SENDER’S Address
Phone number
Email address

DATE

His Eminence, Arthur Cardinal Roche
Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Palazzo delle Congregazioni
Piazza Pio XII, 10
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO

Your Eminence,

I am seeking hierarchical recourse from the Dicastery in the matter of the Pastoral Letter (Prot. No. B. 339), December 17, 2025, of Bishop Michael Martin of the Diocese of Charlotte.

It has been thirty (30) days since I wrote to the Bishop asking him to rescind the Protocol, a copy of which is attached. He has not responded, and therefore a negative answer must be presumed (c. 1735). Therefore, I now seek recourse from the Holy See.

In his Pastoral Letter, Bishop Martin establishes that, in all parish churches in the Diocese, all non-permanent altar rails and kneelers must be removed. Further, for those altar rails which are permanent, the faithful are not permitted to use them. I find this to be a violation of the General Instructions of the Roman Missal, a departure from the traditions of the Church, and an infringement upon my right to kneel.

The GIRM states: “The sanctuary…should be marked off from the body of the church either by its being somewhat elevated or by a particular structure and ornamentation” (GIRM 295). This “particular structure” has traditionally been understood to be the altar rail and is something best left to the discretion of the pastor in communication with his parishioners.

While the Bishop upholds the right to kneel to receive Holy Communion, his action forces all (the young and the old, the physically capable and the frail) to kneel on the hard floor with no support to get down and back up. The clear purpose of this regulation is to curtail the right of the people of God to adopt the traditional practice of kneeling to receive Holy Communion. Further, the proposed norm will make it morally impossible for those with physical limitations to kneel, resulting in the de facto denial of the exercise of this right to many.

As I read the Pastoral Letter, I saw no solid reasoning provided for the removal of altar rails and kneelers. When pondering the result of such a removal, the only thing that I see as the fruit of such a mandate is punishment, both spiritual and physical.

I would like the Dicastery to intervene in this matter so that 1) the faithful are able to continue to kneel at the altar rails and other kneelers, as is traditional and is supportive of their right to kneel, and so that 2) the pastors, out of a spirit of obedience, do not feel compelled to unlawfully deny Holy Communion to those who continue to kneel at the altar rail despite the admonition that they are not allowed to do so. 

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

Please contact me at the address or phone number below for any questions and for updates on these proceedings.

Sincerely in Christ,

(Name and Signature)