As Simon Caldwell recently argued in the Catholic Herald, British prelate – Cardinal Arthur Roche – is now a potential candidate to succeed Pope Francis. As Caldwell argued, “there is now a real prospect of a second English pope” and one “who was also chosen to deliver a fawning speech of welcome and thanksgiving during the ceremony to replenish the College of Cardinals.” Failing that, the cardinal could be in the running to succeed Cardinal Nichols as Archbishop of Westminster, which would give him an even more prominent role in his home country. In the meantime, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments “is increasingly being whispered in Vatican circles as a possible compromise candidate who could emerge from a conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis.”
But, for many traditionalists, Roche – the Vatican’s liturgy chief – is anything but a compromise figure. If anything, as Caldwell writes, in “restricting access to the Traditional Latin Mass he has distinguished himself as a continuity candidate, a reformer fully of the mould of Francis and his particular interpretation of the Second Vatican Council.” (According to the Pope’s Traditionis Custodes, priests who wish to celebrate the old liturgy must get permission from a bishop, who will determine both time and location, while new parishes cannot be exclusively dedicated to TLM.) Of course, this worries traditionalists who see the Pope’s actions on TLM as a line in the sand. Yet, writes Caldwell, “Cardinal Roche has powerful allies and some of them are within the Curia,” making his papabile status even stronger.
Roche is seen by many traditionalists as being at the forefront of moves to undermine TLM, which came to prominence recently with the conversion of Shia LaBeouf. While Cardinal Roche as pope could moderate his position, it seems likely that he would guarantee consistency with his current approach. Studies meanwhile suggest Latin Mass attendees are more observant and more likely to attend services than those who attend regular Mass. Studies also suggest those who attend TLM are more likely to subscribe to traditionalist views, something Pope Francis was no doubt aware of in his decrees. Moreover, as Cindy Wooden wrote for the Catholic News Service (CNS) – and as reported by America magazine – “Roche is a key figure in what is offhandedly known as the Catholic Church’s “liturgy wars.””
The Pope superseded Benedict XVI’s 2007 Summorum Pontificum, which acknowledged the right of priests to say TLM without permission. Roche told CNS in 2022 that while the Church’s prayer should not be a battlefield, it is understandable that people are passionate, but the rite is not simply a matter of personal preference. The prelate went on to say: “This is not the Pope’s Mass, it’s not my Mass, it’s not your Mass. This is the Mass of the Church.” He added: “This is what the Church has decided how we express ourselves as a community in worship, and how we imbibe from the books of the liturgy the doctrine of the church.” The differences between the pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II Masses, he said, are not simply the use of Latin, for instance.
According to Cardinal Roche, the promotion of the pre-Vatican II liturgy as more holy or prayerful “is not basically a liturgical problem” but “an ecclesial” one. For Roche, the modern Mass reflects and reinforces the Church’s understanding of itself as the people of God “given to us by the council, which classified, concretised the teaching of the church about itself and its understanding of the role of the baptised and the importance of the Eucharist and the sacramental life of the church, is not without significance for the future of the church”. He stated: “‘Traditionis Custodes’ is really a call to take the unity of the church, our being together for the celebration of the breaking of the bread and the prayer very, very seriously indeed,” adding that most bishops have “greeted the pope’s call back to the council and also to the unity of the church with open arms and are very much behind” his words.
In an interview with Crux later on in 2022, Roche warned against the politicisation of debates over Mass, while stressing the Church makes and passes on tradition – not lobbies – adding that often “hysterical” reactions to Pope Francis’s decision to tighten permissions for TLM were concerning. Of the Novus Ordo Mass, Roche said “the Church has decreed at its highest level of legislation, which is a council, an ecumenical council, it has decreed that the liturgy should be reformed, reformed for the present day so that it actually speaks as a vehicle of evangelisation.” Roche has previously said TLM was “abrogated by Pope Saint Paul VI” in a letter to Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. This contradicted Benedict XVI, who had written that the pre-conciliar liturgy was “never juridically abrogated.”
Roche may be papabile, but traditionalists will question how much of a compromise figure he is. For them, Roche may have the appearance of a moderate, but they see him as pushing a Francis-aligned agenda. For traditionalists, Cardinal Roche is forever associated with moves against the Latin Mass, a key dividing line within the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, his name is being whispered and he has powerful allies. It surely cannot be considered unthinkable then that “the lad from Batley Carr” is now seriously in the running if the Pope steps down.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.