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CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE
SACRAMENTS
Prot. n. 429/02/L
Rome, 16 March 2002
After some time to reflect upon concerns in recent months with the
Presidents of a certain number of Conferences of Bishops in whose territory the
Liturgy of the Roman Rite is individually celebrated in English, this
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments addresses
the present letter to you and to your brother Bishops regarding the translation
of the Missale Romanum, editio typica altera (Prot.nn. 142/99/L and
2210/00/L) submitted to this Congregation …
Obviously the promulgation of the editio typica tertia
would have necessitated a number of adaptations to the translation in any
event. Even so, as many have already correctly surmised, there are additional
substantial reasons for which this Congregation is regrettably unable to accord
the recognitio to this text in the form in which it was submitted. A
summary of the principal reasons may be found in the Observations enclosed with
the present letter. Though these are extensive, they are not intended to be
exhaustive, even in a generic sense. It has become apparent in the course of
this Dicastary’s examination that a truly exhaustive presentation of the
inadequacies of the translation would best be made in the form of an integral
annotated or reworked text, and in the continued anticipation of a Mixed
Commission operating under Statutes approved by this Dicastery in accordance
with the Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam, such an instrument would not
yet be feasible.
This Congregation has been prepared from the beginning to spare no
efforts in arriving at a solution to this difficulty that would have avoided
the present impasse. A decision was made to maintain an optimistic assessment
of such a prospect, even though the unfeasibility of the present Mixed
Commission’s collaborating with this Dicastery in an effective and timely
resolution of such fundamental problems had long been clear. In practical
terms, the Congregation nourished the hope that a truly renewed structure for
English language liturgical translation would be in a position to collaborate
with this Dicastery in a way that the present Commission evidently could not
– even if perhaps not because of any lack of good will on the part of
certain key collaborators, but rather because of an evidently insurmountable
divergence as regards fundamental principles of liturgical translation. This
consideration was one of the primary reasons for which this Congregation asked
the Conferences for such a renewal of that structure.
As of the present date, the member Conferences of the Mixed
Commission known as the international Commission on English in the Liturgy have
taken a number of steps in response to the Congregation’s request for such
a restructuring of the Commission. Certain procedures have been set in place
which – while falling short of those for which the Congregation continues
to ask – would not be without positive effect in terms of the formulation
of new translations. Unfortunately, however, such measures have not yet
resulted, as the Congregation had hoped, in a fresh group of experts and
administrators appropriately positioned to collaborate with the Holy See in the
implementation of new norms represented by the Instruction Liturgiam
Authenticam as approved by the Holy Father on 20 March 2001, for the
appropriate emendation of texts already in progress.
The feasibility of resolving the problems in a manner that would
involve the participation of the present Mixed commission has been impeded by
the fact that as of the present date the Conferences have not succeeded in
making the necessary adjustments to the Commission’s personnel, but have
all of the provisions requested by this Congregation and now required by the
Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam been included within its Statutes.
Certain Bishops have indicated further that the Conferences are inhibited from
making such changes as a result of contractual arrangements binding in civil
law. While the problems in the proposed translation of the Missale
Romanum have been evident to the Congregation for some time, the
inflexibility of the structural problems hindering their effective resolution
has admittedly come as somewhat of a surprise to it.
The Congregation’s delay in giving a response regarding the
translation of the Missale Romanum has been interpreted by some as a
stalling strategy aimed at thwarting the eventual publication of a new English
language translation of that liturgical book. In fact, nothing could have been
further from the truth. Even so, it has become increasingly apparent that the
negative consequences of further delay by the Congregation in providing a
definitive response regarding the liturgical translation in question have
clearly overtaken the hopes for a solution that justified such a delay, and
therefore the moment has come for the present communication.
This Dicastery had hoped to communicate its findings regarding the
translation in question together with a concrete and realistic proposal for a
future collaboration with the Conferences aimed at the resolution of the
problems through the instrumentality of a renewed Mixed Commission. To this
end, it has considered various options and continues to do so. In any event, it
would clearly be preferable to incorporate within an eventual solution the best
elements of the work that has already been done. Nevertheless the Congregation
has determined that it is no longer feasible to delay the present
communication, even in the continued absence of such a proposal. This Dicastery
wishes to state also that it would also have no objection if the content of the
attached Observations were to be made public, with or without the contents of
the present letter.
The Congregation considers it a duty to express its thanks to
those Bishops whose efforts have been dedicated in a particular way to a
resolution of these issues of English-language translation of liturgical texts
of the Roman Rite. … that it will give all due consideration to any
proposals that the Conference may wish to offer for the resolution of the
present difficult situation, so that the translation of the Missale
Romanum to be published may conform to the present norms for liturgical
translation and the heritage of the Roman Rite may be more effectively
preserved and transmitted to the faithful of your country in the English
language.
With every prayerful good wish, I remain,
Sincerely yours in
Christ,
Jorge A. Card. Medina Estevez
Prefect
Francesco Pio
Tamburrino
Segretario
National Catholic Reporter, Posted May 16,
2002
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