Vatican squelches rumors of new rules on Mass facing east

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Although the pope’s top official for liturgy recently suggested that priests should adopt the ad orientem posture for celebrating Mass beginning in Advent, meaning facing the east, a Vatican spokesman on Monday said that instructions recommending facing the people are not going to change.

ROME- In the wake of recent comments by its chief liturgist recommending that priests celebrate Mass ad orientem, meaning facing east with their backs to the people, beginning in Advent, the Vatican released a statement on Monday saying no new rules along those lines are in the works.

A Vatican spokesman also rejected the vocabulary of a “reform of the reform” in liturgical practice, saying that phrase is “at times the source of misunderstandings.”

Father Federico Lombardi said the decision to release a statement clarifying comments made by Cardinal Robert Sarah, of Guinea, came after the prelate met with Pope Francis on Saturday.

“Cardinal Sarah has always been rightly concerned about the dignity of the celebration of the Mass, in order to adequately express an attitude of respect and adoration of the Eucharistic mystery,” Lombardi said.

The papal spokesman added that some of Sarah’s expressions had been misinterpreted by the press, as a signal that changes in liturgical norms were imminent.

cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/07/11/vatican-says-no-new-rules-coming-mass-facing-east/
 
VATICAN STATEMENT: The following is a working translation of the Vatican press statement made by America’s Vatican correspondent, in the absence of an official translation.

SOME CLARIFICATIONS ON THE CELEBRATION OF THE MASS

A clarification is opportune following news reports circulating in the media after a conference held in London some days ago by Cardinal Sarah, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Cardinal Sarah has always been rightly concerned for the dignity of the celebration of the Mass, in a way that expresses adequately the attitude of respect and adoration for the Eucharistic mystery.

Some expressions were nevertheless badly interpreted as if they announced new indications differing from those given to-date in the liturgical norms and in the words of the pope on the celebration (looking) towards the people and on the ordinary rite of Mass.

It is there good to recall that in the General Order of the Roman Missale (Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani), that contains the norms relating to the Eucharistic celebration and (which) are still fully in force, No. 299 states that “the altar is built separated from the wall, so as to be able to move around it easily and to celebrate looking towards the people, which thing is convenient to realize wherever possible. The altar is to be place in a way so as to really constitute the center towards which the attention of the people spontaneously converges.”

Pope Francis, for his part, on the occasion of his visit to the Dicastery (Congregation for Divine Worship) has expressly recalled that the “ordinary” form of the celebration of the Mass is that envisaged by the Missal promulgated by Paul VI, while that “extraordinary” (form), which was permitted by by Pope Benedict XVI for the purposes and the modalities explained by him in the Motu Proprio “Summorum Ponticium,” must not take the place of the “ordinary” (form).

There are therefore no new liturgical directives beginning from next Advent, as someone has improperly deduced from some words of Cardinal Sarah, and it is better to avoid using the expression “the reform of the reform,” in referring to the liturgy, given that this has sometimes been the source of misunderstanding.

Significantly, the Vatican communique added that “all this was expressly agreed during a recent audience given by the pope to the said Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.”

americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/vatican-denies-changes-celebration-mass
 
Seems like Cardinal Sarah may have got a lot of people all worked up for nothing.
 
Padres1969 said:
Seems like Cardinal Sarah may have got a lot of people all worked up for nothing.
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Well he was told to look into it and he did and gave his recommendation. I wouldn’t call that for nothing.

There is a big movement growing, at least in the states, to go back to the extraordinary form, atleast aspects of it.

I don’t know all the history or reasons but I do know there are some “experiments” in diocese that have produced a lot of fruit
 
As I predicted: the cardinal’s comments have been “clarified.” In political terms, that would be called “walking them back.”
 
That’s too bad. It makes sense for the priest to face East.

My priest was so excited by Serah’s recommendation as he wants to face East but needed a bishops backing to do so. I wonder what will happen now.
 
Regina7 said:
That’s too bad. It makes sense for the priest to face East.

My priest was so excited by Serah’s recommendation as he wants to face East but needed a bishops backing to do so. I wonder what will happen now.
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If I had to guess, no one will be facing “east” unless they’re performing the EF.
 
Regina7 said:
That’s too bad. It makes sense for the priest to face East.

My priest was so excited by Serah’s recommendation as he wants to face East but needed a bishops backing to do so. I wonder what will happen now.
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That should be obvious. Whatever the priest saying the OF Mass could do before, he cannot do now.
 
He recalled that the General Instruction on the Roman Mission, which “remains fully in force,” indicated that the altar should be built away from the wall so “that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible.”
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and
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The statement also reminded people that when Pope Francis visited the offices of the congregation for divine worship, “he expressly recalled that the ‘ordinary’ form of the celebration of Mass is that foreseen by the missal promulgated by Paul VI,” and that the extraordinary form permitted by retired Pope Benedict XVI “should not take the place of that ‘ordinary’ form.”
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cnstopstories.com/2016/07/11/vatican-no-changes-in-direction-priests-face-while-celebrating-mass/
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This should settle the issue, but it won’t, you can be sure of that.

Jim
 
Regina7 said:
That’s too bad. It makes sense for the priest to face East.

My priest was so excited by Serah’s recommendation as he wants to face East but needed a bishops backing to do so. I wonder what will happen now.
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Status quo. It’s as what many of us guessed would happen.

No document===suggestion only.
 
Yet it was and continues to be lawful for a priest to celebrate the Novus Ordo mass ad Orientem.

It makes perfect sense that the priest faces us as he preaches to us or proclaims the Gospel to us… But for the life of me I dont understand why people are so obsessed with the perceived need to study his face as he offers the Eucharistic sacrifice.
 
Okay, I need a little help here…Our church is arranged so ‘East’ faces rhe congregation. Does ‘Ad Orientum’ literally (yep, the correct usage of that word!) mean east, or simply away from the congregation?

Thanks, and yes, I actually brought a compass to mass to check, but didn’t get a chance to ask our priest as it was baptism day and he was swamped with happy parents.

Oh yes, our seating is best described as a horseshoe with the altar centerlined. The tabernacle is actually in a adoration chapel off to the side at the back, if that is also part of the arrangement discussion as well.
 
Crusaderbear said:
Okay, I need a little help here…Our church is arranged so ‘East’ faces rhe congregation. Does ‘Ad Orientum’ literally (yep, the correct usage of that word!) mean east, or simply away from the congregation?

Thanks, and yes, I actually brought a compass to mass to check, but didn’t get a chance to ask our priest as it was baptism day and he was swamped with happy parents.
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It means facing liturgical east. Whether that is literal east depends on your church.
 
Regina7 said:
That’s too bad. It makes sense for the priest to face East.

My priest was so excited by Serah’s recommendation as he wants to face East but needed a bishops backing to do so. I wonder what will happen now.
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He still can. It has always been licit in the Novus Ordo. I’m not sure why special permission would be required from the bishop. I’ve seen priests celebrate OF masses in this way - though admittedly only on a few occasions.
 
One of my priests celebrates weekday masses ad orientum.

As I understood it from the beginning, this was a recommendation, not a rule. I don’t know why so many people got so worked up.
 
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