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WARSAW, Poland (LifeSiteNews) – Polish Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz revealed that the Congregation for Divine Worship said that Pope Francis’ motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, had gone after the Traditional Latin Mass “too harshly.”

Cardinal Nycz and other Polish bishops recently went to Rome for an ad limina visit, and upon his return he told Polish media that the bishops had extensive discussions at the Vatican with the Congregation for Divine Worship, which is responsible for oversight of liturgical matters in the Catholic Church.

“In the liturgical congregation, the discussion on the Tridentine liturgy was very interesting,” Cardinal Nycz  said. “The bishops asked questions, especially related to parish churches, in which this liturgy could possibly be continued, as well as extending the possibility of celebrating it … ”

The cardinal said the Congregation for Divine Worship suggested that Traditionis Custodes, instead of creating unity in the Church, could lead “to someone leaving the Church” if his or her religious needs are not met when the Latin Mass is taken away.

The cardinal added that the desire to interpret the papal document “broadly” was expressed.

According to Cardinal Nycz, the general rule in interpreting the papal document is that priests who already say the traditional liturgy may continue, but “young priests who would like to celebrate this liturgy must apply to the Holy See with a written request for consent to be bi-literal.”

Traditionis has been described as a radical limitation of the freedom for a priest to celebrate Mass in the manner that priests have done for centuries. The document has been met with resistance.

Recently, in an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, Bishop Athanasius Schneider spoke about the controversy.

“The prohibition of the traditional Mass or the limitation is an abuse of power, and it was not given to the pope, the power to suppress millennia of great liturgical treasure of the church, and therefore priests and monasteries, I think they can continue to use this because this is a property of the Holy Mother Church,” he said. 

Bishop Schneider added that priests should continue “to celebrate with peace in our heart, with reverence, with love, for the Church and for the Pope.”