The liturgy and Papal jurisdiction

[James_2_24]

Does the Pope have any say in the liturgies of the various Eastern Catholic Churches? Can he, for example, say: you must use Latin or you must face the people?

Not that I would desire such things, I love the Eastern Liturgies and diversity of worship within the Universal Church. I just trying to understand to what extent the Pope’s jurisdiction is.

The basis for my question is a discussion I had with a Latin Rite Catholic who seems to think the Easterns are a little less Catholic since they don’t follow the ways and disciplines of the Pope’s Rite (Roman). Which I disagree with but I’m having a hard time explaining how they can have their own expression of faith and still be unified.

 

[Diaconia]

Eastern Catholic Churches have their own regulations and prescripts to follow.

Our late holy father Pope John Paul II spoke often about Eastern Catholics returning to their own roots, doing away with Latinizations and so forth.

Eastern Churches are their own Churches (sui iuris), and have their own Canon law, as well. (1990 Code of Canons of Oriental Churches)

So, no, the Pope can’t tell them to face the people or use Latin in the liturgy.

God bless,

PS: Several important changes that occurred during Vatican II were from the prompting of Eastern Bishops that were in attendance at the Council: Free-standing altars (that you can walk all the way around to incense), vernacular language, and Communion under both species.

 

[cameron_lansing]

Good response above. Some other thoughts.

Latins who fail to appreciate the catholicity and distinct patrimony of the Eastern Churches are in significant need of catechesis. We hope you do well in assisting your acquaintance to understand that the discipline, theology, spirituality and liturgy of the Eastern Churches are just as Catholic as we are. In fact, they are frequently of greater antiquity.

Do consider looking at the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. You can access the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches at intratext.com/X/ENG1199.HTM.

Canon 668, para 2 states that for the regulation of divine public worship the competent authority is the one mentioned in can. 657, with due regard for can. 199, 1; no other person can add to, remove, or modify that which was established by this authority. Canon 657 will address liturgical texts and canon 199 will speak to the role of the eparchical bishop.

As well, canon 669 notes that since the sacraments are the same for the entire Church and belong to the divine deposit, it is for the supreme authority of the Church alone to approve or define those things which are required for their validity.

Canons 43-45 and canon 49 are of particular interest since they treat the exercise of power in the entire Church and the notion of supreme authority in the Church.canon. (The title on Supreme Authority encompasses canons 42-54 in that code.)

Yet we would also want to take note of canon 39 which states that the rites of the Eastern Churches, as the patrimony of the entire Church of Christ, in which there is clearly evident the tradition which has come from the Apostles through the Fathers and which affirm the divine unity in diversity of the Catholic faith, are to be religiously preserved and fostered.

Supreme authority acts to protect those values and not act undermine them.

The canons of the Eastern Churches are worth at least a basic review by educated Latin Catholics. Some of those canons are binding even on the Latin Church. At least scan the titles. Title 2 on Churches Sui Iuris and Rites is invaluable.

Blessings and peace.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Does the Pope have any say in the liturgies of the various Eastern Catholic Churches? Can he, for example, say: you must use Latin or you must face the people?

Not that I would desire such things, I love the Eastern Liturgies and diversity of worship within the Universal Church. I just trying to understand to what extent the Pope’s jurisdiction is.

The basis for my question is a discussion I had with a Latin Rite Catholic who seems to think the Easterns are a little less Catholic since they don’t follow the ways and disciplines of the Pope’s Rite (Roman). Which I disagree with but I’m having a hard time explaining how they can have their own expression of faith and still be unified.

In a nutshell the Liturgies of the Eastern Churches flow from the Apostolic Sees where they were started. Does the Pope have Liturgical jurisdiction there, generally yes. The Canons of the Eastern Church may contain some information on this. Remembering that the Pope can change both Eastern and Latin Canon Law when changes are needed.

 

[malphono]

The canons of the Eastern Churches are worth at least a basic review by educated Latin Catholics. Some of those canons are binding even on the Latin Church. At least scan the titles. Title 2 on Churches Sui Iuris and Rites is invaluable.

Well … the only canons in the CCOE that would “bind” a member of the Roman Church would concern inter-ecclesial matters.

Eastern Catholic Churches have their own regulations and prescripts to follow. …

Eastern Churches are their own Churches (sui iuris), and have their own Canon law, as well. (1990 Code of Canons of Oriental Churches)

The CCOE is really a “filler” code that supplies some general principles and fills in a few “gaps” but each Church sui juris has it’s own Particular Law.

So, no, the Pope can’t tell them to face the people or use Latin in the liturgy.

There was a [thread=349702]thread[/thread] about this exact issue some time ago in the Eastern Catholicism forum. There is, as usual, a lot of chaff amidst the grain, but it might be worth a look.

Several important changes that occurred during Vatican II were from the prompting of Eastern Bishops that were in attendance at the Council: Free-standing altars (that you can walk all the way around to incense), vernacular language, and Communion under both species.

This seems to be a reference to (for lack of a better expression) the “Melkite agenda” and frankly it doesn’t really hold much water. Yes, the Melkites were involved in the discussions, but considering that the number of Melkite bishops present was under 20, not one of those items could possibly have been incorporated into a conciliar document had the majority of Roman bishops not voted for them.

That said, I have to note, as well, that

1. 
   *]the concept of a free-standing altar is not uniquely Eastern. It is, rather, universal, and they were used in the West (e.g., the traditional High Altar in Notre-Dame de Paris, St. Patrick’s in New York, and many other places) from time immemorial.
   *]The same is true for communion under both species, in that it had been custom in the West in pre-Reformation times.
   *]I won’t go into the “vernacular issue” lest it derail the thread, but suffice it to say that, in practice, this was carried far beyond anything that even the Melkites (at least at the time) were doing.

 

[diggerdomer]

Does the Pope have any say in the liturgies of the various Eastern Catholic Churches? Can he, for example, say: you must use Latin or you must face the people?

Not that I would desire such things, I love the Eastern Liturgies and diversity of worship within the Universal Church. I just trying to understand to what extent the Pope’s jurisdiction is.

The basis for my question is a discussion I had with a Latin Rite Catholic who seems to think the Easterns are a little less Catholic since they don’t follow the ways and disciplines of the Pope’s Rite (Roman). Which I disagree with but I’m having a hard time explaining how they can have their own expression of faith and still be unified.

The Pope is the supreme legislator for the Catholic Church, so yes, on one hand of course he has authority. Eastern Catholics are just that…Catholic. No more or less than Roman or any other Catholics.

Yet while the Pope juridically, in theory, could potentially legislate such items as you propose, it’s almost inconceivable that an individual Pope would choose to do so as it would be such a radical departure from the Tradition of the Church and the duty of maintaining unity within the Church that the Pope has special responsibility for.