No, they only have to ask for permission where they don't have the authority to make the decision. Making standing the norm, they have the authority.
By the general law, each adaptation of the Roman Missal must be submitted to the Holy See for recognition at some point.
Communion Posture
Universal Norm
From the
General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 3rd edition, March 2002.
The following norm is the universal norm found in the Roman Missal. Note that each Bishop Conference determines the particular norm for its own country. By the general law, each adaptation is then submitted to the Holy See for recognition.
160 The priest then takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule, approach in a procession.
The faithful are not permitted to take up the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice themselves, and still less hand them on to one another. The faithful may communicate either standing or kneeling, as established by the Conference of Bishops. However, when they communicate standing, it is recommended that they make an appropriate gesture of reverence, to be laid down in the same norms, before receiving the Sacrament.
U.S. Norm
The following adaptation of GIRM 160 was approved by the Holy See for the United States.
160. The priest then takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule, approach in a procession.
The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another. The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.
When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood.
Recognized by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 17 April 2002, and, promulgated as particular law of the United States by Decree of the President of the USCCB, Bishop Wilton Gregory, 25 April 2002.
I believe that the indult for receiving Holy Communion in the hand was not a request of the US Bishops, but that of the Bishops of Vatican II, but it was not a majority, otherwise Vatican II would've made it a norm throughout the Church.
Communion-in-the-hand came into use in the United States in 1977.
Communion-in-the-Hand
The authority of the Church to permit what in other centuries was freely done and which "by itself" is not contrary to the faith is not in question. If abuses are widespread they are contrary to the mind of the Church as expressed in the Roman documents, and contrary to the devotion expressed in the early Church when Communion was also received in the hand. Withdrawing this permission in our time on account of the abuses is certainly something Rome could do.
That's because Vatican II never prohibited kneeling and it was the norm at the time.
Kneeling is the universal norm.
History and Interpretation of the Norm
In the 1967 document Eucharisticum mysterium (Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery), the Sacred Congregation of Rites (now called the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) established that,
34. ... In accordance with the custom of the Church, the faithful may receive communion either kneeling or standing. One or the other practice is to be chosen according to the norms laid down by the conference of bishops.
At the time this directive was issued the US Bishops did not establish a posture, although Communion processions with reception standing quickly became the custom throughout the United States, as they did in much of the world.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (3rd edition) gives the same legislation, stating,
160 ... The faithful may communicate either standing or kneeling, as established by the Conference of Bishops.
Acting upon this provision of the GIRM, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sought and obtained,
in March 2002, a particular norm for the United States.
160. The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.
This norm seeks a single posture among communicants. The purpose spoken of in the norm is given earlier in the
General Instruction.
42. The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered. Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.
A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the Sacred Liturgy: it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants.
While the desirability of everyone in the congregation making the common gestures and postures throughout the Mass is clear (a sign of unity), recent interpretations of these norms by the Holy See provides some insight into the mind of the Church. It should be noted that the Holy See alone can authentically interpret legislation it has initiated or approved. The following was issued in response to a
dubium of Cardinal George of Chicago. The reference is to the general posture norm, GIRM 43, and whether communicants can kneel down for their thanksgiving after Communion when everyone else is standing, however, it is clear that the mind (
mens) of the Holy See on the role of posture is expressed.
The general principle enunciated in the response would therefore also apply to GIRM 160, and the issues of kneeling to receive and genuflecting before receiving.
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
5 June 2003
Prot. n. 855/03/L
Dubium: In many places, the faithful are accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer upon returning to their places after individually received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, to forbid this practice?
Responsum: Negative, et ad mentem. The mens is that that the prescription of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of the Holy Mass, and on the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.
Francis Cardinal Arinze
Prefect
The following responses to questions were published in the November-December 2002 edition of
Notitiae, the official publication of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. These responses represent the view of the Holy See on the questions of kneeling to receive Holy Communion and the right of Catholics to address concerns to the Holy See.
Kneeling - Responses from Congregation for Divine Worship in Notitiae
Not really, Cardinal Arinze isn't a contradiction for me
Obviously he is, why else would you misunderstand him and think:
I believe he's in error on who decides how the liturgy developed and what the norms would be for the universal Church. It was the counsel of Bishops, not the prefect nor the Pope alone, they must work within the counsel of Bishops. Only when there is a conflict within that counsel that needs to be resolved does the Pope speak, ex-cathedra.
You believe the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments doesn't know what he is talking about.
I'm not a canon lawyer, some I'm just speaking from how I've observed the way the USCCB work.
If Cardinal Arinze were able to order kneeling at Communion, the USCCB would conform, but the good Cardinal does not have that authority, which many trads seem to think he does.
Cardinal Arinze isn't ordering anything or trying to. He approves of either standing or kneeling. He is telling you that no one can begrudge anyone to kneel or receive on the tongue.
I don't begrudge anyone from receiving with the reverence they are called to. If there were real reverence, it wouldn't bother such people when others receive standing. Being it bothers them, tells me that they have an agenda of their own.
Yet only you mention one or the other bothering anyone when no one in this this thread has taken any such position against anyone who stands. Only you have - against kneeling. By your own reasoning, it seems you are the one who has a problem if others kneel because you go out of your way to break others down for preferring to kneel whey they say nothing about standing at all.
Ass it is, myself nor others who prefer to stand, don't constantly open threads in Catholic forums such as this, criticizing those who choose to kneel. Instead, those who say kneeling is a must are constantly opening threads telling everyone that anything else is less reverent.
When you see a thread by people who prefer to stand while receiving in the hand as the only reverent way, let us know.
If you would look at the OP you would see that this was Miche treating another story like she always does and it was actually about altar rails. It is then later made toxicly about kneeling. Which shows to me that is by only those who have a problem with people kneeling, while no-one else has had a problem with standing.
Even to the point of thinking Cardinal Arinze is inept.