29th September 2010
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
His Excellency Monsignor Guido Pozzo,
Secretary, Piazza del Sant' Uffizio 11,
00120 Vatican City, Italy
Your Excellency:
I am a Catholic lay faithful belonging to Kojimachi (St. Ignatius) Church in Tokyo Diocese of Japan. I would like you to support the Tridentine Mass according to the Roman Missal of Blessed John XXIII in St. Ignatius Church.
St. Ignatius Church is the biggest church of 14,000 members in Japan. It is an international church, and there are Masses in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Polish besides Japanese, and furthermore, a folk Mass, a Mass for children and so on.
However, there is no Tridentine Mass. Several of us approached Fr. Domenico Vitali, the parish priest of St. Ignatius and said “we would like you to do the Tridentine Mass". But he said “The Archbishop does not permit it,” and our wish has not been granted. The best the Archbishop of Tokyo can offer us is a Novus Ordo mass said in Latin once a year. To our sorrow, most people believe that that is a Tridentine mass.
Since in 'SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM' Art.7, it is written that if the bishop cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei", I decided to write the letter to you.
Therefore, we respectfully ask you to support the Tridentine Mass to be offered in St. Ignatius Church every day. We think it is possible to do the Tridentine Mass in St. Ignatius Church, because there are many priests who are in their seventies and eighties.
Please let us enclose the advocates' signatures. We would like you to deal with the matter in an appropriate manner and soon.
We humbly ask your holiness your blessings.
Sincerely yours in Christ,