MarkThompson #19 mentioned that Rome has clarified that the
faithful have the right to receive kneeling at the OF if they so choose.
There are many places where it’s indicated that the normative posture in the OF of the Mass in the US is standing for receiving Holy Eucharist in the hand or on the tongue. Our bishop who is quite orthodox recently published
Instructions on receiving Communion properly in which he states “The proper posture for receiving Communion is standing.”
The Bishops of the United States have decided that the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion should be standing.
The GIRM says 43. §4 “With a view to a uniformity in gestures and postures during one and the same celebration, the faithful should follow the directions which the deacon, lay minister, or priest gives according to whatever is indicated in the Missal.” But unless the bishop has “derogated from this norm in an individual and extraordinary circumstance” in this situation then the priest is doing whatever he wants, against the norms of the US Bishops i.e. illicit as stated in the USCCB directive…
You’re right, thanks for the correction. Having done a little checking, the GIRM states, “The faithful may communicate either standing or kneeling, as established by the Conference of Bishops.” The USCCB obtained determined that our norm is standing, and obtained the
recognitio of the Holy See for it.
In addition to the material you mentioned, the CDWDS has further
clarified (my emphasis):
Prot. n. 47/03/L
Rome, February 26, 2003
This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has received your letter dated December 1, 2002, related to the application of the norms approved by the Conference of Bishops of the United States of America, with the subsequent recognitio of this Congregation, as regards the question of the posture for receiving Holy Communion.
As the authority by virtue of whose recognitio the norm in question has attained the force of law, this Dicastery is competent to specify the manner in which the norm is to be understood for the sake of a proper application. Having received more than a few letters regarding this matter from different locations in the United States of America, the Congregation wishes to ensure that its position on the matter is clear.
To this end, it is perhaps useful to respond to your inquiry by repeating the content of a letter that the Congregation recently addressed to a Bishop in the United States of America from whose Diocese a number of pertinent letters had been received. The letter states: “…while this Congregation gave the
recognitio to the norm desired by the Bishops’ Conference of your country that people stand for Holy Communion, this was done on the condition that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds. Indeed, the faithful should not be imposed upon nor accused of disobedience and of acting illicitly when they kneel to receive Holy Communion”.
This Dicastery hopes that the citation given here will provide an adequate answer to your letter. At the same time, please be assured that the Congregation remains ready to be of assistance if you should need to contact it again.
With every prayerful good wish, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
[signed]
Mons. Mario Marini
Undersecretary
Nevertheless, I now acknowledge that someone who kneels actually
is spurning the norm legitimately determined by his bishops in favor of his own personal predilections. The mere fact that deviation is not to be punished does not obviate that it is a failure to obey a genuine norm. I can no longer recommend it.