Tridentine Mass

Tridentinische Messe, Farbphotographie, 2009, Photograph: Joachim Specht; Bildquelle: Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Generalvikar_Dr._Weis_1.JPG?uselang=de, gemeinfrei.

In the Latin Tridentine Mass, the priest celebrates High Mass with his back turned to the congregation. This creates a distance between the lay people and the priests. The presence of the congregation was not even required for a Mass to be valid.

Tridentine Mass, colour photograph, 2009, photographer: Joachim Specht; source: Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Generalvikar_Dr._Weis_1.JPG?uselang=de, public domain.