France’s TLM Divide Deepens With FSSP Dismissal in Valence
(cf. Article by Solène Tadié , National Catholic Register, July 17, 2025. https://www.ncregister.com/news/france-valence-fssp-dismissal)
The FSSP’s removal marks the latest flashpoint in a national struggle over the implementation of ‘Traditionis Custodes’ and the place of the traditional Latin Mass.
The recent decision of a French bishop to remove the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) from its longstanding apostolate in Valence and Montélimar at the end of this summer has reignited tensions over the place of the traditional Latin Mass in France.
The diocese justified its decision by citing the community’s repeated disregard for diocesan guidance — particularly regarding concelebration — and said the move was intended to promote parish unity.
The measure’s impact on a flourishing traditionalist community in the southeastern Drôme region, however, has sparked strong backlash and appears to reflect a broader pattern of conflict across France since the publication of Traditionis Custodes, a motu proprio from Pope Francis, in July 2021.
The FSSP, a clerical society of apostolic life dedicated to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, has served in Valence and Montélimar for more than two decades. Its priests — particularly Father Bruno Stemler, assigned to Valence since 2017 — have drawn a growing number of faithful, many of them young families.
‘A Parish Within the Parish’
In a May 15 statement, Bishop François Durand announced that beginning Sept. 1, the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in Valence would be entrusted to diocesan clergy. He noted that an FSSP priest may continue celebrating the older form once a week in Montélimar, pending further discussions. Catechesis and activities such as the Gregorian choir may also continue, but under parish supervision.
One key point of contention has been the FSSP’s refusal to concelebrate Masses — including the Chrism Mass — as permitted by their constitutions, reaffirmed by Pope Francis in 2022 and 2024. For diocesan leaders, this refusal to concelebrate — a practice in which multiple priests jointly offer the Mass at a single altar — signals a lack of ecclesial communion.
In a follow-up letter to his parishioners, Bishop Durand stressed that the move was not a personal sanction against Father Stemler, but said the priest had been conducting pastoral initiatives “without taking diocesan orientations into account.”
Vicar General Father Éric Lorinet further criticized the FSSP’s approach in an interview with the French magazine Famille Chrétienne, saying it functioned “like a parish within the parish,” causing friction with local clergy and straining presbyteral unity.
The announcement, however, came as a shock to parishioners. Some 400 members signed an open letter — described as a “cry from the heart” — urging the bishop to reconsider. A small group began a strict fast and prayer vigil near the Church of Notre-Dame in Valence, which has drawn growing media attention.
From the faithful’s perspective, the decision threatens a vibrant and growing community, now comprising more than 200 regular attendees in Valence alone, along with 13 catechism groups.
A Long Series of Clashes
The dispute in Valence is only the latest in a series of clashes surrounding traditional liturgy in France — a country that, alongside the United States, is home to one of the world’s most dynamic traditionalist movements. These communities, noted for their missionary zeal and youthful demographic, are often viewed with caution by bishops wary of parallel pastoral structures.
In June 2021, just before the publication of Traditionis Custodes, the Archdiocese of Dijon in Eastern France expelled the FSSP from the Basilica of Fontaine-lès-Dijon after 23 years of presence, citing logistical issues. A month later, the community lost a bid to acquire the medieval Abbey of Pontigny, despite offering a higher price than the buyer — a secular foundation planning to convert the site into a luxury resort — reportedly due in part to a lack of diocesan support.
Meanwhile, in Isère (in the Alps region), parishioners launched a donation strike after Toulouse Bishop Guy de Kerimel accused attendees of the traditional Mass of undermining the validity of the Novus Ordo. In Paris, Archbishop Michel Aupetit also reduced the number of churches authorized to celebrate the Latin Mass from more than a dozen to just five, triggering widespread discontent.
Incidents followed one another until last month, when parishioners in Bastia, Corsica, protested against the reassignment of their priest, Abbé Sébastien Dufour, from a centrally located parish to a more remote chapel — a move they described as a marginalization of the Latin Mass.
The most high-profile case, however, remains the forced resignation earlier this year of Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon (Southern France), known for making his diocese a hub for both traditionalist and charismatic renewal.
A Possible Way Out of the Crisis
These cumulative developments have fueled fears among many Catholics that the gradual sidelining of traditional communities may lead to a drift toward the Society of St. Pius X, which remains canonically separated from Rome.
As such, this malaise within the Catholic world will likely be one of many sensitive dossiers awaiting the attention of Pope Leo XIV, who inherited the complex legacy of Traditionis Custodes and its contested implementation in France. On July 7, he established a new synodal working group on the liturgy, as requested by the Synod on Synodality — a move seen as a sign of his desire to take time and consult widely before issuing further decisions.
Observers note that the forthcoming appointment of a new prefect for the Dicastery for Divine Worship — with Cardinal Arthur Roche reaching retirement age — will be a key signal of Pope Leo’s liturgical direction. While the new pope is seen as methodical and collegial in style, he may seek a balance: loosening restrictions on the old rite while also expecting traditionalist communities to affirm the legitimacy of the post-conciliar liturgy.
Solène Tadié Solène Tadié is the Europe Correspondent for the National Catholic Register. She is French-Swiss and grew up in Paris. After graduating from Roma III University with a degree in journalism, she began reporting on Rome and the Vatican for Aleteia. She joined L’Osservatore Romano in 2015, where she successively worked for the French section and the Cultural pages of the Italian daily newspaper. She has also collaborated with several French-speaking Catholic media organizations. Solène has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and recently translated in French (for Editions Salvator) Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy by the Acton Institute’s Fr. Robert Sirico.