Magnificent Prayers

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope John Paul II Praises Traditional Latin Mass' "Magnificent Prayers"

VATICAN, Sep 27, 01 - The liturgy of the Catholic Church must never be reduced to a merely esthetic exercise, Pope John Paul II has warned. Nor can the liturgical ceremonies be seen as "instruments toward pedagogical or ecumenical ends."

The papal message was addressed to the members of the Congregation for Divine Worship, who are meeting in Rome this week. The Holy Father reminded them that "the celebration of the sacred mysteries is above all else an act of praise to the sovereign majesty of God." For that reason, he continued, the first characteristic of any liturgy must be "a profound sense of the sacred."

The Pope also encouraged the Congregation for Divine Worship — which in May published the instruction on liturgical translation, Liturgicam Authenticam — to ensure that the prayers of the liturgy reflect the depth of the Christian traditions of piety. He cited as examples the "magnificent prayers" found in the rites of the Eastern churches, and in the old Roman Missal of St. Pius V.