Pope says "NO" to Tridentine Mass

Rome - In a move that will shock traditionalists within the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to announce in his annual Letter to Priests on Maundy Thursday that contrary to popular rumour, there will be no relaxation of the current restrictions on the celebration of the Tridentine Rite of the Mass. The decision comes after negotiations with the Bishops' Conference of France. Vatican sources have indicated that the French Bishops have had such an influence on Benedict that it is possible he may even cancel the 1989 Ecclesia Dei compromise which allowed priests may celebrate the Tridentine Mass with the permission of their Bishop. "We are exceedingly happy with the Holy Father," one French Bishop told Zenit, "he has listened to the truth and acted upon it, and the truth is that the old rite Mass no longer has relevance to Catholics. It belongs to an age that has passed. It was a fussy, incoherent liturgy that insulted rational minds. We are happy indeed."

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