Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the chairman of the Italian bishops’ conference, presided over Vespers on Friday during the annual Traditional Latin Mass pilgrimage in Rome.
The three-day pilgrimage to Rome is named after Benedict XVI’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, which recognized the right of priests to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal.
Traditional-rite pontifical Vespers inside the Pantheon. What a blessing. pic.twitter.com/e3UidY7Q58
— Urban Hannon (@hannonregular) October 28, 2022
On October 28 in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Martyrs, also known as the Pantheon, Zuppi led Vespers.
In May, the Italian cardinal, a longtime collaborator with the Catholic Sant’Egidio Community, took the position of president of the Italian bishops’ conference. Since 2015, he has served as archbishop of Bologna.
Zuppi was one of the first bishops to implement Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis custodes in his diocese, allowing the Traditional Latin Mass to continue to be celebrated in the parish where it has been conducted since 2007.
The 11th year of the Traditional Latin Mass Pilgrimage, organized by the People of Summorum Pontificum. According to its website, it brings individuals “ad Petri Sedem” (“to the See of Peter”) to provide “evidence of the attachment that links countless believers throughout the world to the traditional liturgy.”
On the morning of October 29, pilgrims participated in Eucharistic adoration at the Basilica of San Celso and Giuliano, a parish governed by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a society emphasizing the Traditional Latin Mass and emphasizing apostolic life.
Monsignor Marco Agostini, one of the masters of ceremonies for papal liturgies, then celebrated a Traditional Latin Mass at the Altar of the Chair at St. Peter’s Basilica.
According to the pre-Vatican II liturgical calendar, the pilgrimage will conclude on October 30 with a High Mass for the feast of Christ the King, which is celebrated on the final Sunday of October.
The Mass in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims will be organized by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), a fraternity of apostolic life that celebrates the Roman rite in accordance with the 1962 liturgical books.
Following Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis custodes, the FSSP announced in February a papal decree affirming their ability to utilize these texts.
Monsignor Patrick Descourtieux, an officer of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will preside over the Mass.