Father Stephen A. Baumann at 1020 Montgomery Road, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714-7420 US - V. Adaptations and Inculturation

The ninth chapter of the Institutio Generalis summarizes the "Adaptations which are the competence of Bishops and Conferences of Bishops." Adaptations in the liturgy are seen as a response to the Council's call to foster that "full, conscious and active participation which is required by the nature of the Liturgy itself and to which the faithful, in virtue of their state, have a right and duty." (386) Thus have certain points of "accommodation and adaptation" been assigned to "the judgment either of the diocesan Bishop or of the Conference of Bishops." (386) The role of the diocesan bishop is then revisited, for from him "in some sense the life in Christ of [the] faithful is derived and is dependent." (387) He must, therefore, "foster, govern and watch over the liturgical life in his diocese." (387) In addition to his primary task of nourishing all with the spirit of the sacred Liturgy, the Institutio assigns him four actions in adapting the liturgy to the life of his diocese: the governance of the discipline of concelebration; the establishment of norms for altar servers; the establishment of norms for distribution of Holy Communion under both kinds; the establishment of norms for the construction and ordering of church buildings. Other tasks of adaptation are within the competence of Conferences of Bishops: to prepare and approve a complete edition of the Roman Missal in the vernacular language and to submit it for the recognitio of the Apostolic See; (389) to define, with the recognitio of the Apostolic See, those adaptations to the Roman Missal which are indicated in the Institutio, (390) such as: gestures and posture of the faithful; gestures of veneration to the altar and the Book of the Gospels; texts of various chants; readings from Sacred Scripture for special circumstances; the form of the gesture of peace; the manner of receiving Holy Communion; material for the altar and the sacred furnishings, especially the sacred vessels, and also materials, form and color of the liturgical vestments; inclusion in the Missal of Directories or Pastoral Instructions; (390) to carefully prepare translations of biblical texts for use at Mass, in a language "which responds to the capacity of the faithful and which is suitable for public proclamation, while maintaining those characteristics that are proper to the different manners of speaking employed in the biblical books"; (391) to prepare translations of other liturgical texts " in such a way that while respecting the nature of each language, the sense of the original Latin text is fully and faithfully rendered. In carrying this out, it is well to keep in mind the different literary genres which are employed in the Missal, such as the presidential orations, the antiphons, acclamations, responses, litanic supplications, and so on." (392) The proclamatory dimension of such texts is not to be neglected, for such texts are destined to be "read aloud or sung in the course of a celebration." (392) The language used should be accommodated to the faithful, but should be "nevertheless noble and marked by literary quality." (392) to approve appropriate melodies for the Mass and to judge which "musical forms, melodies, and musical instruments may be admitted into divine worship, in that they are truly apt for sacred use or can be rendered apt." (393) to draw up a proper calendar for the country to be approved by the Apostolic See. In such calendars "only celebrations of the greatest importance should take precedence" over Sunday, and the liturgical year should not be obscured by secondary elements. (394) Similarly, "each diocese should have its own calendar and Proper of Masses." (394) to propose "variants and points of deeper adaptation in order that the sacred celebration" facilitate the participation and spiritual good of a people in light of their mentality and customs in accord with article 40 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. (395) A series of steps to be followed in such proposals are then outlined in keeping with the Holy See's Instruction, Inculturation and the Roman Liturgy. (395) The Institutio then recalls the indispensable need for the "instruction of the clergy and faithful in a wise and orderly fashion" (396) in preparation for receiving any such adaptations. The Institutio then cautions that such adaptations not compromise the accord between each particular Church and the Church universal, "not only as to the doctrine of the faith and the sacramental signs, but even as to the usages universally admitted by apostolic and unbroken tradition." (397) Such common usages are maintained "not only so that errors may be avoided, but even with the purpose of handing on the faith in its integrity." (397) The Institutio concludes by describing the "notable and valuable part of the liturgical treasure and patrimony of the Catholic Church" which is the Roman Rite, admonishing that any diminishing of this treasure would gravely harm the universal Church. Through the centuries, the Roman Rite has not only "conserved the liturgical usages that had their origin in the city of Rome, but has also in a deep, organic and harmonious way incorporated into itself certain others, thus acquiring a certain ‘supra-regional character.'" (397) Both the identity and unity of the Roman Rite are today expressed in the Latin typical editions and the approved and confirmed vernacular editions derived from them. (397) Thus the Institutio insists that the liturgy should not be changed in the interest of inculturation unless "a real and certain need of the Church demands it and with all proper care that new forms in some way grow organically from already existing forms." Thus understood, "inculturation requires a necessary amount of time, lest in a hasty and incautious manner the authentic liturgical tradition suffer contamination." (398) Inculturation is not aimed at creating new rites, and approved innovations may not be "at variance with the distinctive character of the Roman Rite." (398) The Institutio closes with a summary description of the Missale Romanum: "Thus the Roman Missal, although in a diversity of languages and in a certain variety of customs, must in the future be maintained as a means to the integrity and unity of the Roman Rite, and as its outstanding sign." (399)

(Back)