Good story on kath.net

6 Comments

1. Gabriella says:

   1 September 2009 at 5:08 PM

   Oops!
   Father hasn’t the time, I understand.
   Anyone out there who knows German and has a couple of minutes to spare? ;)
   Just tell us what it’s all about,
   Thanks.
2. pberginjr says:

   1 September 2009 at 6:05 PM

   A quick summary:

   A young man from Hamburg presented himself for communion at St. Peter’s in Rome and when he put out his hand for the host, the priest refused the hand and placed the host on the man’s tongue. He was angered by this occurrence.

   In Germany, communion in the hand and use of the vernacular are standard. At the masses of Pope Benedict XVI, communion is only given on the tongue while kneeling. This is bringing up a question of the reform of the reforms after Vatican II is in the works.

   Last week, Father Ciro Benedettini, of the Vatican Press said “At the moment there is no institutional proposals for an amendment of the liturgical books, which are currently in use.”
   This statement was picked up by the Vatican Rapporteur of the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Andrea Tornielli, who has been discussing a reform of the reform recently in his work. The Pope hopes for greater sacredness of the rite, a regaining of both the spirit of Eucharistic adoration and the Latin language and propose a revision of the Mass texts to end ad libs.

   Tornielli added at the end of his article that: To implement the reform of the reform will require many years. The Pope is convinced that hasty steps are just as vain as the simple ordinances of directives from above – with the risk that the later remain a dead letter. The style of Ratzinger is more the balance and above all the example. This was demonstrated by the fact that for more than a year, those who go to communion with the pope to kneel and receive on the tongue.

   Not all take to heart the desire of the Pope

   For all the priests who would assist at Communion, the Pope desires to promote Communion on the tongue.

   On request, Andrea Tornielli confirmed last weekend that he would remain entirely with the content of his contribution on the grade of the Congregation for Divine Worship. He also did not feel denied by the deputy Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini, because he [Benedettini] had written that Pope Benedict was planning any new guidelines.

   Tornielli’s expression the “reform the reform” was not quite right. All proposals submitted to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Pope would not constitute a withdrawal or modification of reforms in the liturgy, but only the enforcement of existing law. Neither the council nor the conciliar legislation abolished these acts: communion on the tongue, the use of Latin in the Mass, or celebration “versus Dominum”.

   Rough but a quick summary, I got some help with a translator tool.
3. Lori Ehrman says:

   1 September 2009 at 8:43 PM

   Bitte
4. tzard says:

   1 September 2009 at 9:03 PM

   Ah, but the question that comes to mind – is reception in the hand *in* the Liturgical books currently in use?

   Not being and expert, I think it’s handled by special permission, which can be altered if Rome sees fit.

   Just Say the Black and Do the Red and you’ll have reformed much – without nary a change to the books.
5. Mariana says:

   2 September 2009 at 4:28 AM

   Sehr schön!
6. irishgirl says:

   2 September 2009 at 11:55 AM

   Thank you, pberginjr, for your ‘quickie’ translation!

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