EXCLUSIVE: Pope Leo biographer says pontiff still weighing Latin Mass decision

LATROBE, Pennsylvania (LifeSiteNews) — Elise Ann Allen, the author of Pope Leo XIV: The Biography, during a talk Wednesday night on her book at St. Vincent College told LifeSiteNews that while the 267th pontiff has yet to decide on the future of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), he will take the time to make a decision that fosters unity in the Church.

Allen, a senior correspondent for Crux who has known Pope Leo since 2018 and was the first journalist to secure a sit-down interview with him last year, told LifeSiteNews that the pontiff has not yet made a decision on the future of the Tridentine Mass, and previously told her he is in the “listening phase,” not wanting to rush his decision on the important issue.

She further emphasized that Leo, whom she described as not fitting neatly into any ideological category, is listening to multiple perspectives on the TLM and ultimately would like to reach a resolution that promotes “unity” within the Church.

“Leo is your classic ‘middle-of-the-road guy,'” Allen told LifeSite. “He’s somebody that does not easily, because of personality, because of his world experience, does not fit into our traditional categories of left, right, or when we think of … progressive or traditionalist, he doesn’t fit into those categories because he has such a diverse background.”

“So when we look at him, I think it’s hard to look at and pinpoint from that perspective,” she added. “And I think when we look at what he’s going to do, he’s a man of great balance, and he’s a man that seeks unity above all else.”

Delving into what Pope Leo might do regarding the current restrictions on the Latin Mass imposed by Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, Allen stressed that he doesn’t yet know and will continue listening to many perspectives.

“Right now, he’s in the listening phase. This is what he told me,” she said. “(Pope Leo’s) very clear about not wanting to do things in a rush. He understands this is a divisive issue; he understands that people have very strong feelings about it.”

Indeed, as noted by InfoVaticana and reported by LifeSiteNews, since August 2025, Pope Leo has held roughly one audience a month with proponents of the Tridentine Mass, including Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert Sarah. These audiences may indicate that the pontiff is seeking a favorable solution to the liturgical divide in the Latin Church.

READ: Bishop Schneider asks Pope Leo XIV for authoritative document to protect Latin Mass

Allen noted that while the American pontiff doesn’t have an issue with some faithful being more drawn to the Latin Mass than the Novus Ordo Missae, he is concerned about “ideology” being slipped into this liturgical debate.

Here, Allen is likely referring to the faithful who attend the Latin Mass and don’t accept the Second Vatican Council or deny that Leo is the valid pontiff.

In March, Leo notably held an audience with Professors Stephen Bullivant and Stephen Cranney, two prominent sociologists who published a study showing that the vast majority of faithful who attend the TLM accept Catholic teaching and the Second Vatican Council. Perhaps this meeting alleviated some of the Holy Father’s concerns about the “ideology” of faithful devoted to the Latin Mass.

READ: Pope Leo meets with professors who found Latin Mass Catholics are more orthodox, not ‘schismatic’

Allen further underscored that ultimately Pope Leo is going to take his own approach to the TLM that won’t be the same as that of his immediate predecessor Pope Francis, or Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI before him, and will take time to make decisions that promote “unity” among the faithful and not further “polarization.”

“He’s going to find his own way, but … the way forward for him is going to be one that brings unity and not division,” she said. “(Leo’s) going to try to find how do we move forward on this in a way that brings greater unity in the Church and is not a greater source of polarization and division.”

“And that’s going to take time to figure out, so I think he understands that, and we’ll see what he does going forward. But right now, he’s been described as a very good listener, and that’s what he’s doing,” she added.

During his first year as pontiff, Pope Leo has sent mixed signals on whether he might loosen the restrictions of Traditionis Custodes.

On the one hand, Leo allowed Cardinal Burke to celebrate a Latin Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica for the 2025 Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage last fall after Pope Francis’ Vatican had prohibited Masses from being offered inside the basilica for the 2023 and 2024 pilgrimages. Leo’s Vatican has also granted two diocesan TLMs in the Diocese of Cleveland and a parish in Texas two-year extensions before their suppression under Traditionis Custodes.

The pontiff has also repeatedly called for renewed liturgical reverence and told Bishop Schneider that he has met young people who have converted to the faith through attending the Latin Mass during a December private audience.

On the other hand, under Leo’s watch, several bishops, such as Bishop Michael Martin in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Bishop Mark Beckman in Knoxville, Tennessee, have been allowed to place sweeping restrictions on the TLM. Martin even banned the use of altar rails and kneelers for receiving Holy Communion.

READ: Kneeling family ignored at Communion rail during Mass with Charlotte Bishop Martin: report

Pope Leo’s Dicastery for Divine Worship announced this week that it is currently reviewing an appeal against Martin over his “apparent refusal” to respond to “requests concerning liturgical matters.”

The pontiff has also retained Cardinal Arthur Roche as Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a central figure in implementing Traditionis Custodes. During January’s extraordinary consistory, Roche handed out a document to the cardinals that doubled down on the restrictions, arguing that the Novus Ordo Mass is the singular expression of the Roman rite.

Leo’s Vatican has also been hostile to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after it announced plans to consecrate new bishops in July. Earlier this week, Vatican journalist Diane Montagna reported that Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), has already prepared an order of excommunication for the Society should they proceed with the consecrations.