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RCs release a new English liturgy

The Vatican has finally approved a new translation of the most important parts of the Roman Catholic mass for use throughout the English-speaking world.

The translation, which will re­place the existing version from 1970, has been prepared by the Inter­national Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), of which 11 bishops’ conferences are members, including those in Britain, Ireland, and North America. Its work has been under way for some years, and has been delayed in Rome.

In his letter to the Conference of Bishops of the United States ac­companying the translation, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Francis Arinze, wrote: “The attached text is to be considered binding. For its part, this Congregation is confident that the universal use of these texts will greatly contribute to the building up of the Faith throughout the broad and diverse English-speaking world.” The Cardinal does not mention ecumenical con­sidera­tions.

It is understood that each bishops’ conference may be able to make its own minor variants.

The style of the translation reflects a desire to reflect the Latin original more closely. The US Committee on Divine Worship de­scribes it as “marked by a heightened style of English speech and a gram­matical structure that is based on the Latin text”.

Full story at the Church Times.