Liturgy: new emphasis on the sacred.

General instruction of the Roman Missal, 2000

Vatican

Rome-Washington--The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments issued the first revision in 25 years of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal on July 28th. The new (Latin language) instruction (IN2000) introduces important changes in the way Mass is to be celebrated. It was released simultaneously in Washington in an English study translation.

IN2000 is meant to accompany the third Latin edition of the Roman Missal and will take effect with the promulgation of that missal, which is expected to be published later this year.

Most of the new Instruction simply repeats the norms and regulations of the 1975 Instruction (IN1975). In other places new rules are set out, especially where there have been disputes over contrasting interpretations of IN1975 which have led to Vatican rulings over the past 25 years.

Some practices previously allowed, or not addressed in IN1975, are now prohibited. For example, there is a specific prohibition against carrying the Lectionary in the entrance procession. As in 1975, IN2000 says that the deacon or a reader may carry the Book of the Gospels in the opening procession, but it adds, "The Lectionary is never carried in procession." It also says how the Book of the Gospels is to be carried during the procession, "elevated slightly." A new Book of the Gospels for the U.S.A. is to be published this year.

Facing the people

IN2000 declares that it is "desirable whenever possible" for the priest to celebrate Mass facing the people. The provision does not eliminate the ad orientem (facing eastward) option in which both the priest and people face the altar (and, in almost every such case, the tabernacle) during the offertory and the eucharistic prayer. Some Catholic groups have been pressing for Church officials to adopt the view that the preferable form of celebration is for priest and people alike to be facing eastward, which entails both facing God at Mass.

IN1975 simply said that the altar in every church "should be free-standing to allow the ministers to walk around it easily and Mass to be said facing the people." IN2000 repeats those words, but after "facing the people" it adds, "which is desirable whenever possible."

Flowers are to be arranged with moderation around the altar, but never on top of it.

Tabernacle

The location of the tabernacle has been another source of ongoing controversy. IN1975 expressed strong preference for "eucharistic reservation in a chapel suited to the faithful's private adoration and prayer." It said that the tabernacle could be placed in the sanctuary if a chapel of reservation "is impossible because of the structure of the church."

IN2000, however, gives equal weight to the option of reserving the Eucharist in a chapel or "in the sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration." If a chapel of reservation is used, the chapel should be "integrally connected with the church" and "conspicuous to the faithful."

If the tabernacle is in the sanctuary, it should "not be on the altar on which Mass is celebrated," IN2000 says-answering a question of some who argued that IN1975 did not prohibit placing the tabernacle on the altar of celebration. IN2000 explicitly says that the decision on the placement of the tabernacle belongs "to the judgment of the diocesan bishop."

It adds that if the reserved Eucharist is in the sanctuary, "the priest, deacon, and other ministers genuflect to it when they approach or leave the altar, but not during the celebration of Mass itself'--clarifying a vagueness in IN1975 which led some to argue that the priest and other ministers should genuflect to the tabernacle whenever they crossed in front of it during Mass.

IN2000 says that, when other ministers would genuflect, those carrying the processional cross and candies bow instead. Only those not engaged in ministry during the Mass genuflect whenever they "cross before the Most Blessed Sacrament," but they do not do so if they are in a procession. Thus, when approaching a Communion station, communicants are in procession and should not genuflect to the tabernacle, even if crossing in front of it.

IN2000 points out that a genuflection "signifies adoration" and is normally made only to the Blessed Sacrament.

The crucifix 

IN2000 specifies that the processional cross is to be "adorned with the figure of Christ crucified." If there is another cross on or near the altar, it, too, is to have "the figure of Christ crucified upon it."

The sign of peace

In general IN2000 gives increased emphasis to the proper blessing and care of those things intended for use in the liturgy.

It also has an expanded description of the sign of peace. It says that to avoid disrupting the celebration the priest should not leave the sanctuary while exchanging the sign of peace. IN1975 said only that the priest "may give the sign of peace to the ministers." IN2000 adds that he should remain in the sanctuary for that and "do likewise if for a good reason he wishes to offer the sign of peace to a few of the faithful."

Hymns

IN2000 specifically bans the substitution of other hymns for chants found in the Order of the Mass, such as the Gloria or the A gnus Dei.

Kneeling

IN2000 reiterates IN1975 that all those attending Mass should observe "uniformity in standing, kneeling, or sitting" as a sign of their unity. But IN2000 strengthens this rule by preceding it with the statement that "greater attention needs to be paid to what is laid down by liturgical law and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite, for the sake of the common spiritual good of the people of God rather than personal inclination or arbitrary choice."

People "should kneel at the consecration, except when prevented by reasons of health, lack of space, the number of people present, or some other good reason." Also, "where it is the custom that the people remain kneeling from the end of the Sanctus until the end of the eucharistic prayer, this is laudably retained." (Editor: This is important for Canada and appears to rule out of order the practice of everyone standing during the consecration, a practice first encouraged by the late Archbishop Charles Halpin of Regina, SK, in 1986.)

IN1975 said nothing else about the posture of those unable to kneel at the consecration, but IN2000 says that they "ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration." A profound bow is a bow of the body from the waist. (This applies also to priests concelebrating Masses.)

The instruction is silent about those who genuflect or who receive communion kneeling, a custom of 20 centuries.

Silence

The original document's section on sacred silence has been expanded. It states:

"Even before the celebration itself, it is praiseworthy for silence to be observed in the church, the sacristy, and adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves for the sacred rites which are to be enacted in a devout and fitting manner."

Brief moments of silence throughout the liturgy, especially after the readings and the homily, are recommended.

Readings

Nonbiblical texts may never be substituted for the Lectionary text. And the division of any readings into parts, except for the Passion, is prohibited.

Canon

The priest is again reminded not to add, remove or change anything "on his own authority."

Extraordinary eucharistic ministers 

IN2000 protects the unique role of priest, deacon, or instituted acolyte in a number of ways.

* Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may be called forward by the priest only when a sufficient number of priests or deacons is not present.

* Only an ordained minister or instituted acolyte may clean the sacred vessels after Communion or after Mass. It may not be done by lay extraordinary ministers.

* Whatever remains of the Precious Blood after Communion is completely consumed at the altar by the priest, deacon, or instituted acolyte.

* Only the priest is permitted to break the host. Extraordinary ministers "do not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion and always accept from the hands of the priest the vessel" from which they distribute Communion.

* IN2000 clarifies that communicants are never to receive the sacrament from one another, but only from the priest or another eucharistic minister.

* The sacrarium, a basin that empties directly into the ground, was not mentioned in 1975 but IN2000 says that the custom of using a sacrarium "should be observed."

Images

IN1975 said of images, "There is need both to limit their number and to situate them in such a way that they do not distract the people's attention from the celebration. There is to be only one image of any one saint." IN 2000 says that "care should be taken that their number is not increased indiscriminately, and that they be situated in such a way that they do not distract the faithful's attention from the celebration. There is to be only one image of any given saint as a rule."

Episcopal regulations

An entirely new chapter at the end of IN 2000 is devoted to "Adaptations which are the competence of bishops and bishops' conferences." Its final paragraphs spell out norms for inculturation, the adaptation of the Roman Rite to different cultures. This section warns that "efforts at inculturation are not in any way aimed at creating new families of rites but at responding to the needs of a given culture in such a manner that adaptations introduced in the missal or coordinated with other liturgical books are not at variance with the distinctive character of the Roman Rite."

It also warns that "inculturation requires a necessary amount of time, lest in a hasty and incautious manner the authentic liturgical tradition suffer contamination."

IN2000 assigns the local bishop four actions adapting the liturgy to the life of his diocese:

1. The governance of the discipline of concelebration.

2. The establishment of norms for altar servers.

3. The establishment of norms for distribution of Holy Communion under both species.

4. The establishment of norms for the construction and ordering of church buildings.

Other tasks of adaptation are within the competence of a conference of bishops:

1. To prepare and approve a complete edition of the Roman Missal in the vernacular language and to submit it for the recognitio of the A p ostolic See.

2. To define, with the recognitio of the Apostolic See, those adaptations to the Roman Missal which are indicated in IN 2000, such as

(a) Gestures and posture of the faithful.

(b) Gestures of veneration to the altar and the Book of the Gospels.

(c) Texts of various chants.

(d) Readings from Sacred Scripture for special circumstances.

(e) The form of the gesture of peace.

(f) The manner of receiving Holy Communion.

(g) Material for the altar and the sacred furnishings, especially the sacred vessels, and also the materials, form, and colour of the liturgical vestments.

(h) Inclusion in the missal of directories or pastoral instructions.

3. To carefully prepare translations of biblical texts for use at Mass ma language "which responds to the capacity of the faithful and which is suitable for public proclamation, while maintaining those characteristics that are proper to the different manners of speaking employed in the biblical books."

4. To prepare translations of other liturgical texts "in such a way that, while respecting the nature of each language, the sense of the original Latin text is fully and faithfully rendered."