Spanish pilgrims from a group that has celebrated the Traditional Latin Mass at the Shrine of Covadonga for the last three years have been denied that right this year.
Reported at Rorate five days ago, this is not new news, but it is still recent, and is a sad “sign of the times.”
The annual event is organized by Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad (Our Lady of Christendom), and is a three-day walking pilgrimage from Oviedo to Covadonga (Asturias, Spain). News came to the pilgrims around a month before the July 27-29 proceedings.
It is significant that the Archdiocese of Oviedo, in whose jurisdiction the shrine is located, said that a Roman dicastery forbade the traditional liturgy (see below).
For what it is worth, I was at this shrine in Covadonga on June 20 and 21 of this year. On the morning of June 21, our little pilgrimage group prayed at the Holy Mass (TLM) that was offered by our chaplain, and the Holy Mass took place in the crypt of the lovely 19th-century basilica where these Spanish traditionalists are now being denied their right to celebrate the traditional liturgy.
The difference is that our group was small (22) and somewhat “under the radar,” though the Canons of the Basilica gave us access to the crypt; by contrast, the Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad pilgrimage is large, very public, and — I do not say it pejoratively — loud, if my own experience with such pilgrimages is any indication. From what I gather from the format and the name of this event, it was inspired, as was our American Pilgrimage for Restoration (Auriesville, New York), by the Chartres pilgrimage in France.
Reports Rorate:
The Dicastery of Divine Worship notified the Archdiocese of Oviedo that the pilgrims of Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad are forbidden, at the end of their pilgrimage, to celebrate the TLM in the great historic shrine of Covadonga, as they have peacefully and fervently done the past three years. Here are a couple of photos from last year, showing the large numbers, and the poster for 2024 …
Miserere nobis, Domine!
This signa temporum is not surprising, but is sad nonetheless. Looks like the pilgrims are keeping up their pluck, though: “Spain: Thousands of Pilgrims to Be Denied Traditional Mass at the Shrine of Covadonga” https://t.co/bjAElp6oEn via @SBC_Catholic
— Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M. (@Brother_Andre) July 11, 2024
