Pope urges end to ideological polemics over old Latin Mass

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is urging the Catholic faithful to stop exploiting the old Latin Mass for ideological reasons. In a letter Wednesday, he is instead urging them to discover the beauty of the new liturgy that grew from the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.Francis penned a letter to the Catholic faithful as part of his long-term effort to crack down on the spread of the old rite and its supporters. The timing of the document’s release seemed intentional: It was issued on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, an important feast day for the Catholic Church in which the unity of the church, and the communion between its archbishops and the pope, are emphasized.