Why We Need a Pope From Africa

[Bob Crowley]

That's one reason I'm not interested in Cardinal Sara becoming pope. His preference for the priest to face the altar is nothing more than his own personal opinion. I fail to see why I should have to obey a Pope who is going to impose his personal opinion as the rule of church liturgy.

I get a bit sick of those who grandstand on facing the altar, the host must be placed on the tongue etc. etc.

The key concern of Christianity is how we live our Christian lives - not how we can make mountains out of molehills in liturgical practice.

 

[Lady Bug]

That's one reason I'm not interested in Cardinal Sara becoming pope. His preference for the priest to face the altar is nothing more than his own personal opinion. I fail to see why I should have to obey a Pope who is going to impose his personal opinion as the rule of church liturgy.

I get a bit sick of those who grandstand on facing the altar, the host must be placed on the tongue etc. etc.

The key concern of Christianity is how we live our Christian lives - not how we can make mountains out of molehills in liturgical practice.

I was a member of a parish that is currently like this - I'm indifferent to it but some people have issues with it.

 

[JSRG]

I recall the Vatican responding to Cardinal Sara when he tried to make it the norm that the celebrant
say Mass Ad Orientem. He was informed that his words were not in line with Vatican II. There
was another issue, but I forget what it was.

Vatican II officially encouraged the celebration of Mass "facing the people" (versus populum), but the historic practice of "facing East" (ad orientem) is still permitted in the reformed Mass and normative for the traditional Latin Mass.

You say it "officially encouraged" it. Again, where did it do so?

However, this option can only occur in the Novus Ordo a Mass "facing the people" is not an option for the TLM.

What the Church permits, can be done, what it prohibits, cannot be done.


It was the authority of the diocesan Bishops. As the
CONSTITUTION
ON THE SACRED LITURGY
SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM

States;

"1) The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, must, in this matter, carefully and prudently consider which elements from the traditions and culture of individual peoples might appropriately be admitted into divine worship. Adaptations which are judged to be useful or necessary should then be submitted to the Apostolic See, by whose consent they may be introduced.

2) To ensure that adaptations may be made with all the circumspection which they demand, the Apostolic See will grant power to this same territorial ecclesiastical authority to permit and to direct, as the case requires, the necessary preliminary experiments over a determined period of time among certain groups suited for the purpose.

3) Because liturgical laws often involve special difficulties with respect to adaptation, particularly in mission lands, men who are experts in these matters must be employed to formulate them. Sacrosanctum Concilium "

This is from Vatican II, but I don't see anything there about them facing the people. Facing the people might be something the Catholic Church approved later, but it doesn't seem to be in Vatican II.