In a rare appeal to his magisterial authority as the Roman pontiff, Pope Francis stated Thursday that the changes made to the Catholic liturgy by the Second Vatican Council are “irreversible.”
In a lengthy discourse to a group of liturgical experts, the Pope said: “We can affirm with certainty and magisterial authority that the liturgical reform is irreversible.”
Francis was referring to the changes in Catholic rituals that included the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular languages, the priest facing the people, and a more active participation of the congregation.
This is not the first time that Pope Francis has expressed his esteem for the 1970 liturgical reform.
In 2015, Francis voiced his gratitude for the new liturgy on the 50th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council. “Let us give thanks to the Lord for what he has done in his church in these 50 years of liturgical reform. It was really a courageous move by the church to get closer to the people of God so that they could understand well what it does, and this is important for us: to follow Mass like this,” he said.
At that time, Francis also foreshadowed this week’s comments that the reform is “irreversible.” READ MORE
