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SHAKA_MAKA1
Guest
Someone told me it’s a lay persons duty to report liturgical abuses in their parish. That John Paul II said it in an encyclical. Does anyone know which one and what was said?
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Fergal
Guest
This is to be found in Section 6 of the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum. which is an Instruction to be read in the continuity with the Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia
6. Complaints Regarding Abuses in Liturgical Matters
[183.] In an altogether particular manner, let everyone do all that is in their power to ensure that the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist will be protected from any and every irreverence or distortion and that all abuses be thoroughly corrected. This is a most serious duty incumbent upon each and every one, and all are bound to carry it out without any favouritism.
[184.] Any Catholic, whether Priest or Deacon or lay member of Christ’s faithful, has the right to lodge a complaint regarding a liturgical abuse to the diocesan Bishop or the competent Ordinary equivalent to him in law, or to the Apostolic See on account of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff.[290] It is fitting, however, insofar as possible, that the report or complaint be submitted first to the diocesan Bishop. This is naturally to be done in truth and charity.
CONCLUSION
[185.] “Against the seeds of discord which daily experience shows to be so deeply ingrained in human nature as a result of sin, there stands the creative power of the unity of Christ’s body. For it is precisely by building up the Church that the Eucharist establishes fellowship among men.”[291] It is therefore the hope of this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments that also, by the diligent application of those things that are recalled in this Instruction, human weakness may come to pose less of an obstacle to the action of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and that with all distortion set aside and every reprobated practice removed,[292] through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Woman of the Eucharist”, the saving presence of Christ in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood may shine brightly upon all people.
[186.] Let all Christ’s faithful participate in the Most Holy Eucharist as fully, consciously and actively as they can,[293] honouring it lovingly by their devotion and the manner of their life. Let Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in the exercise of the sacred ministry, examine their consciences as regards the authenticity and fidelity of the actions they have performed in the name of Christ and the Church in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy. Let each one of the sacred ministers ask himself, even with severity, whether he has respected the rights of the lay members of Christ’s faithful, who confidently entrust themselves and their children to him, relying on him to fulfill for the faithful those sacred functions that the Church intends to carry out in celebrating the sacred Liturgy at Christ’s command.[294] For each one should always remember that he is a servant of the Sacred Liturgy.[295]
6. Complaints Regarding Abuses in Liturgical Matters
[183.] In an altogether particular manner, let everyone do all that is in their power to ensure that the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist will be protected from any and every irreverence or distortion and that all abuses be thoroughly corrected. This is a most serious duty incumbent upon each and every one, and all are bound to carry it out without any favouritism.
[184.] Any Catholic, whether Priest or Deacon or lay member of Christ’s faithful, has the right to lodge a complaint regarding a liturgical abuse to the diocesan Bishop or the competent Ordinary equivalent to him in law, or to the Apostolic See on account of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff.[290] It is fitting, however, insofar as possible, that the report or complaint be submitted first to the diocesan Bishop. This is naturally to be done in truth and charity.
CONCLUSION
[185.] “Against the seeds of discord which daily experience shows to be so deeply ingrained in human nature as a result of sin, there stands the creative power of the unity of Christ’s body. For it is precisely by building up the Church that the Eucharist establishes fellowship among men.”[291] It is therefore the hope of this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments that also, by the diligent application of those things that are recalled in this Instruction, human weakness may come to pose less of an obstacle to the action of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and that with all distortion set aside and every reprobated practice removed,[292] through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Woman of the Eucharist”, the saving presence of Christ in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood may shine brightly upon all people.
[186.] Let all Christ’s faithful participate in the Most Holy Eucharist as fully, consciously and actively as they can,[293] honouring it lovingly by their devotion and the manner of their life. Let Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in the exercise of the sacred ministry, examine their consciences as regards the authenticity and fidelity of the actions they have performed in the name of Christ and the Church in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy. Let each one of the sacred ministers ask himself, even with severity, whether he has respected the rights of the lay members of Christ’s faithful, who confidently entrust themselves and their children to him, relying on him to fulfill for the faithful those sacred functions that the Church intends to carry out in celebrating the sacred Liturgy at Christ’s command.[294] For each one should always remember that he is a servant of the Sacred Liturgy.[295]
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Peace-bwu
Guest
This is the same question I’ve been tossing around in my head today! Thanks!
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JimR-OCDS
Guest
Remember one thing if your contemplating logging an accusation of abuse by your parish priest. You better be sure its an abuse.
You must also consider that the priest you are reporting, may be the same priest that you ask to come to give last rights to one of your loved ones, or to marry or Baptize your children.
If you expect him to show compassion and respect when you request his service, be sure that you’ve shown him compassion and respect as well, by not reporting him over some minor infraction that you see as being an abuse.
Jim
You must also consider that the priest you are reporting, may be the same priest that you ask to come to give last rights to one of your loved ones, or to marry or Baptize your children.
If you expect him to show compassion and respect when you request his service, be sure that you’ve shown him compassion and respect as well, by not reporting him over some minor infraction that you see as being an abuse.
Jim
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John_Lilburne
Guest
This may be helpful if considering writing to the Vatican about liturgical abuses: wdtprs.com/blog/2008/06/01/ .
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SHAKA_MAKA1
Guest
If there is any abuse at all wheather on purpose or not should it be brought to his attention (in charity), or leave it alone.
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benedictgal
Guest
You cannot, in good conscience, allow a genunine liturgical abuse to fester and continue. Read over Redemptionis Sacramentum carefully. Make sure that what is occuring is a legitimate abuse and then follow the guidelines listed in post #2.
There may be some in this thread who have the attitude of “live and let live”, but, by not taking any action on something that you know full well is an abuse, it’s as though, in my opinion, you are a party to it by ignoring the situation.
Wrong is just as bad by ommission as it is by commission.
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John_Lilburne
Guest
To me this is a bit like saying: “You cannot, in good conscience, allow sin to fester and continue.” Do what you can to stop sin, but understand that your power to do this is limited.
Here is an example of a common liturigical abuse. Failing to follow the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“275. … a. A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated.”
My experience is that not many know about it and not many follow it.
So with our limited resources, decisions need to be made about priorities. What to confront? Who to confront? How to confront them. Retribution for accusations is possible and will be considered in the decisions made.
As the 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum has:
“4. … In this regard it is not possible to be silent about the abuses, even quite grave ones, against the nature of the Liturgy and the Sacraments as well as the tradition and the authority of the Church, which in our day not infrequently plague liturgical celebrations in one ecclesial environment or another. In some places the perpetration of liturgical abuses has become almost habitual, a fact which obviously cannot be allowed and must cease.” (My bold text.)
I am not saying “Do nothing.” But I am trying to highlight that an individual cannot do everything.
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ethelzguy
Guest
Right. Choose your battles wisely. The Boy Who Cried “Wolf” eventually gets ignored.
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benedictgal
Guest
John, the problem is that had liturgical abuse not run rampant, Redemptionis Sacramentum would never have been published.
One should not take such a flippant view on liturgical abuse. Perhaps you and ethelzguy need to take the words of Francis Cardinal Arinze to heart:
John, the example that you cited is not necessarily the kind of abuse I’m addressing. What I am addressing is what RS is designed to address.
Perhaps there are those who would rather stick their collective heads in the sand and just ignore liturgical abuse. As Cardinal Arinze noted, that’s the wrong approach to take.
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Walking_Home
Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Lilburne View Post
I am not saying “Do nothing.” But I am trying to highlight that an individual cannot do everything.
Right. Choose your battles wisely. The Boy Who Cried “Wolf” eventually gets ignored.
That is because there was no wolf. In our current Church — the wolfs have enter our churches —and many a time are found up in the sanctuary.
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benedictgal
Guest
Unfortunately, that is the sad case. Furthermore, when indifference to liturgical norms creeps in to the point that no one seems to care anymore, then, there we have some serious problems.
Recall what Francis Cardinal Arinze said regarding liturgical norms:
If abuses didn’t exist, then, Rome wouild not have had to go through the trouble of releasing a document like Redemptionis Sacramentum. Now, the document speaks to very specific abuses that occur such as the reprobated practice of haivng the laity read the Gospel and preach during Mass, wholesale substitutions of the texts of the official propers and prayers of the Mass and certain aspects regarding the distribution of Holy Communion.
While the GIRM remains the guiding principle of the Mass, RS addresses the various problems that have crept up over the course of the last 40 years.
The big problem is that people have become so infected with the Spirit of Vatican II that they have not taken the time to read what the documents actually contained. It is not the fault of the Ordinary Form. The burden lies on those who have put creativity and novelty over the rubrics. That is how abuses creep into the Mass.
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rwoehmke
Guest
Having the right to lodge a complaint does not mean one has the duty to complain.
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Walking_Home
Guest
Yes —From what is brought up in threads --the Church not only suffers from liturgical abuses but also from liturgical apathy.
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cothrige
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ethelzguy
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rwoehmke
Guest
Still don’t see any language in there that binds anyone under the pain of sin to do so. Now if the priest does something really out of line like changing the words of the consecration, maybe even letting a lay person preach the homily I might feel obliged to take action, but something like dropping the word “men” from the creed or using glass vessels for the blood of the Lord probably wouldn’t particularly stir my ire.
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benedictgal
Guest
Actually, the latter is an abuse under Redemptionis Sacramentum that was labeled as reprobated:
Regarding the issue of adding or subtracting words to the Mass, Redemptionis Sacramentum is also very clear on that matter as well:
The bottom line is that no one has the right to alter any part of the Mass. This includes the issue of dropping the word “men” from the Creed. The liturgy is not something that we cobble up for ourselves. It is the Church’s most sacred treasure that we receive.
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cothrige
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Yes, I think that is true. But, in a previous post it was specifically said that there was no “duty” upon us lay people, and yet it is just that which the text specifies. We are bound by a duty, all of us, to do all in our power to protect the Sacrament from abuse, and lodging a complaint is the specific action given afterward. As to whether not doing so is a mortal sin or not I would imagine that this would depend on the severity of the damage being done and the conscience of the lay person. Obviously that would not be for any of us to say.
Absolutely so. I think care is very important and that all charity be served. The priest is a minister of God who has offered his life in martyrdom for the Lord. Anyone who would lightly, with no regard for the relative severity of the offense or cause of the same, complain to the ordinary or the priest’s superiors would seem to be dealing with some sort of liturgical scruples.
Clearly the text is speaking of protecting the Sacrament and unless some actual sacrilege or scandal is being perpetuated I think there are much more useful ways to go about things. Perhaps simply asking the priest about it, and allowing that perhaps it is you who are in error is the best policy at first. All too often I have been convinced I had witnessed some horror in a Mass only to do some reading and find that the priest was well within the rubrics and norms. I suppose those guys go to school for something after all
. If that is not so however I would think the obvious and best response would be prayer. I sometimes think we have quietly forgotten about the efficacy of prayer, and can only really feel confident doing something more concrete, as if prayer is less than concrete. Perhaps in our culture we are all just too used to “I demand to see your manager” kind of action, and I doubt that this is really effective unless real scandal is at work. If that is not so then generally we just look like the curmudgeons we really are.
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ethelzguy
Guest
:tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat:Yes, I think that is true. But, in a previous post it was specifically said that there was no “duty” upon us lay people, and yet it is just that which the text specifies. We are bound by a duty, all of us, to do all in our power to protect the Sacrament from abuse, and lodging a complaint is the specific action given afterward. As to whether not doing so is a mortal sin or not I would imagine that this would depend on the severity of the damage being done and the conscience of the lay person. Obviously that would not be for any of us to say.
Absolutely so. I think care is very important and that all charity be served. The priest is a minister of God who has offered his life in martyrdom for the Lord. Anyone who would lightly, with no regard for the relative severity of the offense or cause of the same, complain to the ordinary or the priest’s superiors would seem to be dealing with some sort of liturgical scruples.
Clearly the text is speaking of protecting the Sacrament and unless some actual sacrilege or scandal is being perpetuated I think there are much more useful ways to go about things. Perhaps simply asking the priest about it, and allowing that perhaps it is you who are in error is the best policy at first. All too often I have been convinced I had witnessed some horror in a Mass only to do some reading and find that the priest was well within the rubrics and norms. I suppose those guys go to school for something after all
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