It is a principle of Catholic liturgical theology that Mass is always offered in communion with the Pope and the local bishop. It’s why both are mentioned in the liturgy. It’s also why public celebration of the Mass is regulated by the bishop, who can restrict faculties. It’s why the SSPX appeal justifying its schism is bogus. (I’m curious if its bishops ordained in defiance of the Pope mention the Pope’s name during celebration of the Mass.)

But the principle cuts the other way, too. The Archbishop of Mainz in Germany, Peter Kohlgraf, admits that allowing laypersons, men or women, to preach at Mass is forbidden by Rome. He acknowledges the Vatican has recently made that prohibition clear. He says that is the official position of his diocese. He just won’t do anything about laypersons preaching at Masses: “Wenn ich davon erfahre, werde ich nicht disziplinarisch eingreifen oder das kirchenrechtlich sanktionieren. Ich werbe dafür aber auch nicht und ich kann es nicht erlauben. Ich nehme es nur zur Kenntnis” (“When I learn of this, I will not intervene disciplinarily or sanction [it] canonically. I will take note of it”).

Wow! Can you imagine any bishop saying that (or getting away with it) with regard to celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass? When we have bishops, in fidelity to Traditionis custodes, deliberately relegating the EFM to out-of-the-way places — the kind of places the Apostles wanted to send people away from so they could go buy bread (Mt 14:15, Mk 6:35) — can you imagine any hierarch saying, “When I learn of a rogue TLM, I will only take note of it?”

How long will that bishop’s “continuance in office be ‘feasible'”?

I am not defending schism, whether “right” or “left” (terms that do not belong in ecclesiastical discourse). I do not attend the EFM, though I think “pastoral” care — all the rage in the Church today — seems lacking for those attached to it, to the detriment of ecclesial unity. But I am asking about double standards: Why is one liturgical defiance tolerable while the other results in bishops going nuclear?

Today, August 14, 2026, Pope Leo XIV wrote to Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, saying that to “promote the dignified celebration of the sacred mysteries, we must emphasize the need for fidelity to the approved texts and instructions.” The Pontiff stressed that particularly as regards the reformed post-Conciliar liturgy. In other words: follow the rubrics and instructions.

Dare we hope that the Prefect shows the same firmness on lay preaching he has applied to confining the EFM?