‘I do not think we should discriminate against them,’ Cdl. Goh said about those who prefer the Latin Mass since ‘this is the Mass that has been celebrated for hundreds of years, hasn’t it?’
(LifeSiteNews) -- Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore said that the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) should not be restricted and that the Church should not “discriminate” against those who prefer it in comments seconded by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco.
In an interview on Thursday with Italian Catholic website The Daily Compass, Goh was asked what will happen to devotees of the Latin Mass under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. “Personally, I believe there is no reason to stop people who prefer the Tridentine Mass. They are not doing anything wrong or sinful,” he responded.
“Of course, the unity of the Church must be preserved, but we already have different rites, such as the Syro-Malabar rite,” added the Asian prelate, who was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022.
“We can accept different ways of celebrating the Eucharist, so I believe we should not stifle those who prefer the Tridentine rite,” he continued. “Ultimately, what matters is not the rite or the form in which it is celebrated, but whether one encounters God in depth.”
“I do not personally celebrate the Tridentine Mass, but I am not opposed to those who do,” he said.
Goh added that in Singapore, a group of about 300 people, “mostly young professionals,” attend the Traditional Latin Mass. “Sometimes I ask them, ‘Why do you prefer this celebration?’ They reply that they find it more reflective and contemplative, and that it brings them closer to God,” he related.“Why should I stop them?”
The cardinal said that he would support disciplining Latin Mass devotees if they “reject the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.”
“But they do not, so I do not think we should discriminate against them. After all, this is the Mass that has been celebrated for hundreds of years, hasn't it?” he stated.
Cordileone highlighted Goh's remarks in an X post on Saturday, saying, "Let me second the idea that lifting restrictions on the use of the 1962 Missal would be grand, healing, and unifying." The San Franciscan archbishop is a prominent defender of the Traditional Latin Mass and reverent liturgical practices, including receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling.
The Traditional Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass, which was codified by Pope St. Pius V in the 16th century but dates back to antiquity, was the primary liturgy of the Church for hundreds of years until the introduction of the Novus Ordo Mass or Mass of Paul VI in 1969.
Millions of Catholics around the world, including many young people, continue to prefer the Latin Mass over the Novus Ordo, describing the former as more reverent and mysterious and better expressive of the Catholic faith. However, Pope Francis severely restricted the traditional liturgy beginning in 2021, in marked contrast to his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI and Pope St. John Paul II.
Regardless of Francis' restrictions, devotion to the Latin Mass has continued to grow in recent years.
In the same interview with The Daily Compass, Goh criticized Francis’ lack of doctrinal clarity, saying that the “least pleasant aspect of his pontificate was that his teachings appeared ambiguous.”
Under Pope Francis, issues such as marriage and LGBT ideology “divided the Church because, at a certain point, it became unclear what the right thing to do was,” he said. “If we are not clear about what the Church teaches, it is very difficult to work together in unity.”
In another recent interview with EWTN, Goh similarly lamented “ambiguity” in Francis’ documents, including Amoris Laetitia, which purported to allow divorced and “remarried” Catholics to receive Holy Communion while living in adultery.
“Even bishops are confused, including cardinals,” he said. “So, we find ourselves struggling to explain to the people exactly where the [stance] of the Church is on certain doctrines.”
