(LifeSiteNews) — On this episode of Faith and Reason, Father Chris Alar, MIC, joins John-Henry Westen and Deacon Keith Fournier to discuss the massive attendance at the Chartres pilgrimage, Pope Leo XIV’s letter to the pilgrims, the pontiff’s appointment of an anti-traditional archbishop in Argentina, the increasing number of young people drawn to Catholic tradition, and more.
The panel opened the episode by discussing the annual Chartres pilgrimage, which saw a record 20,000 pilgrims participate in the trek from Paris to Chartres. The trio watched a clip of Chartres Bishop Philippe Christory reading a letter Pope Leo XIV wrote to the pilgrims.
READ: Chartres bishop tells record 20k Latin Mass devotees Pope Leo ‘prays for every pilgrim’
Westen noted the hope many traditional Catholics have that the new pontiff will lift some of his predecessor’s harsh restrictions on the Latin Mass, as well as some indications that suggest he’s moving in that direction.
“Everybody’s waiting to see what happens with the Latin Mass community, there’s been so many restrictions. (The restrictions in) Charlotte happened a couple of weeks ago, which was disastrous. And then it sort of turned a corner, it was delayed,” the host said. “And there’s even some speculation that Pope Leo had something to do with that delay. We hope so.”
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“But I think what’s joyous is that there seems to be so much hope here,” he added. “And I can’t blame anyone, when you have 19,000 young people all clamoring for this, it’s hard to ignore.”
Fr. Alar emphasized that the extraordinary form of the Mass has been a source of unity for many young Catholics.
“If you look at what has been the unifying factor of the young in the Catholic Church, it’s been the TLM,” the priest said. “This happens to be something that you see more of the youth striving to be part of, receiving Communion at the altar rails, receiving [while] kneeling. The essence of the young has really been upgrading in terms of reverence and piety.”
“We see that even in vocations now,” he added. “The men that we see coming into the community now … we are seeing a definite increase in piety and reverence within the younger men (who) are coming in today.”
Deacon Keith agreed and highlighted how young Catholics seem to be drawn to both the Latin Mass and the Byzantine Divine Liturgy because they have a hunger for tradition.
“Generally, young people want the Lord, and they want the fullness that comes from the dynamic, faithful Catholic liturgy. And they want the fullness that the Church has to offer in the tradition, and in the 2,000 years of wisdom that she offers,” he said.
Later in the episode, the panel turned to news from South America, where Pope Leo XIV appointed Argentine Bishop Raúl Martín as an archbishop. Martín has faced sharp criticism for attacking traditional Catholic liturgical practices such as receiving Communion on the tongue and kneeling.
READ: Soon-to-be archbishop in Argentina publicly scolded altar boys for kneeling to receive Communion
Alar underscored that Bishop Martín is contradicting the traditional norm of receiving Our Lord.
“The traditional way of receiving (the Eucharist) is kneeling on the tongue; it is the way to receive,” he said. “And so to take that away is something that’s not really proper. We’re not really supposed to be able to have a bishop do that.”
Alar further stressed that Pope John Paul II’s instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum says that the faithful can’t be denied the Eucharist if they kneel.
“Redemptionis Sacramentum says that you cannot be denied if you are receiving either standing or kneeling,” the priest said. “That is the choice of the communicant; the communicant has the right. I cannot deny you (Communion) if you want to stand or kneel.”
“And again, Redemptionis Sacramentum says this is the norm. So I’m very surprised when these bishops try to step in and try to redefine that,” he added.
For more discussion on Pope Leo XIV’s concerning appointment of Bishop Martín, young Catholics being drawn to tradition, the overwhelming number of pilgrims that attended the Chartres pilgrimage, and more, tune in to this episode of Faith and Reason.
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