Recently, Pope Leo made some of his first remarks addressing the liturgy as the Church’s supreme pontiff. In his homily for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (November 9, 2025), the Holy Father expressed a desire that the liturgy celebrated at Rome’s cathedral should be an example for the whole People of God: “It must comply with the established norms, be attentive to the different sensibilities of those participating and keep with the principle of wise inculturation.” The Pope emphasizes celebrating the liturgy in a way that is faithful to the Church’s liturgical books and laws, while recognizing that those books do not exist in a vacuum but are always incarnated in particular places among diverse peoples.
Pope Leo continues, highlighting a particular characteristic of the liturgy: “At the same time, it must remain faithful to the solemn sobriety typical of the Roman tradition, which can do so much good for the souls of those who actively participate in it.” He made similar comments just over a week later when he addressed participants in a course for diocesan liturgical pastoral workers promoted by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at Sant’Anselmo in Rome. The aim of ongoing liturgical formation, he said, “is to foster the fruitful participation of the People of God, as well as a dignified liturgy that is attentive to different sensibilities and sober in its solemnity.” It is striking that the Holy Father described the liturgy of the Roman Rite on two occasions in terms of its “solemn sobriety” and being “sober in its solemnity.”
The modern roots of this affirmation stretch back to an 1899 address given by the liturgical historian Edmund Bishop, later published as “The Genius of the Roman Rite.” Bishop set out to describe what distinguishes the Roman Rite from other Western rites and from Eastern liturgies. By comparing both the language of various prayers of the Missal and their historical origins, Bishop concluded that the distinguishing features of the native (pre-Carolingian) Roman Rite—its “genius”—are its comparative structural and textual conciseness and its simple practicality. This stands in contrast to elements of other liturgical rites that tend to be more prolix, florid, poetic, or dramatic. “I think that the general position is unassailable,” he says, “that the genius of the native Roman rite is marked by simplicity, practicality, a great sobriety and self-control, gravity and dignity.” He ends his remarks with a somewhat famous and influential conclusion: “If I had to indicate in two or three words only, the main characteristics which go to make up the essential genius of the Roman rite, I should say that those characteristics were essentially soberness and sense.” It is this simplicity, soberness, and sense, according to Bishop, that also allowed the Roman Rite to spread throughout the Latin West, adapting over time while assimilating elements of other rites, outliving most of them.
It is debated whether Bishop’s conclusions were primarily descriptive or prescriptive—was this simply the historian reporting his findings on the nature of the Roman Rite, or was this a plan for reform? Either way, Bishop’s analysis influenced later liturgical scholarship and eventually helped shape the principles of liturgical restoration expressed in Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC): “The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people’s powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation” (SC, 34).
While few would dispute the underlying historical foundations of Bishop’s description of the Roman Rite, many more would question the accuracy with which the principles were interpreted after the Council or the prudence in the ways they were implemented. One unfortunate side effect of emphasizing the noble simplicity of the rites was an accompanying loss of beauty in expression. The simplicity of the rites called for by the Council may rightly exclude “mere sumptuous display” but cannot do so at the expense of “noble beauty” (SC, 124). In other words, it is a false dichotomy to suppose that the simplicity and sobriety typical of the liturgy of the Roman Rite require stripping away its artistic, musical, and ceremonial richness, as though honoring simplicity demanded emptying the liturgy of everything that lifts the heart toward God. Indeed, Sacrosanctum Concilium affirms that “all things set apart for use in divine worship should be truly worthy, becoming, and beautiful, signs and symbols of the supernatural world” (SC, 122). The simplicity of the Roman Rite should contribute to a mystagogical transparency, where God’s own beauty and the wonder of the Paschal Mystery shine forth in clarity.
This brings us back to Pope Leo’s homily with which we began. After speaking of the solemn sobriety of the liturgy, the Holy Father continues: “Every care should be taken to ensure that the simple beauty of the rites expresses the value of worship for the harmonious growth of the whole Body of the Lord.” The Augustinian pope goes on to quote St. Augustine, who observed that “beauty is nothing but love, and love is life,” a line that expresses Augustine’s conviction about the integrative power of divine charity. And Pope Leo comments: “This truth is realized in an eminent way within the liturgy….” Beauty in the liturgy, then, is not simply ornamentation but an act of charity. Banal or careless liturgy is not merely a matter of poor taste. It is a failure of love. It obscures the mystery instead of revealing it; it imposes confusion on the faithful rather than stability; it forms people to expect less from God and from the Church; it can even alienate newcomers rather than welcoming them.
Conversely, beautiful, orderly, reverent liturgy—both in its solemn sobriety and in its simple and noble beauty—embodies pastoral charity. It expresses care for the mystery being celebrated, care for the people drawn into it, and care for the Church’s unity across space and time.
None of this comes automatically. It requires effort, and it requires a particular way of seeing. In short, the liturgy the Holy Father envisions requires ongoing liturgical formation, a topic Pope Leo also addressed to those gathered at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute: “We are well aware that liturgical formation is one of the main themes of the entire conciliar and post-conciliar journey. Much progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. Let us not tire: let us enthusiastically resume the good initiatives inspired by the reform and, at the same time, seek new ways and new methods.”
Adoremus welcomes the Pope’s call to deepen ongoing liturgical formation and strives to serve this work for the glory of God and the salvation of the People of God.
