is known, in fact, that the Latin liturgy of the Church
in its various forms, in each century of the Christian era, has been a
spur to the spiritual life of many saints, has reinforced many peoples in
the virtue of religion and fecundated their piety.

Many other Roman pontiffs, in the course of the centuries, showed
particular solicitude in ensuring that the sacred liturgy accomplished
this task more effectively. Outstanding among them is St. Pius V who,
sustained by great pastoral zeal and following the exhortations of the
Council of Trent, renewed the entire liturgy of the Church, oversaw the
publication of liturgical books amended and 'renewed in accordance with
the norms of the Fathers,' and provided them for the use of the Latin
Church.

One of the liturgical books of the Roman rite is the Roman Missal, which
developed in the city of Rome and, with the passing of the centuries,
little by little took forms very similar to that it has had in recent
times.

"It was towards this same goal that succeeding Roman Pontiffs directed
their energies during the subsequent centuries in order to ensure that the
rites and liturgical books were brought up to date and when necessary
clarified. From the beginning of this century they undertook a more
general reform.' (2) Thus our predecessors Clement VIII, Urban VIII, St.
Pius X (3), Benedict XV, Pius XII and Blessed John XXIII all played a
part.

In more recent times, Vatican Council II expressed a desire that the
respectful reverence due to divine worship should be renewed and adapted
to the needs of our time. Moved by this desire our predecessor, the
Supreme Pontiff Paul VI, approved, in 1970, reformed and partly renewed
liturgical books for the Latin Church. These, translated into the various
languages of the world, were willingly accepted by bishops, priests and
faithful. John Paul II amended the third typical edition of the Roman
Missal. Thus Roman pontiffs have operated to ensure that 'this kind of
liturgical edifice ... should again appear resplendent for its dignity and
harmony.' (4)

But in some regions, no small numbers of faithful adhered and continue to
adhere with great love and affection to the earlier liturgical forms.
These had so deeply marked their culture and their spirit that in 1984 the
Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, moved by a concern for the pastoral care of
these faithful, with the special indult 'Quattuor abhinc anno," issued by
the Congregation for Divine Worship, granted permission to use the Roman
Missal published by Blessed John XXIII in the year 1962. Later, in the
year 1988, John Paul II with the Apostolic Letter given as Motu Proprio,
'Ecclesia Dei,' exhorted bishops to make generous use of this power in
favor of all the faithful who so desired.
Following the insistent prayers of these faithful, long deliberated upon
by our predecessor John Paul II, and after having listened to the views of
the Cardinal Fathers of the Consistory of 22 March 2006, having reflected
deeply upon all aspects of the question, invoked the Holy Spirit and
trusting in the help of God, with these Apostolic Letters we establish the
following:

Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression
of the 'Lex orandi' (Law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin
rite. Nonetheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued
by Bl. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of
that same 'Lex orandi,' and must be given due honour for its venerable and
ancient usage. These two expressions of the Church's Lex orandi will in no
any way lead to a division in the Church's 'Lex credendi' (Law of belief).
They are, in fact two usages of the one Roman rite.

It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass
following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Bl. John
XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy
of the Church. The conditions for the use of this Missal as laid down by
earlier documents 'Quattuor abhinc annis' and 'Ecclesia Dei,' are
substituted as follows:

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of
the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal
published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated
by Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of
the Easter Triduum. For such celebrations, with either one Missal or the
other, the priest has no need for permission from the Apostolic See or
from his Ordinary.

Art. 3. Communities of Institutes of consecrated life and of Societies of
apostolic life, of either pontifical or diocesan right, wishing to
celebrate Mass in accordance with the edition of the Roman Missal
promulgated in 1962, for conventual or "community" celebration in their
oratories, may do so. If an individual community or an entire Institute or
Society wishes to undertake such celebrations often, habitually or
permanently, the decision must be taken by the Superiors Major, in
accordance with the law and following their own specific decrees and
statues.

Art. 4. Celebrations of Mass as mentioned above in art. 2 may - observing
all the norms of law - also be attended by faithful who, of their own free
will, ask to be admitted.

Art. 5. § 1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who
adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly
accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the
Roman Missal published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these
faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under
the guidance of the bishop in accordance with canon 392, avoiding discord
and favouring the unity of the whole Church.

§ 2 Celebration in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII may take
place on working days; while on Sundays and feast days one such
celebration may also be held.

§ 3 For faithful and priests who request it, the pastor should also allow
celebrations in this extraordinary form for special circumstances such as
marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages.

§ 4 Priests who use the Missal of Bl. John XXIII must be qualified to do
so and not juridically impeded.

§ 5 In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty
of the Rector of the church to grant the above permission.

Art. 6. In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people in accordance
with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII, the readings may be given in the
vernacular, using editions recognised by the Apostolic See.

Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 õ 1, has not
obtained satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should
inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy
their wishes. If he cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the
matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

Art. 8. A bishop who, desirous of satisfying such requests, but who for
various reasons is unable to do so, may refer the problem to the
Commission "Ecclesia Dei" to obtain counsel and assistance.

Art. 9. § 1 The pastor, having attentively examined all aspects, may also
grant permission to use the earlier ritual for the administration of the
Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick,
if the good of souls would seem to require it.

§ 2 Ordinaries are given the right to celebrate the Sacrament of
Confirmation using the earlier Roman Pontifical, if the good of souls
would seem to require it.

§ 3 Clerics ordained "in sacris constitutis" may use the Roman Breviary
promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962.

Art. 10. The ordinary of a particular place, if he feels it appropriate,
may erect a personal parish in accordance with can. 518 for celebrations
following the ancient form of the Roman rite, or appoint a chaplain, while
observing all the norms of law.

Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", erected by John Paul II
in 1988 (5), continues to exercise its function. Said Commission will have
the form, duties and norms that the Roman Pontiff wishes to assign it.

Art. 12. This Commission, apart from the powers it enjoys, will exercise
the authority of the Holy See, supervising the observance and application
of these dispositions.

We order that everything We have established with these Apostolic Letters
issued as Motu Proprio be considered as "established and decreed", and to
be observed from 14 September of this year, Feast of the Exaltation of the
Cross, whatever there may be to the contrary.

From Rome, at St. Peter's, 7 July 2007, third year of Our Pontificate.

Pope Benedict XVI



(1) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 3rd ed., 2002, no. 397.

(2) John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Vicesimus quintus annus," 4 December
1988, 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.

(3) Ibid.

(4) St. Pius X, Apostolic Letter Motu propio data, "Abhinc duos annos," 23
October 1913: AAS 5 (1913), 449-450; cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter
"Vicesimus quintus annus," no. 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.

(5) Cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Motu proprio data "Ecclesia Dei," 2
July 1988, 6: AAS 80 (1988), 1498.