“In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture.”
(Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops on Summorum Pontificum)
“The Novus Ordo of 1970 appears to any honest and objective observer as a rupture with the millennial tradition of the Roman Rite.”
“The Order of Mass of 1970 represents the result of a kind of liturgical revolution, contrary to the true intention of the Council Fathers.”
“The document of Cardinal Roche gives the impression of a clear prejudice against the Traditional Roman Rite and its present use.”
“The document evokes the desperate struggle of a gerontocracy that seeks to impose itself through manipulative arguments and, ultimately, through the misuse of power and authority.”

substack.com

Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Cardinal Roche’s Liturgy Report Is “Manipulative” and Distorts History

(Photo credit: Simon Caldwell)
ROME, 20 January 2026 — Bishop Athanasius Schneider has issued a forceful critique of a recent liturgy report prepared by Cardinal Arthur Roche, saying it relies on “manipulative reasoning” and “distorts historical evidence.”
The Cardinal’s two-page text—framed as a “careful theological, historical, and pastoral reflection”—was distributed to members of the Sacred College at a Jan. 7–8 consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV. Although it was not formally presented or discussed at the meeting due to time constraints, the report received significant pushback from clergy and faithful after its contents circulated in the media.
In a point-by-point analysis, Bishop Schneider challenges both the historical assumptions and theological premises underlying the text. Drawing on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, papal teaching, and the testimony of scholars and witnesses directly involved in the postconciliar liturgical reform, he argues that the report …