The ''Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce'' or simply ''Una Voce'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for ‘

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

One Voice’; from the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...

to the

Roman Canon The Canon of the Mass (), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in the Tridenti ...

) is an international federation of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

lay organizations attached to the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...

History

The ''Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce'' (or FIUV) was founded on December 19, 1964 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

by Georges Cerbelaud-Salagnac in order to promote the Tridentine Mass from the pre-

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...

Missale Romanum The Roman Missal () is the book which contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Roman Rite, the most common liturgy and Mass of the Catholic Church. There have been several editions. History Before the Council of Trent (1570) B ...

'' (1962). The organization argues that while the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

had introduced vernacular liturgies, it did not actually forbid the Latin Mass, and that regular weekday and Sunday Masses in Latin should be maintained. The organization also seeks to promote Latin

Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, sacred

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chord ...

and sacred art. Unlike some other Catholic traditionalist organizations, Una Voce seeks to remain in

full communion Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations or Christian individuals that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constit ...

with the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, and asserts that the Tridentine and the vernacular masses should be allowed to co-exist. Among its prominent early members were the composers

Maurice Duruflé Maurice Gustave Duruflé (; 11 January 1902 – 16 June 1986) was a French composer, organist, musicologist, and teacher. Life and career Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure in 1902. He attended Rouen Cathedral Choir School from 1912 to 1918, ...

and

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

. A number of national associations developed during 1964 and 1965, and in 1966 the global ''Fœderatio Internationalis Una Voce'' was formed. It currently has over two dozen national affiliates. FIUV members value the traditional Latin Mass as direct link with the early Church and for conveying the mystery and majesty of God, but have been critiqued for elitism and for its emphasis on private religious devotion. The group has been described as an “ arch-conservative” organization by Episcopal Church organist James E. Frazier. However, members of the FIUV reject comparisons to

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...

. FIUV was enthusiastic about the 2005 election of

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

as the 265th Pope, taking the

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

. He had spoken at a conference, and had praised FIUV's role in supporting the use of the Roman Missal within the guidelines set out by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. The organization's influence at the highest levels of the Vatican has led to the authorization of the Tridentine Mass without specific permission or

indult In Catholic canon law, an indult is a permission or privilege, granted by the competent church authority – the Holy See or the diocesan bishop, as the case may be – for an exception from a particular norm of church law in an individual case ...

by local bishops, and the wider implementation of the

motu proprio In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...

, ''

Summorum Pontificum (English: 'Of the Supreme Pontiffs') is an Ecclesiastical letter#Letters of the popes in modern times, apostolic letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued on 7 July 2007. This letter specifies the circumstances in which Priesthood in the Catholic Chur ...

''.

Membership

The International Federation represents 42 member associations in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, England and Wales, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine and the USA. Requests for information and assistance have come from Denmark, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Panama, Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) and Slovenia.

Council

At the XXVI General Assembly, held in Rome on 28 October 2023, the present Council was: * President: Dr. Joseph Shaw (

Latin Mass Society of England and Wales The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales (LMS) is a Catholic society dedicated to making the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, also known as the Tridentine Mass, more widely available in England and Wales. The group organised a petitio ...

) * President d’Honneur: Jacques Dhaussy (Una Voce France) * Vice Presidents: Don Felipe Alanís Suárez (Una Voce Mexico) and Jack Oostveen (Ecclesia Dei Delft, Netherlands) * Secretary: Andris Amolins (Una Voce Latvia) * Treasurer: F. Monika Rheinschmitt (Pro Missa Tridentina, Germany) * Patrick Banken (Una Voce France) * David Reid (Una Voce Canada) * Jarosław Syrkiewicz (Una Voce Polonia) * Fabio Marino (Una Voce Italy) * Rubén Peretó Rivas (Una Voce Argentina) * Catharina Chen (Una Voce Sinica, China)

References

External links

International Federation Una Voce

Una Voce Scotland
{{Authority control Tridentine Mass Ecclesia Dei Traditionalist Catholicism Catholic advocacy groups

History

Membership

Council

See also

References

External links