Vatican document on liturgical abuses

A year ago the Pope signed the Ecclesia de Eucharistia encyclical on the Holy Eucharist. The encyclical was followed by a draft document by the Vatican meant to correct liturgical abuses.

According to reports, the draft document insisted, among other things, on limiting the role of lay ministers while forbidding liturgical dance and non-approved texts and cautioned against "pseudo-liturgical rites by and for women".

It also cautioned against the distribution of Communion of both kinds which, according to the document, is not always a good idea. According to the same reports lay people were urged to report abuses to their bishops and, if necessary, directly to the Vatican.

The draft document was received with great misgivings by some liturgists in Rome, including a number who worked with the Vatican. These misgivings were aired during a symposium held last December in Rome to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's document on liturgical renewal.

At the end of the sessions the president of the Association of Professors of Liturgy, Silvano Maggiani, on behalf of the association, expressed fears that "if the contents of the draft document were to be implemented, the liturgical reform movement opened by Vatican II would be closed down". The association even wrote to His Holiness expressing its "bewilderment, unease and fears".

The professor said that it was not right "to define as abuse things that are not". He added that abuses should be corrected through formation and not "with a repressive spirit".

Following the strong reactions, the Vatican decided to amend the draft document. According to reports some sections have been completely removed. It appears that one of the principal aims behind the draft is to ensure that the proper role of priests is not undermined or diminished, through, among other things, the undue participation of lay people in the liturgy. The Vatican does not want lay people to give sermons, pronounce the Eucharistic prayers, break the Eucharistic bread or distribute Communion "unless there is an urgent need".

Other areas which have come under the Vatican ban are the substitution of non-biblical texts for biblical readings; the introduction of non-Christian elements in Catholic liturgies and the celebration of Mass in non-Christian places of worship; the adoration of the Eucharist in unworthy settings; the giving of First Holy Communion outside of Mass and before first Confession; the use of corruptible metals, glass or ceramics for sacred vessels, including the chalice, and the breaking of the host at the consecration instead of immediately prior to Communion.

The Pope would have liked to publish the final document on Maundy Thursday to coincide with the first anniversary of the encyclical. However, it will probably be published by the end of this month.