Pope ends schism with Brazil 'traditionalists'

CNN
January 19, 2002

Pope ends schism with Brazil 'traditionalists'

                 VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope John Paul II sent Christmas greetings taking
                 back into the fold Catholics in Brazil who had split with Rome three decades
                 earlier over modernizing reforms and is allowing them to continue to
                 celebrate Mass in Latin.

                 The Vatican on Saturday released the text of John Paul's letter, dated December 25,
                 which welcomed back the faithful who were staunch followers of the late,
                 ultraconservative Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

The schism was declared officially over during a Friday evening ceremony in
Campos, 700 kilometers (430 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo.

                 Lefebvre's "traditionalist" followers reject the liberalizing changes adopted by Rome
                 in the early 1960s, including allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages and
                 reaching out to other faiths.

The bishop was excommunicated in 1988 after having ordained four bishops in
defiance of Rome. He died in 1991.

                 In his Christmas Day letter, the pope told the group of "traditionalists" in Campos
                 that they will be allowed the option of celebrating Mass in Latin. He said it was with
                 "deep joy" that he was revoking the excommunication of one of the area's priests.

                 The priest, Monsignor Licinio Rangel, had written to him, assuring the pontiff of
                 his full adhesion to the Catholic church. Rangel had been excommunicated in 1991
                 for agreeing to be made a bishop without the pope's permission.

John Paul sent a cardinal to represent him at Friday evening's ceremony in a
Campos cathedral.

In Brazil, there are 28,000 traditionalists, according to Fides, the Vatican's news
service.