National Catholic Register, Edward Pentin: Despite Vatican restrictions on the ancient liturgy, the head of Italy’s bishops’ conference, known for social activism and his closeness to Italian leftist politics, presided at traditional solemn Vespers in the Pantheon in Rome this evening.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, a Rome native with close connections to the Sant’Egidio lay community but who is also friendly to adherents of the ancient liturgy, led the liturgical celebration and gave a short homily.
He told the Register afterward that he had decided to preside at the liturgy because the organizers had “invited me — they invited me before I became president of the Italian bishops’ conference, and I thought it was all right.” Cardinal Zuppi was elected the new president of the bishops’ conference on May 24. Report is here.
