Aaron Irber

Good grief. Again, I attend the TLM in Rome with the ICKSP and with the FSSP when I'm in the States. I have attended this TLM pilgrimage many times over the years. I am NOT a journalist or blogger who gets paid to rage. I am, however, someone who has been organizing pilgrimages like this for decades and knows exactly how the Vatican and the churches work. The news over the last few days is that the TLM pilgrimage Mass was not allowed in Saint Peter's Basilica, that the Vatican threw together an event to block them, that the group was denied entry into the basilica to pray, and that they were only allowed one hour at Saint Mary Major at the last minute, with no photos. Let me break this down... Celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis were being planned as early as 2021. Meetings took place with Pope Francis in 2022 to discuss the events. In January 2025, the Italian government met with Vatican officials to plan the events. In January 2026, Vatican News referenced planned events to take place throughout the year. So despite what some are saying, the Franciscan event that is happening today was not thrown together to block this Mass at the last minute. In fact, this event coincides with a huge event that starts tomorrow in Assisi, where 5,000 people have registered and which Pope Leo was originally scheduled to attend. When the organizers requested the Mass for this day, they were told the altar was already reserved and offered another day or another location. They chose another location, Saint Mary Major. No scandal. As for the procession, the group was not banned from entering. They were not allowed to process in. They could not carry their flags and banners and would have to enter through security like everyone else. If you check the photos, you'll see that the line at that time was over an hour long. So if they arrived at their scheduled time of 1 p.m., it would have been difficult to get through security and across town in time for their 3 p.m. Mass. 👏🏻 Props to the PR people who positioned the group for a photo in front of the walls set up for construction of the Nativity scene instead of moving them over a few feet for an unobstructed view of the basilica! 👏🏻 Last year, we were able to process in because there was a dedicated entrance for the Jubilee with very little wait. Anyone could process in (unfortunately), which is why we ended up with some inappropriate processions. But that was an exception during the Jubilee. Normally, groups cannot just process beyond the piazza, as was the case today. As for the Mass at Saint Mary Major, they allow one hour for Mass. I have been here with cardinals leading pilgrimages of hundreds of people. Do you know how much time they were allowed for Mass? One hour. Saint Mary Major says on their Mass reservation form and in their confirmation emails that private groups are allowed one hour. Could they have made an exception? Sure, but they don't usually for cardinals bringing busloads of people, so why would they here? And for the photos during Mass, permission to use a professional photographer has to be requested well in advance. Did the organizers know this and make the proper request? I don't know. Professional photos on Vatican property, including Saint Peter's Basilica, Saint Peter's Square, Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and the Scala Santa, require special permission. I've been making these requests for years. It's simple, but getting a reply takes time. It is the Vatican, after all. So perhaps they did not have permission or even ask for permission. There is plenty to question in the Church, but if you're not looking for clicks, this looks more like poor planning and poor communication, possibly on both sides, than some grand conspiracy.