CHARTRES (LifeSiteNews) — The closing Mass of the Latin Mass pilgrimage to Chartres will take place inside the ancient French cathedral, organizers have confirmed, following fears that the Vatican would move to prohibit it.
In a public statement issued March 7, organizers of the annual Latin Mass pilgrimage to Chartres waved aside fears that the pilgrimage would be banned from having its final Mass inside the cathedral.
“Finally, despite the rumors that have circulated about a possible ban on the closing mass at the cathedral, Mgr. Christory, bishop of Chartres, has confirmed that he will be present to welcome you and that he will give the homily at Mass,” the statement read.
“We will thus be able to solemnly celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral by passing through the holy door built for the pilgrims, accompanied by the famous relic of the veil of the Virgin Mary, which is the treasure of this cathedral.”
The closing Mass itself will be offered by Father Jean de Massia, FSSP, who is general chaplain of the organizing body, while the arrangement for Bishop Christory to deliver the homily was already in place as of December 2024.
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The note came from Philippe Darantière, who is the new president of the Association Notre-Dame de Chrétienne which organizes the internationally famous Chartres pilgrimage every Pentecost weekend.
In early December a report emerged suggesting that the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW) was looking to ban the final Mass of the pilgrimage from the cathedral.
The pilgrimage has gone from strength to strength, notwithstanding the CDW’s harsh implementation of Pope Francis’ Latin Mass restrictions, which have been so readily implemented by CDW prefect Cardinal Arthur Roche. Last year the event saw some 18,000 registered pilgrims, which half that number aged under 20.
Cardinal Gerhard Müller offered the closing Mass for the 2024 pilgrimage, and recounted that “a senior representative of the Roman Dicastery for Divine Worship” was dismayed when he heard of the huge numbers of young pilgrims on the traditional Mass pilgrimage to Chartres.
Müller said the official “objected that this was by no means a cause for joy, because Holy Mass was celebrated according to the old Extraordinary Latin rite.”
Roche and his Vatican office have persistently rolled back permission for the Latin Mass, and the cardinal has also previously described devotees of the old rite as more Protestant than Catholic for their adherence to the Latin Mass.
The possibility of the Vatican moving against the successful Chartres pilgrimage prompted consternation amongst devotees of the traditional Mass, but also further afield. Jim Shannon, a Protestant politician from Northern Ireland, filed a formal request in the British Parliament, asking the British government to make a diplomatic plea to the Vatican in defense of the Mass. Unsurprisingly, the government waved the matter aside as an internal affair for the Catholic Church.
READ: Ulster Protestant politician asks UK gov’t to defend Latin Mass pilgrimage from Vatican censure
Shannon told this correspondent that, despite not being Catholic himself, “this issue aligns with my ongoing commitment to address concerns about the spirituality and religious practices of individuals and communities.”
“The restriction on the celebration of the Latin Mass directly impacts those who adhere to the Tridentine Rite, a significant spiritual and cultural expression of Catholic worship,” he added.
Speaking to LifeSite’s Jeanne Smits in December, Darantière’s predecessor highlighted the particular Latin Mass focus and spirituality of the pilgrimage, which is now in its 43rd iteration and drawing greater numbers each year.
“The Church is in crisis, and families are rushing to this pilgrimage,” noted outgoing president Jean des Tauriers. “They’re moving closer to the traditional rite precisely because of this crisis in the Church, and to simply pass on the faith to their children.”
