VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: New documentary explores Church division over Latin Mass

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Elliot Hartley• March 19, 2025

A new mini-documentary specially produced for the Catholic Herald sheds light on the divide in the Catholic Church between traditionalists who desire the right to practise the Latin Mass and progressives who see the old rite as an outdated relic.

At the same time, there are those who defend the role, accessibility and importance of the Novus Ordo rite and fear that it, along with the unity of the Church in general, risks being comprised by the heat and turmoil generated around the Latin Mass issue.

With Pope Francis’s health even more in question, given his recent medical scares, many are contemplating what the future holds for the Tridentine Mass.

The Pope is known in traditional communities for his implementation of restrictions on the Tridentine Mass through Traditionis Custodes. Now, many are asking what will happen to the Latin Mass after his death. Will the pontiff’s successor continue the restrictions, or be more flexible over its practice?

This documentary explores the deeply held convictions behind the headlines and the theological debates fuelling the divide.