The traditional Latin Mass has become a point of both devotion and controversy in recent years, drawing growing numbers of young faithful even in the face of restrictions from Rome.
But for some, their first encounter with the ancient rite is marked by confusion before becoming a doorway into a deeper life of prayer and a renewed sense of the sacred. Helping to bridge that gap in understanding is one of the aims of a new booklet, Discovering the Latin Mass: A Travel Guide for the Curious, written as a simple, practical guide for those new to the liturgy.
Its author is Archduke Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, a descendant of the Habsburg dynasty, who served as Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See from 2015 to 2025. In the following May 27 interview with the Register, he explains more about his motives behind the book, how the Vetus Ordo (“Old Order”) has had a significant and positive impact on his and his family’s life and faith, and why he thinks it is growing in popularity among the young. He also shares his opinion on why the traditional liturgy generates so much impassioned support and opposition.
Ambassador Habsburg, what
