Surprising Celebrity Supporters of the Old Latin Mass – Agatha Christie

Source: Wikicommons

“Agatha Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story writer and playwright. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies, and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world's most-widely published books,^[1] behind only Shakespeare's works and the Bible.^{" (}Source: Wikipedia)

Surprisingly, even though not a Catholic, Christie signed a petition asking Pope Paul VI to allow the Old Latin Mass (sometimes referred to as the Tridentine Mass), to be celebrated in England and Wales, after the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae. As Wikipedia notes:-

“Following the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI to replace the former rite in 1969-70, a petition was sent to the Pope asking that the Tridentine rite (i.e. Old Rite Latin Mass)  be permitted to continue for those who wished in England and Wales. The petition noted the exceptional artistic and cultural heritage of the Tridentine liturgy, and was signed by many prominent non-Catholic figures in British society, including Agatha Christie.

The indult acquired its nickname by virtue of a story told about the Pope's acceptance of the petition: the story is that Pope Paul read through the letter in silence then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, Agatha Christie!" and then signed it. Ever since it has been known, informally, as "the Agatha Christie indult".^{[2]  “(}Source: Wikipedia)