Anglica catholica

[Guelfo Nero]

“The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals”: the story of a long struggle to save the Vetus Ordo



Luca Fumagalli

The writer Julien Green after attending the “New Mass” for the first time, and amazed at having found it astoundingly similar to the Protestant rite, turned to his sister Mary asking: «Why did we convert ?»

The anecdote referring to Green is only one of the several that demonstrate the bewilderment that many felt at the liturgical innovations introduced by the Second Vatican Council. It was above all the countries with a Protestant majority, including England, that saw the first outbreaks of the protest. The small Catholic communities that resided there immediately and more easily than others grasped the dangerous similarity between the Novus Ordo and the Lutheran and Calvinist rites of their compatriots. It is no coincidence that an eminent Norwegian psychologist, Dr. Borghild Krane, was the first to sound the alarm to all Catholics worldwide, with a view to organising a joint action to preserve the centuries-old liturgical heritage of the Tridentine Mass.

The appeal resulted in the birth of numerous associations and in 1965 the delegates of six European states met in Rome to set up an international coordination, commonly known as Una Voce, formalized in Zurich two years later. The British Latin Mass Society immediately occupied a place of great importance among the federated groups.

A first appeal, organised by the Italian poet Cristina Campo, was sent in 1966 to Paul VI in which it was maintained that abandoning the use of the Latin language in the Holy Mass would result in great spiritual deprivation. Montini was then asked for permission at least to continue to attend Masses celebrated in the ancient rite; the plea, however, got no response.

With the official introduction of the new missal, in order to prevent the great traditions of the Church from disappearing forever, the Latin Mass Society, led by the writer and poet Alfred Marnau, decided to take the initiative again. This time it was necessary to break the delay with an incisive and resounding action. Marnau then proposed to forward a petition to Paul VI. Unlike the previous requests, all ignored, this time the document was also to be signed by eminent personalities from culture, art, entertainment and politics, including some who were far from Catholic.

Having drafted the text and approved the action plan, in early 1971 Marnau, driven by urgency, in less than three weeks collected fifty-seven signatures including those of Graham Greene, Herman Grisewood, David Jones, Kathleen Raine, Cecil Day Lewis and, of course, Agatha Christie, whose name was later associated with the Indult that Montini finally granted (the happy outcome of the initiative, however, can be attributed to the diplomatic skills of the then archbishop of Westminister, Cardinal John Carmel Heenan).

The story of these first petitions in defence of the Latin mass and the subsequent ones – 1995, 1998, 2006 and 2007 – is told in full in the splendid volume by Arouca Press The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals, edited by Joseph Shaw, with contributions from Brother Gabriel-Díaz, Erik Tonning, Sebastian Morello, Philip Maxence, Leo Darroch and Matthew Schellhorn. It is a story much more complex, and more interesting, than has until now usually been assumed, and it is no exaggeration to say that they prevented the ancient liturgy of the Western Church from being suppressed all over the world.

In the first part, in addition to presenting the opinion of de Maistre and Proust on Latin and the thousand-year-old liturgy of the Catholic Church, the book focuses on the liturgical reform of Saint Pius V, aimed at safeguarding the traditional doctrine, and which is therefore completely different from that of 1969, born in the doctrinal and liturgical chaos of the 1960s promoted by the Second Vatican Council.

The second part, which opens with harsh criticisms of the novus ordo by Christopher Sykes, Evelyn Waugh and Hugh Ross Williamson, tells in detail the biographical and religious story of some of the most important defenders of the traditional liturgy such as Cristina Campo and Bernard Wall. It continues by dealing at length with the Latin Mass Society, the Feoderatio Internationalis Una Voce and the other traditionalist associations born around the world which have attempted in every way to prevent the Latin mass from being repealed completely.

Finally, some key issues surrounding the fight to save the vetus ordo are discussed. For example, it is explained why several modernist writers turned out to be traditionalists in the theological field, or why even esotericists considered it important to sign the petitions. But it also discusses music, art and the significant role that converts had, at least in England, being among the most combative faithful.

The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals is therefore a book that must be read: not only will the reader have the opportunity to discover the various reasons that led many people of different social and cultural backgrounds to unite to preserve the traditional mass, but it is also a splendid opportunity to realize that there are many, all over the world, who still today are convinced that the new Montini rite, beyond its objective defects, has done more harm than good, and that God, to quote the title of an article that appeared at the time in an Italian newspaper, speaks Latin.

Joseph Shaw (ed.), The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals: The Petitions to Save the Ancient Mass from 1966 to 2007 (Arouca Press, 2023), 410 pages, $23.95.

Buy the book: https://aroucapress.com/the-latin-mass-and-intellectuals

[Guelfo Nero]

[Review] Una Voce: a Long Battle to save the Traditional Mass



Luca Fumagalli

Although the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council decreed that Latin had to be retained and both John XXIII and Paul VI were great advocates of it, in the sixties a systematic dismantling of the traditional liturgy began which did not only affect the language. The so-called Novus Ordo, in fact, was a significant departure from the Catholic mass as it had always been celebrated, a result of distortions and misreadings of the Council’s mandates for reform. The consequence was doctrinal and pastoral, which caused numerous controversies, not least because a change in the liturgy was something that did not seem to interest the majority of the faithful.

In those difficult years, an organization of lay people from different countries was born, the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce (FIUV), whose main aim was to defend, with the filial instinct of its member’s sensus fidei, the immortal beauty of the liturgy of the Church (the name derives from the preface of the Roman canon which at the end reads «qui non cessant clamare quotidie una voce dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus»). The Federation came into existence in France and similar groups immediately sprang up in many countries. It was decided that the battle to preserve Latin and Gregorian chant, as well as sacred polyphony, in the liturgy should be conducted in accordance with the conciliar constitution Sacrosantum Concilium.

The starting point of Una Voce was the initiative of some Norwegian Catholics under the leadership of the psychologist Borghild Krane. Catholics living in Protestant countries were the first to grasp the dangers of a vernacularization of the liturgical language that eliminated one of the traits that distinguished the Roman faithful from other Christian churches. Furthermore, Latin was a testimony to the universality of the Catholic Church. In the meantime, a group was born, also in France, called Una Voce – a name that Kreane also adopted for her association – and in the following months similar organizations were founded around the world, such as the Latin Mass Society in England and Wales (today there are around forty associations present in thirty countries).

To coordinate the work of the different groups, it was decided in 1967 to create an international federation and the lawyer Eric de Saventhem was elected president. Even today, each national group is autonomous, but the FIUV is best placed to represent the common concerns of Catholics around the world at the highest level of ecclesiastical government.


The Federation has always published its own bulletin with the aim of educating and enlightening members on what was happening in the Church, within which changes were taking place at a frenetic pace. After all, watching and advising was de Saventhem’s motto and despite the limited funds available and some difficulties related to the different ideas of its members, FIUV still continues in its mission today, dependent on the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”.

If since the “English” Indult of 1971 many steps forward have been made to provide a guarantee for the faithful who wish to attend the traditional mass, there is certainly no shortage of problems, made even more serious by a liturgical reform, which, apparently, rather than bringing benefits to the faith, has only caused damage. The drastic drop in the number of people who attend mass on Sundays and in the number of vocations is only one aspect of an increasingly profound crisis. So much time has passed since the promulgation of the Novus Ordo – with the Latin Mass, although formally still an option, being in fact prohibited in many parts of the world – during which the theological changes that it brought about have reduced Catholicism to rubble in which one sees the triumph of ignorance and the most foolish permissiveness.

The history of the FIUV and its crusade for the Catholic faith – in particular the period including the presidencies of de Saventhem and Michael Davies, i.e. from 1967 to 2004 – is told in full by former president Leo Darroch in an interesting volume, entitled simply Una Voce: The History of the Foederatio Universalis Una Voce published in 2017 by Gracewing. The author is very skilled in reconstructing, step by step, the main events but also the secondary ones which, starting from the Second Vatican Council, characterized the action of those who wanted to save the traditional liturgy. For example, the chapters that deal with the relationships between the FIUV and the various prefects of the Congregation for Divine Worship are very absorbing, as are those whose protagonist is Msgr. Lefebvre. Furthermore, a final appendix collects many of the documents cited in the book, otherwise unobtainable, and the preface by Bishop Athanasius Schneider helps to show how Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum is the final outcome, from a chronological point of view, of the efforts of FIUV. It is therefore a valuable work, excellent for those who have only recently approached the so-called traditionalist environment, but also for veterans of the Latin Mass, offering a precious opportunity to rediscover the reasons for a commitment that is increasingly important.

All that remains is to consider the developments of the Bergoglio era which, from many points of view, have represented a step backwards from the complete liberty of the Latin Mass. What is certain is that FIUV will never give up.

The book: Leo Darroch, Una Voce: The History of the Foederatio Universalis Una Voce, Gracewing, Leomnister, 2017, 504 pages, £25.

Buy the book: https://www.gracewing.co.uk/page96.html

[Guelfo Nero]

[Review] “The Complete Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson”: the man beyond the myth



Luca Fumagalli

W.B. Yeats recognized him as his most important influence, while Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot willingly praised his lyrical ability. Yet, over time, the memory of Lionel Johnson (1867-1892), poet and critic, has been lost and until a few years ago, when some scholars gradually began to rediscover his life story and extraordinary production, one could come across his name at most by scrolling through the footnotes of some essay dedicated to fin de siècle literature.

Part of the responsibility must be attributed to Johnson himself who, shy and humble, always led a secluded existence. This also explains why, apart from a drawing by his friend Edwin Ellis, there are no portraits of him and only three photographs survive as an adult, the authenticity of which, among other things, is difficult to verify. His papers were also lost after his death, and until the publication in 2012 of the biographical volume Lionel Johnson: Victorian Dark Angel by Richard Whittington-Egan, to reconstruct his life scholars had to settle for his most personal poems, some letters, the memories of those who knew him and a handful of articles and short monographic essays. The inevitable consequence was a long reiteration of inaccuracies, omissions, if not outright slander, further denied by Robert Asch in his Lionel Johnson. Poetry and Prose (2021), a critical collection of the best of Johnson’s production that constitutes the right complement to Whittington-Egan’s work.

In general, more than the stereotype of the cursed poet of decadence, Johnson seems to embody with his life and work what Holbrook Jackson considered the most authentic aesthetics of the Eighteen Nineties: the search for a religious response to the cynicism and disillusionment that pervaded modern culture (this is also demonstrated by his most famous poem, “The Dark Angel”).

As a boy, thanks to winning a scholarship, he was able to enter Winchester College, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in England. In addition to accumulating prizes in English, history and the classical languages, from 1884 to 1886 he became editor of the school newspaper, the Wykehamist, which, through his efforts, developed into a quality literary paper. He took part in various educational initiatives and was a member of the Shakespeare society. Furthermore, Johnson corresponded with several Oxford students and with Walt Whitman, being considered by his classmates to be erudite and eccentric. There were even rumours that he had read all the books in the library and drank sal volatile; someone considered him a sinister type, perhaps homosexual, and on one occasion, probably due to dubious friendships, he reached the point of being involved in a scandal of some kind.




The Winchester years also marked the beginning of Johnson’s personal spiritual journey which, due to a withered faith, approached Buddhism and theosophy for a short period. Buddhism, in particular, disappointed him for being too tied to the oriental experience and for preaching an ascetic elitism clearly out of reach of the majority, especially the poor, towards whom the boy had a special attachment as evidenced by his participation in a charitable initiative like the Winchester Mission. Despite his doubts, he maintained a certain reverence for the priesthood, for the liturgy and for the person of Christ, so much so that later he found himself toying with the idea of taking Anglican orders. Anglo-Catholic Reverend Malise Cunninghame Graham, a friend of his, whose tragic and premature death inspired Johnson’s poem “In Memory”, most likely urged him in this direction.

The spiritual oscillations of the time, including the progressive approach to Catholicism, are testified by the correspondence with Frank Russell, elder brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell, Charles Sayle and J. H. Badley, published in 1919 with the title Some Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson.

Now Snuggly Books, a small but meritorious publishing house that for years has taken on the task of promoting late nineteenth and early twentieth century authors little known to the general public, has just published The Complete Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson, a new edition of Johnson’s letters, edited by historian Ruth Derham and scholar Sarah Green, that restores for the first time the full text of them, without the cuts made by Russell, editor of the previous collection. The aim is to dispel the many myths that still circulate about Johnson and to return him to his context.

What Johnson wrote in the period of time from October 1883 to July 1885, when he was 17/18 years old, is in fact an excellent example of his complex, fascinating and sometimes even contradictory personality. He appears to be a sharp, sensitive boy with a solitary nature, with few but trustworthy confidants and a culture so vast that it allows him to quote by heart works of classical literature, pages of the Bible, but also modern English, French and German writers. Overall, the letters give the impression of an enthusiastic young man, passionate about reality, with fickle tastes like everyone else his age, ready to easily fall in love with an idea and then abandon it immediately afterwards. Likewise, the style also changes from calm to emphatic, and Johnson himself was aware of sometimes being prey to what he himself called «rhapsodies».

The greatest merit of The Complete Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson, the result of scrupulous research work, accompanied among other things by a long introduction on Johnson and the context in which his letters were written, is therefore that of restoring the authentic spirit, without mediation, of a poet who unfortunately continues to be reduced to nothing more than a symbol of the so-called “Tragic Generation”.

The book: Lionel Johnson, The Complete Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson, edited by Ruth Derham and Sarah Green, London, Snuggly Books, 2024, 296 pages, US$23.00.