Pope Francis, Latin Mass and the Real Catholic Divide

Regarding Matthew Walther’s “Pope Francis, the Latin Mass and My Family” (Houses of Worship, July 23): I don’t regularly attend a Latin Mass but I do remember it from childhood. Everyone dressed in Sunday best, and a good number excluded themselves from receiving Holy Communion.

Nowadays fewer Catholics attend Mass regularly, they tend to come late and leave early, and it is not unusual to see T-shirts, short-shorts and flip-flops. Everyone presents at the altar for Communion. One study found that around 1 in 3 U.S. Catholics believes in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I’d guess that more than 90% of Latin Mass attendees do.

The Pope and the bishops should focus on bringing their lost sheep back into the fold, and worry less about the truly devout who attend Latin Mass.

Ray Martin

Ridgefield, Conn.