Pope St John XXIII

Nowadays, many people would think of Pope St John XXIII as a progressive pope as the associate him with the calling of the Second Vatican Council, andthe developments that ensued from that. However, the truth is very different. I have recently come across the following extract from his diary that dates to 1951 when he was the nuncio in Paris. "I went to Mass at Saint Severin. The Mass was facing the people whioch is a serious violation of liturgical law. the canon was read out loud and not secreto as the missal prescribes.... I have warned the pastor about this serious abuse... Oh, the trouble I have with these hotheads and eccentrics!