Paix liturgique

“O Mary, bring forth the olive branch of liturgical peace!”

We are publishing here the text of the homily delivered by Bishop Athanasius Schneider during the Mass he celebrated for the “Summorum Pontificum” pilgrims on October 24, 2026, in Rome, at Saint Mary Major. In the packed basilica, not far from the tomb of St. Pius V, the bishop accompanying the 15th “Ad Petri Sedem” pilgrimage spoke about the traditional Mass, which has never been abolished. He implored the Queen of Peace to bring it to these traditional Catholics, who are treated “as second-class Catholics.” ” Nevertheless, they are not bitter: “They continue to love their Mother, the Church of Rome, even if, for the moment, they do not feel understood by her.” One cannot help but appreciate the image in which Bishop Schneider envisions the late Pope Francis, now under the gaze of eternity, who might well advise Pope Leo to restore the Mass of St. Pius V…

"Praised be Jesus Christ! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! The Holy Church, the See of St. Peter, is our Mother. We are children of the Church, and that is why the expression “Holy Mother Church” is so dear to all true Catholics. The Church is a mother because there is another Mother, that one Mother who is immaculate, who is ever-virgin: she is the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. We have the great joy of being able to celebrate at this moment and in this basilica—in our Mother’s house—the Holy Mass according to the same venerable form in which so many Popes and countless generations of priests have celebrated it in this place. Here, some saints and popes celebrated their first Holy Mass, such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Pope Pius XII. Pope Francis had a special devotion to the icon of the Salus Populi Romani housed in this Basilica. He chose this very Basilica as the site of his final earthly resting place. Over the course of his twelve-year pontificate, Pope Francis prayed before the icon of the Salus Populi Romani one hundred twenty-six times. His first visit took place on March 14, 2013, the day after his election; his last was one week before his death. He made these visits before and after every apostolic journey, as well as during his four hospitalizations at the Gemelli Polyclinic. Seven other popes are already buried in the basilica.

First of all, this basilica and the traditional form of the Mass according to the Roman Rite are linked to Saint Pius V, whose holy remains rest here. He is the pope who has gone down in history as the pontiff of the traditional Roman Rite and the Holy Rosary; thanks to the prayer of the Rosary, Christians won the victory over the enemies of Christendom at Lepanto—against all human expectations. Saint Pius V did not implement a reform of the Mass in the strict sense, for he held the liturgical tradition of the Church of Rome in the highest regard; for centuries, the Church had possessed a rite which—through its doctrinal integrity, ritual beauty, and maturity—required no reform, but rather served as a guarantee and a sure point of reference amid the widespread liturgical anarchy of the sixteenth century, brought about by the Protestant pseudo-reforms. Drawing on this venerable tradition and his own holiness, Saint Pius V guaranteed—in a particularly solemn manner, through the Apostolic Constitution *Quo Primum*—the free and perpetual use of the traditional form of the Mass to all priests of the Roman Rite; he expressly established that no priest could ever be compelled to celebrate Holy Mass according to a form other than that of the missal he had promulgated, and that his Apostolic Constitution *Quo Primum* could not be revoked in the future. Thus, Saint Pius V, in a sense, canonized the traditional rite of the Mass. Consequently, no Roman pontiff has ever dared to revoke or “decanonize” *Quo Primum*, a fact acknowledged by Pope Benedict XVI, who affirmed that this form of celebrating the sacrifice of the Mass had never been abrogated (see the Apostolic Letter *Summorum Pontificum* of July 7, 2007).

We are in a basilica that also houses the statue of the Mother of God under the title "Queen of Peace," placed there at the behest of Pope Benedict XV. The Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, is seated on a throne holding the Child Jesus, who is poised to let the olive branch fall. The Virgin’s face expresses sorrow and sadness, and with her raised arm, she implores an end to hostilities. On the pedestal, a dove waits anxiously for the olive branch to fall so it may carry the message of peace to mankind. A great number of Catholics worldwide—particularly the younger generation and young families—harbor a legitimate desire to participate in Holy Mass in the traditional form. Pope John Paul II regarded the faithful's desire for this liturgical form as legitimate, urging bishops to respond generously to it (see Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei). Through this liturgical form, the faithful seek to unite themselves spiritually with the saints and their own ancestors; they desire to experience—with eyes, ears, and heart—that ritual form of the Mass which nourished and strengthened so many saints, martyrs, and confessors in their Christian lives. Yet today, due to rigid regulatory restrictions and pastoral discrimination, these faithful—especially the young—feel treated as second-class Catholics. Nevertheless, they harbor no bitterness; instead, they continue to love their Mother, the Church, even if, for the moment, they do not feel understood by that very Mother—by the Church of Rome.

If the Lateran Basilica is the “Mother and Head of all the churches of the City and of the world,” the Basilica of Saint Mary Major is the “Mother and Head of all the Marian shrines of the world.” May the saints and popes who have a special connection to this Marian shrine of ours implore from the Mother of God—the Salus Populi Romani and Regina Pacis —the grace that the olive branch, held in the hand of the Infant Jesus in the lap of the Regina Pacis, may fall upon us and bring us the long-awaited liturgical peace, the peace that restores the full and non-discriminatory use of the traditional form of the Roman Rite. May those in the Church who bear responsibility foster the advent of this liturgical peace by allowing themselves to be moved by the voice of the Regina Pacis and by that of the Church’s youngest children—marginalized in liturgical matters—while also bearing in mind the words of John Paul II: “In the Roman Missal, known as that of St. Pius V… there are beautiful prayers through which the priest expresses the deepest sense of humility and reverence before the holy mysteries: they reveal the very essence of any Liturgy” (Message to the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, September 21, 2001), and those of Pope Francis, who praised the Orthodox Churches for having preserved their “pristine liturgy, so beautiful,” saying: “We have lost some of our sense of adoration.” “They preserve it; they worship God; time does not matter. God is at the center, and this is a treasure” (Press conference on the return flight from the trip to Brazil on July 28, 2013). Today, Pope Francis might perhaps say to his successor and to the bishops: “Restore and preserve the original and most beautiful form of the Roman Rite, canonized by St. Pius V.” This form of the Mass was the one from Pope Francis’s youth and the Mass of his conversion. This form of the Mass was the one from Pope Leo XIV’s childhood and First Communion. O Mary, Mother of God, O Salus Populi Romani, O Regina pacis, bring us the olive branch from the hand of the Child Jesus for the coming of liturgical peace, which will ensure the full and free use of the traditional Roman Rite, so that we may experience once again that the Roman Church is our Mother. Amen."

+ Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Mary Most Holy in Astana