Pope decries divisions caused by old-school liturgy fans

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has harsh words for those who hew to old-school versions of liturgy, like the Latin Mass, saying they are sowing divisions among Catholics.  Francis on Saturday pressed his papacy’s battle against the likes of ultra-conservative cardinals who have resisted restrictions on celebrations of the old Mass in Latin in St. Peter’s Basilica. The traditionalists have also disparaged the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which allow Mass to be celebrated in local languages. Speaking at the Vatican to instructors and students of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute, Francis said it’s not possible to worship God while using the liturgy as a “battleground” for nonessential questions that divide the church.