Leader of liturgical commission
resigns
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
With the resignation of its longtime executive secretary, the
International Commission on English in the Liturgy, the embattled group charged
with translating texts for Catholic worship into English, appears to face a
still more uncertain future.
The resignation of John Page, who has led the commissions
staff since 1980, was announced Feb. 22 and becomes effective August 15.
The commission was established by English-speaking episcopal
conferences during the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The bishops
conferences of 11 member countries, including the United States, are
represented on the governing board.
The commission has in recent years become a political football, as
critics charge it with an excessively liberal approach to the Latin originals
of prayers for the Mass and other sacraments. Those critics, including some in
the Vatican, prefer a literal translation, arguing it is the best guarantee of
liturgical unity and doctrinal fidelity.
Defenders of the commission, on the other hand, say liturgical
texts must meet the sensitivities of modern English speakers, such as use of
so-called inclusive language that avoids gender-specific
terminology. In that sense, they argue, the commission embodies Vatican
IIs vision of an inculturated liturgy.
In October 1999, Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez of the
Vaticans Congregation for Divine Worship ordered the commission to
redraft its statutes, giving the Vatican more direct control. The governing
board adopted Medinas requests only in part.
Since that time, the commissions future has been unclear.
Some believe the critics want to preserve the commission but reorient it by
bringing in personnel who share their views. Others believe the long-term goal
is to replace the commission with another body or process.
Page, 61, a mild-mannered historian and expert on the late English
Cardinal John Henry Newman, became an unwitting symbol of these battles.
Pages departure had been expected, as restructuring
requested by the Vatican envisioned a fixed term for the executive secretary.
Though Page declined to be interviewed, sources told NCR that he was
also increasingly weary of the political debate surrounding the commission.
Never has someone devoted so many years of work to the
promotion of the liturgy and received so little thanks, said Jesuit Fr.
Keith Pecklers, a professor at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome.
John has taught me what it means to love the church and faithfully serve
its worship, and I am in his debt.
Prelates who worked with Page also praised him.
This news will sadden all who know Page and recognize his
great gifts of integrity, dedication and courtesy, said Bishop Maurice
Taylor of Scotland, chair of the board. Pages wisdom and skill in
liturgical and linguistic matters and his gentle leadership
are evident
and will be sorely missed.
Sources told NCR that for the time being, no further
shakeup of commission staff is imminent. While there has been discussion about
moving the offices out of the United States, that possibility too appears to be
on hold.
A May 2001 Vatican document on liturgical translation,
Liturgiam Authenticam, gives the Congregation for Divine Worship the
authority to set up other translation bodies or to initiate translations
itself, an option seen as more likely to be invoked if the Vatican is
dissatisfied with changes inside the commission. What impact Pages
resignation may have is unclear.
We dont know yet what is going to happen, one
Vatican source said.
Speculation about a successor to Page initially pointed to Fr.
James Moroney, current chief of staff for the U.S. bishops committee on
the liturgy and a figure seen as sympathetic to some criticisms of the
commission. Sources tell NCR, however, that Moroneys appointment
is unlikely.
John L. Allen Jr. is NCRs Rome correspondent.
His e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, March 22,
2002
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