The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) has been granted an exception by His Holiness Pope Francis in the restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass decreed by the Pope in February 2022.
photo from Vatican Media
Pope Francis himself invited the FSSP to a meeting last February 29 in response to their request. The private meeting with His Holiness included Father Andrzej Komorowski, Superior General of the FSSP; Fr. Benoît Paul-Joseph, Superior of the District of France; and Fr. Vincent Ribeton, Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary in Wigratzbad.
The meeting discussed the liturgical specificity of the Fraternity of St. Peter, which was established on July 18, 1988, as a society of apostolic life of pontifical right by the Holy See, a canonical status that was granted by Pope John Paul II. It was founded by 12 priests and 20 seminarians who were formerly part of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a canonically irregular traditionalist priestly society established by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970. At the heart of the FSSP’s charism is the celebration of the Mass and the sacraments according to the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, also known as the Tridentine Mass, Traditional Latin Mass, or “Usus Antiquior.”
In a statement following the meeting, the FSSP said, "The pope was very understanding and invited the Fraternity of St. Peter to continue to build up ecclesial communion ever more fully through its own proper charism.”
The statement added, "“In the course of the audience, the pope made it clear that institutes such as the Fraternity of St. Peter are not affected by the general provisions of the motu proprio "Traditionis Custodes," since the use of the ancient liturgical books was at the origin of their existence and is provided for in their constitutions.”
Source: Catholic News Agency