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By Jordan King
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A Catholic bishop in Kentucky has ordered a parish priest to stop celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass, a centuries-old form of the Catholic mass that predates modern church reforms, underscoring how Vatican restrictions introduced under Pope Francis continue to shape worship across the global church.
Bishop William F. Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro wrote in May to Father David Kennedy, directing him to cease offering mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal after June 30. The decision follows a temporary Vatican-approved arrangement that had allowed Kennedy to continue celebrating the older form of the liturgy under specific conditions.
Medley said he could not demonstrate that those conditions had been met—namely that Kennedy had encouraged worshippers to participate in the modern mass versions—and therefore could not ask the Vatican for more time.
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The move highlights the continuing impact of Francis' 2021 decree Traditionis Custodes, which tightened restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass and gave bishops responsibility for regulating celebrations using the 1962 missal. The issue remains one of the most contentious liturgical debates in the Catholic Church.
Other recent disputes between Catholic traditionalists and church leaders include tensions involving the Society of St. Pius X, an ultraconservative breakaway group that is facing excommunication over its plans to consecrate four bishops without papal approval.
Newsweek has contacted Medley, Kennedy and the Vatican for comment via email.
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What Is the Traditional Latin Mass?
The Traditional Latin Mass follows the 1962 Roman Missal, the last version of the mass used before a series of reforms introduced by the Catholic Church in the 1960s, according to the Vatican.
The mainstream version of mass, often known as the Novus Ordo or mass of Paul VI, was introduced after those reforms. While both forms can be celebrated in Latin, they differ in their prayers, readings and structure.
When Francis restricted its use five years ago, he argued that some supporters of the older liturgy had used it to reject the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and create divisions within the church.
Supporters of the Traditional Latin Mass say it preserves centuries of Catholic tradition and worship, while supporters of the restrictions argue that the church should be united around the modern form of the mass.
In practice, the Traditional Latin Mass is usually celebrated entirely in Latin, follows older prayers and rituals, and is often conducted with the priest facing the altar rather than the congregation. The modern mass used in most Catholic churches today is typically celebrated in local languages and includes changes to the order of services, prayers and readings.
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What Medley Said in His Letter
In his letter to Kennedy, Medley said he had delayed implementing the change for almost a year. Following Francis' death last April, the bishop waited to see whether Pope Leo XIV would revisit the Vatican's policy on the Traditional Latin Mass.
Medley said he had hoped church authorities might reconsider the restrictions but had seen no indication that would happen. He wrote that he was therefore obliged to act "in accord with the direction of the Holy See" and end permission for the older form of the mass.
Medley did not ban Latin-language worship outright. Instead, he told Kennedy he could continue celebrating the modern form of the mass in Latin and ad orientem—with the priest facing the altar rather than the congregation—underscoring that the restriction applies specifically to the older rite rather than the use of Latin itself.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Shakeema Edwards.
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