UPDATE IN ENGLISH:
APOSTOLIC LETTER
ISSUED MOTU
PROPRIO
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
FRANCIS
MAGNUM PRINCIPIUM
BY WHICH CAN. 838 OF THE CODE OF CANON LAW IS MODIFIED
The great principle, established by the Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, according to which liturgical prayer be accommodated to the
comprehension of the people so that it might be understood, required the
weighty task of introducing the vernacular language into the liturgy and of
preparing and approving the versions of the liturgical books, a charge that was
entrusted to the Bishops.
The Latin Church was aware of the attendant sacrifice
involved in the partial loss of liturgical Latin, which had been in use
throughout the world over the course of centuries. However it willingly opened the door so that
these versions, as part of the rites themselves, might become the voice of the
Church celebrating the divine mysteries along with the Latin language.
At the same time, especially given the various clearly
expressed views of the Council Fathers with regard to the use of the vernacular
language in the liturgy, the Church was aware of the difficulties that might
present themselves in this regard. On
the one hand it was necessary to unite the good of the faithful of a given time
and culture and their right to a conscious and active participation in
liturgical celebrations with the substantial unity of the Roman Rite. On the other hand the vernacular languages
themselves, often only in a progressive manner, would be able to become
liturgical languages, standing out in a not dissimilar way to liturgical Latin
for their elegance of style and the profundity of their concepts with the aim
of nourishing the faith.
This was the aim of various Liturgical Laws,
Instructions, Circular Letters, indications and confirmations of liturgical
books in the various vernacular languages issued by the Apostolic See from the
time of the Council which was true both before as well as after the laws
established by the Code of Canon Law.
The criteria indicated were and remain at the level of
general guidelines and, as far as possible, must be followed by Liturgical
Commissions as the most suitable instruments so that, across the great variety
of languages, the liturgical community can arrive at an expressive style
suitable and appropriate to the individual parts, maintaining integrity and
accurate faithfulness especially in translating some texts of major importance
in each liturgical book.
Because the liturgical text is a ritual sign it is a
means of oral communication. However,
for the believers who celebrate the sacred rites the word is also a
mystery. Indeed when words are uttered,
in particular when the Sacred Scriptures are read, God speaks to us. In the Gospel Christ himself speaks to his
people who respond either themselves or through the celebrant by prayer to the
Lord in the Holy Spirit.
The goal of the translation of liturgical texts and of
biblical texts for the Liturgy of the Word is to announce the word of salvation
to the faithful in obedience to the faith and to express the prayer of the
Church to the Lord. For this purpose it
is necessary to communicate to a given people using its own language all that
the Church intended to communicate to other people through the Latin
language. While fidelity cannot always
be judged by individual words but must be sought in the context of the whole
communicative act and according to its literary genre, nevertheless some
particular terms must also be considered in the context of the entire Catholic
faith because each translation of texts must be congruent with sound doctrine.
It is no surprise that difficulties have arisen
between the Episcopal Conferences and the Apostolic See in the course of this
long passage of work. In order that the
decisions of the Council about the use of vernacular languages in the liturgy
can also be of value in the future a vigilant and creative collaboration full
of reciprocal trust between the Episcopal Conferences and the Dicastery of the
Apostolic See that exercises the task of promoting the Scared Liturgy, i.e. the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, is
absolutely necessary. For this reason,
in order that the renewal of the whole liturgical life might continue, it
seemed opportune that some principles handed on since the time of the Council
should be more clearly reaffirmed and put into practice.
Without doubt, attention must be paid to the benefit
and good of the faithful, nor must the right and duty of Episcopal Conferences
be forgotten who, together with Episcopal Conferences from regions sharing the
same language and with the Apostolic See, must ensure and establish that, while
the character of each language is safeguarded, the sense of the original text
is fully and faithfully rendered and that even after adaptations the translated
liturgical books always illuminate the unity of the Roman Rite.
To make collaboration in this service to the faithful between
the Apostolic See and Episcopal Conferences easier and more fruitful, and
having listened to the advice of the Commission of Bishops and Experts that I
established, I order, with the authority entrusted to me, that the canonical
discipline currently in force in can. 838 of the C.I.C. be made clearer so
that, according to what is stated in the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, in particular in articles 36 §§3.4, 40 and
63, and in the Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio Sacram Liturgiam, n. IX, the competency of the Apostolic See
surrounding the translation of liturgical books and the more radical
adaptations established and approved by Episcopal Conferences be made clearer,
among which can also be numbered eventual new texts to be inserted into these
books.
Therefore, in the future can. 838 will read as follows:
Can. 838 - §1. The ordering and guidance of the sacred
liturgy depends solely upon the authority of the Church, namely, that of the
Apostolic See and, as provided by law, that of the diocesan Bishop.
§2. It is for the Apostolic See to order the sacred liturgy of the universal
Church, publish liturgical books, recognise
adaptations approved by the Episcopal Conference according to the norm of law,
and exercise vigilance that liturgical regulations are observed faithfully
everywhere.
§3. It pertains to the Episcopal Conferences
to faithfully prepare versions of
the liturgical books in vernacular languages, suitably accommodated within defined limits, and to approve and publish the
liturgical books for the regions for which they are responsible after the
confirmation of the Apostolic See.
§4. Within the limits of his competence, it belongs to
the diocesan Bishop to lay down in the Church entrusted to his care, liturgical
regulations which are binding on all.
Consequently this is how art. 64 §3 of the Apostolic
Constitution Pastor Bonus as well as
other laws are to be interpreted, particularly those contained in the
liturgical books concerning their revision.
Likewise I order that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments modify its own “Regulations” on the basis of the
new discipline and help the Episcopal Conferences to fulfil their task as well
as working to promote ever more the liturgical life of the Latin Church.
Everything that I have decreed in this Apostolic
Letter issued Motu Proprio must be
observed in all its parts, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, even if it
be worthy of particular mention, and I hereby set forth and I dispose that it
be promulgated by publication in the daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, that it enter into force on 1 October 2017, and
thereafter be published in Acta
Apostolicae Sedis.
Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on 3 September of the
year 2017, the fifth of my Pontificate
FRANCISCUS P.P.
