ROME (LifeSiteNews) — The annual international Traditional Mass pilgrimage saw over a thousand devotees of the Catholic Church’s traditional liturgy process through the streets of Rome today, culminating in a solemn benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Spread over three days, the Summorum Pontificum (or Ad Petri Sedem) pilgrimage, now in its 13th year, draws participants from all over the world to Rome to “have the opportunity of witnessing the eternal youth of the traditional liturgy,” according to the group’s website.
ROME: Selected video highlights from days 1 & 2 of Latin Mass Summorum Pontificum 2024 pilgrimage.
Vespers in Pantheon with Bp. Eleganti on Friday & procession to Vatican with Cdl. Müller on Saturday.
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Opening with solemn vespers on Friday evening at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Martyrs – more commonly known as the Pantheon – pilgrims were led in prayer by Swiss Bishop Marian Eleganti, an outspoken proponent of the traditional liturgy of the Church and critic of the ongoing Synod on Synodality, which closes tomorrow with Mass led by Pope Francis at the Vatican.
This morning, participants gathered outside of the Basilica of Saints Celso and Guiliano – administrated by the traditional priestly group the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest – where they prayed the Rosary together in Latin, the universal language of the Catholic Church. At the conclusion of the Rosary the flags of some 95 countries were raised, representing the global nations in which the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated, to begin processing the 1.7km (just over 1 mile) toward St. Peter’s Basilica.
The “peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem” – or “pilgrimage to the See of Peter” – was led by processional cross and clergy, after which the pilgrims followed behind, all the while chanting joyful hymns of praise to God. First passing the ancient fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo, which has played host to numerous popes over the centuries, the procession soon joined the Via della Conciliazione to make its way into St. Peter’s Basilica.
Arriving at St. Peter’s, pilgrims gathered around the baldacchino in the center of the basilica, which sits atop the tomb of the eponymous apostle.
German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led pilgrims in a solemn profession of faith before venerating the relics of St. Peter. Thereafter, Müller processed to the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter to lead those gathered in benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
In years past, the pilgrimage would culminate in Holy Mass at the papal basilica, but last year permission to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass was suspended in light of Pope Francis’ restrictions on the traditional liturgy, per his 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.
After participants had moved to the Altar of the Chair, and immediately prior to benediction, Müller delivered a homily to the faithful, encouraging those gathered to develop their relationship with the person of Jesus Christ, noting that Christianity is not simply “an abstract theory about the origin of the cosmos” or an “ideology for a better society.”
Instead, the cardinal stressed, the “Christian faith is a personal relationship with the Triune God in the communion of His Church,” such that Christians must avoid becoming “like guards in a museum of a bygone world” regarding their practice of the faith. On the contrary, Müller said, “as believers bound to Jesus by a personal friendship … We move in the presence of God, before whom we must answer for our lives in thoughts, words and good works.”
The pilgrimage’s popularity and importance is attested to by its attendees, who span all ages and geographical boundaries.
One young pilgrim from France told LifeSiteNews that coming to Rome for the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage is “an incredible opportunity.”
“It is very important to unite Christians all over the world here in Rome so they can express their loyalty to Jesus Christ,” she said, adding that the broad national representation of the pilgrimage “shows the unity of all Christians, irrespective of their countries of origin” and their political leanings. “In the end,” she stated, “we are all united in Jesus Christ Our Lord.”
Recognizing that many devotees of the traditional Mass and liturgies find themselves “isolated,” since “in total we are not that many in the world,” a priest from Sweden explained to LifeSiteNews that “the importance to come together for Catholics who are attached to the traditional Mass cannot be overstated.”
To see so many pilgrims come together “in the heart of Rome, to show our affiliation to the Magisterium, to St. Peter, that is just amazing,” the cleric said. “With Our Lady and with the Rosary, we know it will be blessed.”
Traveling to Rome from his parish in Oxford, England, for the pilgrimage, a permanent deacon told LifeSite that it is “very important for every Catholic to come to Rome regularly, or at least occasionally, because it is coming back to the heart of the faith.” He argued that this pilgrimage is especially important “for those of us on the periphery, particularly in non-Catholic countries” and that the event in Rome is therefore “like a recharge of the batteries.”
The deacon explained that the traditional Mass has a special importance not only in his daily life, but to his vocation.
“I started serving the old rite about 20 years ago and that really was what fired up the discovery of my vocation to the permanent diaconate. It has always been extremely important to me,” he said.
Speaking to LifeSiteNews, Ruben Pereto Rivas, director of the International Center for Liturgical Studies, noted the importance of gathering inside the Basilica of St. Peter, where the apostle “gave his testimony of the divinity of Our Lord, and at the place where the Chair of Peter is.”
Rivas added that, for those who come to Rome for the international traditional pilgrimage, “it is a very, very good occasion to show and to live our faith in the Catholic Church through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.”
Having attended the pilgrimage now every year since 2016, Rivas said the reason to come back year after year “is because, I am sure, this pilgrimage is a very good occasion to testify to our faith: faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ and faith in the Catholic Church here at the heart of the Catholic Church.”
The traditional pilgrimage will conclude tomorrow, on the Feast of Christ the King, with 11 a.m. Solemn Mass at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s Rome church, Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini, and will be celebrated by Bishop Eleganti.
A further Mass of thanksgiving will be offered by Monsignor Marco Agostini, a member of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, at 4 p.m. in the church of Sant’Anna in Laterano.
