Source: http://clsadb.com/document/0c40812b-fd94-43cc-8adb-02c278de0074
Timestamp: 2019-03-22 21:22:37
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Matched Legal Cases: ['§2', '§1', '§1', '§3', '§1', '§1', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§3', '§3']

CDW, Fourth Instruction for the Right Application of the Conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy, on Inculturation and the Roman Liturgy Varietates legitimate, 29 March 1994, AAS 87 (1995): 288-314.
1. Legitimate differences in the Roman rite were allowed in the past and were foreseen by the Second Vatican Council in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, especially in the missions.1 “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters that do not affect the faith or the good of the whole community.”2 It has known and still knows many different forms and liturgical families, and considers that this diversity, far from harming her unity, underlines its value.3
2. In his apostolic letter Vicesimus quintus annus, the Holy Father Pope John Paul II described the attempt to make the liturgy take root in different cultures as an important task for liturgical renewal.4 This work was foreseen in earlier instructions and in liturgical books, and it must be followed up in the light of experience, welcoming where necessary cultural values “which are compatible with the true and authentic spirit of the liturgy, always respecting the substantial unity of the Roman rite as expressed in the liturgical books.”5
3. By order of the supreme pontiff, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has prepared this instruction: the norms for the adaptation of the liturgy to the temperament and conditions of different peoples, which were given in Articles 37-40 of the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, are here defined; certain principles expressed in general terms in those articles are explained more precisely, the directives are set out in a more appropriate way and the order to be followed is clearly set out, so that in the future this will be considered the only correct procedure. Since the theological principles relating to questions of faith and inculturation have still to be examined in depth, this congregation wishes to help bishops and episcopal conferences to consider or
1 Cf. 38; cf. also 40.
3 Cf. Vatican Council II, Orientalium Ecclesiarum 2; Sacrosanctum Concilium 3 and 4; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1200-1206, especially 1204-1206.
4 Cf. December 4, 1988, 16: AAS 81 (1989): 912.
put into effect, according to the law, such adaptations as are already foreseen in the liturgical books; to re-examine critically arrangements that have already been made; and if in certain cultures pastoral need requires that form of adaptation of the liturgy which the constitution calls “more profound” and at the same time considers “more difficult,” to make arrangements for putting it into effect in accordance with the law.
4. The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium spoke of the different forms of liturgical adaptation.6 Subsequently, the Magisterium of the Church has used the term “inculturation” to define more precisely “the incarnation of the Gospel in autonomous cultures and at the same time the introduction of these cultures into the life of the church.”7 Inculturation signifies “an intimate transformation of the authentic cultural values by their integration into Christianity and the implantation of Christianity into different human cultures.”8
The change of vocabulary is understandable, even in the liturgical sphere. The expression “adaptation,” taken from missionary terminology, could lead one to think of modifications of a somewhat transitory and external nature.9 The term “inculturation” is a better expression to designate a double movement: “By inculturation, the Church makes the Gospel incarnate in different cultures and at the same time introduces peoples, together with their cultures, into her own community.”10 On the one hand, the penetration of the Gospel into a given sociocultural milieu “gives inner fruitfulness to the spiritual qualities and gifts proper to each people..., strengthens these qualities, perfects them and restores them in Christ.”11
On the other hand, the Church assimilates these values, when they are compatible with the Gospel, “to deepen understanding of Christ’s message and give it more effective expression in the liturgy and in the many different aspects of the life of the community of believers.”12 This double movement in the work of inculturation thus expresses one of the component elements of the mystery of the incarnation.13
6 Nos. 37-40.
7 John Paul II, Ency. Slavorum apostoli, June 2, 1985, 21: AAS 77 (1985): 802-803; Discourse to the PC for Culture plenary assembly, January 17, 1987, AAS 79 (1987): 1204-1205.
8 John Paul II, Ency. Redemptoris missio, December 7, 1990, 52: AAS 83 (1991): 300.
9 Cf. ibid. and Synod of Bishops, Final Report Exeunte coetu secundo, December 7, 1985, D. 4.
10 Redemptoris missio 52.
11 Vatican Council II, Gaudium et spes 58.
13 Cf. John Paul II, Ap. Exhort. Catechesi tradendae, October 16, 1979, 53: AAS 71 (1979): 1319.
6. The present instruction has different situations in view. There are in the first place those countries which do not have a Christian tradition or where the Gospel has been proclaimed in modern times by missionaries who brought the Roman rite with them. It is now more evident that “coming into contact with different cultures, the Church must welcome all that can be reconciled with the Gospel in the tradition of a people to bring to it the riches of Christ and to be enriched in turn by the many different forms of wisdom of the nations of the earth.”19
14 Cf. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, c. 584, §2: “The evangelization of the peoples should be so done that, preserving the integrity of faith and morals, the gospel can be expressed in the culture of each individual people; namely, in catechetics, in their own liturgical rites, in sacred art, in particular law, and, in short, in the whole ecclesial life.”
15 Cf. Catechesi tradendae 53: “Concerning evangelization in general, we can say that it is a call to bring the strength of the Gospel to the heart of culture and cultures ... It is in this way that it can propose to cultures the knowledge of the mystery hidden and help them to make of their own living tradition original expressions of life, celebration and Christian thought.”
16 Cf. Redemptoris missio 52: “Inculturation is a slow process covering the whole of missionary life and involves all who are active in the mission ad gentes and Christian communities in the measure that they are developing.” Discourse to PC for Culture plenary assembly: “I strongly reaffirm the need to mobilize the whole church into a creative effort toward a renewed evangelization of both people and cultures. It is only by a joint effort that the church will be able to bring the hope of Christ into the heart of cultures and present-day ways of thinking.”
17 Cf. Pont. Biblical Comm., Foi et culture a la lumiere de la Bible, 1981; and International Theological Comm., Faith and Inculturation, 1988.
18 Cf. John Paul II, Discourse to the Bishops of Zaire, April 12, 1983, 5: AAS 75 (1983): 620: “How is it that a faith which has truly matured, is deep and firm, does not succeed in expressing itself in a language, in a catechesis, in theological reflection, in prayer, in the liturgy, in art, in the institutions which are truly related to the African soul of your compatriots? There is the key to the important and complex question of the liturgy, to mention just one area. Satisfactory progress in this domain can only be the fruit of a progressive growth in faith, linked with spiritual discernment, theological clarity, a sense of the universal Church.”
19 Discourse to PC for Culture 5: “In coming into contact with the cultures, the Church must welcome all that in the traditions of peoples is compatible with the Gospel, to give all the riches of Christ to them and to enrich itself of the varied wisdom of the nations of the earth.”
7. The situation is different in the countries with a long-standing Western Christian tradition, where the culture has already been penetrated for a longtime by the faith and the liturgy expressed in the Roman rite. That has helped the welcome given to liturgical reform in these countries, and the measures of adaptation envisaged in the liturgical books were considered, on the whole, sufficient to allow for legitimate local diversity (cf. below nos. 53-61). In some countries, however, where several cultures coexist, especially as a result of immigration, it is necessary to take account of the particular problems which this poses (cf. below 49).
8. It is necessary to be equally attentive to the progressive growth both in countries with a Christian tradition and in others of a culture marked by in difference or disinterest in religion.20 In the face of this situation, it is not so much a matter of inculturation, which assumes that there are pre-existent religious values and evangelizes them, but rather a matter of insisting on liturgical formation21 and finding the most suitable means to reach spirits and hearts.
The people of Israel throughout its history preserved the certain knowledge that it was the chosen people of God, the witness of his action and love in the midst of the nations. It took from neighboring peoples certain forms of worship, but its faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob subjected these borrowings to profound modifications, principally changes of significance, but also often changes in the form, as it incorporated these elements into its religious practice in order to celebrate the memory of God’s wonderful deeds in its history.
10. “The law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms” (cf. Lk 24:27 and 44) was a preparation for the coming of the Son of God upon earth. The Old Testament, comprising the life and culture of the people of Israel, is also the history of salvation.
On coming to the earth, the Son of God, “born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal 4:4), associated himself with social and cultural conditions of the people
20 Cf. Discourse to the PC for Culture 5; cf. also Vicesimus quintus annus 17.
21 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 19 and 35.
of the alliance, with whom he lived and prayed.22 In becoming a man, he became a member of a people, a country and an epoch “and in a certain way, he there by united himself to the whole human race.”23 For “we are all one in Christ, and the common nature of our humanity takes life in him. It is for this that he was called the ‘new Adam.’”24
11. Christ, who wanted to share our human condition (cf. Heb 2:14), died for all in order to gather into unity the scattered children of God (cf. Jn 11:52). By his death he wanted to break down the wall of separation between mankind, to make Israel and the nations one people. By the power of his resurrection, he drew all people to himself and created out of them a single new man (cf. Eph 2:14-16; Jn12:32). In him a new world has been born (cf. 2 Cor 5:16-17), and everyone can become a new creature. In him, darkness has given place to light, promise became reality and all the religious aspirations of humanity found their fulfillment. By the offering that he made of his body, once for all (cf. Heb 10: 10), Christ Jesus brought about the fullness of worship in spirit and in truth in the renewal which he wished for his disciples (cf. Jn 4:23-24).
12. “In Christ ... the fullness of divine worship has come to us.”25 In him we have the high priest, taken from among men (cf. Heb 5:15; 10:19-21), put to death in the flesh, but brought to life in the spirit (cf. 1 Pt 3:18). As Christ and Lord, he has made out of the new people “a kingdom of priests for God his Father” (cf. Rev 1:6; 5:9-10).26 But before inaugurating by the shedding of his blood the paschal mystery,27 which constitutes the essential element of Christian worship,28 Christ wanted to institute the Eucharist, the memorial of his death and resurrection, until he comes again. Here is to be found the fundamental principle of Christian liturgy and the kernel of its ritual expression.
13. At the moment of his going to his Father, the risen Christ assures his disciples of his presence and sends them to proclaim the Gospel to the whole of creation, to make disciples of all nations and baptize them (cf. Mt 28:15; Mk 16:15; Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit created a new community within the human race, uniting all in spite of the differences of language, which were a sign of division (cf. Acts 2:1-11). Henceforth, the wonders of God will be made known to people of every language and culture (cf.
22 Cf. Vatican Council II, Ad gentes 10.
23 Gaudium et spes 22.
24 St. Cyril of Alexandria, In Ioannem, I, 14: PG, 73, 162c.
25 Sacrosanctum Concilium 5.
26 Cf. Vatican Council II, Lumen gentium 10.
27 Cf. Roman Missal, Fifth Weekday of the Passion of the Lord, 5: Prayer One: “... per suum crucem instituit paschale mysterium.”
28 Cf. Paul VI, Ap. Letter Mysterii paschalis, February 14, 1969: AAS 61 (1969): 222-226.
Acts 10:44-48). Those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and united in fraternal communion (cf. Acts 2:42) are called from “every tribe, language, people and nation” (cf. Rev 5:9).
14. Faith in Christ offers to all nations the possibility of being beneficiaries of the promise and of sharing in the heritage of the people of the covenant (cf. Eph 3:6), without renouncing their culture. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, following the example of St. Peter (cf. Acts 10), St. Paul opened the doors of the Church, not keeping the Gospel within the restrictions of the Mosaic law, but keeping what he himself had received of the tradition which came from the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 11:23). Thus, from the beginning, the Church did not demand of converts who were uncircumcised “anything beyond what was necessary” according to the decision of the apostolic assembly of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15:28).
15. In gathering together to break the bread on the first day of the week, which became the day of the Lord (cf. Acts 20:7; Rev 1: 10), the first Christian communities followed the command of Jesus who, in the context of the memorial of the Jewish Pasch, instituted the memorial of his passion. In continuity with the unique history of salvation, they spontaneously took the forms and texts of Jewish worship and adapted them to express the radical newness of Christian worship.29 Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discernment was exercised between what could be kept and what was to be discarded of the Jewish heritage of worship.
17. The creation and the development of the forms of Christian celebration developed gradually according to local conditions in the great cultural areas where the good news was proclaimed. Thus were born distinct liturgical families of the Churches of the West and of the East. Their rich patrimony preserves faithfully the Christian tradition in its fullness.30 The Church of the West has sometimes drawn elements of its liturgy from the patrimony of the liturgical families of the East.31 The church of Rome adopted in its liturgy the living language of the people, first Greek and then Latin, and, like other Latin churches, accepted into its worship important events of social life and gave them a Christian significance. During the course of the centuries, the Roman rite has known how to integrate texts, chants, gestures and rites from various sources32 and to adapt itself in local cultures in
29 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1096.
30 Cf. ibid. 1200-1203.
31 Cf. Vatican Council II, Unitatis redintegratio 14-15.
32 Texts: cf. the sources of the prayers, the prefaces and the Eucharistic prayers of the Roman Missal; chants: for example, the antiphons for January 1, Baptism of the Lord, September 8, the Improperia of Good Friday, the hymns of the Liturgy of the Hours; gestures: for example the sprinkling of holy water, use of incense, genuflection, hands joined; rites: for example Palm Sunday procession, the adoration of the cross on Good Friday, the rogations.
mission territories,33 even if at certain periods a desire for liturgical uniformity obscured this fact.
18. In our own time, the Second Vatican Council recalled that the Church “fosters and assumes the ability, resources and customs of each people. In assuming them, the Church purifies, strengthens and ennobles them ... Whatever good lies latent in the religious practices and cultures of diverse peoples, it is not only saved from destruction, but it is also cleansed, raised up and made perfect unto the glory of God, the confounding of the devil, and the happiness of mankind.”34 So the liturgy of the Church must not be foreign to any country, people or individual, and at the same time it should transcend the particularity of race and nation. It must be capable of expressing itself in every human culture, all the while maintaining its identity through fidelity to the tradition which comes to it from the Lord.35
In adhering to Christ by faith, the Jews remained faithful to the Old Testament, which led to Jesus, the Messiah of Israel; they knew that he had fulfilled the Mosaic alliance, as the mediator of the new and eternal covenant, sealed in his blood on the cross. They knew that, by his one perfect sacrifice, he is the authentic high priest and the definitive temple (cf. Heb 6-10), and the prescriptions of circumcision (cf. Gal 5:1-6), the Sabbath (cf. Mt 12:8 and similar),36 and the sacrifices of the temple(cf. Heb 10) became of only relative significance.
In a more radical way Christians coming from paganism had to renounce idols, myths, superstitions (cf. Acts 19:18-19; 1 Cor 10:14-22; 2:20-22; 1 Jn 5:21) when they adhered to Christ.
But whatever their ethnic or cultural origin, Christians have to recognize the promise, the prophecy and the history of their salvation in the history of Israel. They must accept as the word of God the books of the Old Testament as well
33 Cf. in the past St. Gregory the Great, “Letter to Mellitus”: Reg. XI, 59: CCL 140A, 961-962; John VIII, Bull Industriae tuae, June 26, 880: PL, 126, 904; Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, Instruction to the Apostolic Vicars of China and Indochina (1654): Collectanea S.C. de Propaganda Fide, I, 1, Rome, 1907, no. 135; Instruction Plane compertum, December 8, 1939: AAS 32 (1940): 24-26.
34 Lumen gentium 17; also 13.
35 Cf. Catechesi tradendae 52-53; Redemptoris missio 53-54; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1204-1206.
36 Cf. also St. Ignatius of Antioch, “Letter to the Magnesians,” 9: Funk, 1, 199: “We have seen how former adherents of the ancient customs have since attained to a new hope; so that they have given up keeping the sabbath, and now order their lives by the Lord’s day instead.”
as those of the New.37 They welcome the sacramental signs, which can only be understood fully in the context of Holy Scripture and the life of the Church.38
And so it will be for Christians of all times, as the words of St. Paul affirm: “We proclaim Christ crucified, scandal for the Jews, foolishness for the pagans” (1 Cor 1:23).
21. Before any research on inculturation begins, it is necessary to keep in mind the nature of the liturgy. It “is, in fact, the privileged place where Christians meet God and the one whom he has sent, Jesus Christ” (cf. Jn 17:3).39 It is at once the action of Christ the priest and the action of the Church which is his body, because in order to accomplish his work of glorifying God and sanctifying mankind, achieved through visible signs, he always associates with himself the Church, which, through him and in the Holy Spirit, gives the Father the worship which is pleasing to him.40
It is not gathered together by a human decision, but is called by God in the Holy Spirit and responds in faith to his gratuitous call (ekklesia derives from
37 Cf. Vatican Council II, Dei verbum 14-16; Ordo lectionum Missae ed. typica altera, Praenotanda, 5: “It is the same mystery of Christ that the Church announces when she proclaims the Old and New Testament in the celebration of the liturgy. The New Testament is, indeed, hidden in the Old and, in the New the Old is revealed. Because Christ is the center and fullness of all Scripture, as also of the whole liturgical celebration”; Catechism of the Catholic Church 120-123, 128-130, 1093-1095.
38 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1093-1096.
39 Vicesimus quintus annus 7.
40 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 5-7.
41 Cf. ibid. 2; Vicesimus quintus annus 9.
klesis, “call”). This singular characteristic of the Church is revealed by its coming together as a priestly people, especially on the Lord’s day, by the word which God addresses to his people and by the ministry of the priest, who through the sacrament of orders acts in the person of Christ the head.42
Because it is catholic, the Church overcomes the barriers which divide humanity: By baptism, all become children of God and form in Christ Jesus one people where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female” (Gal 3:28). Thus, the Church is called to gather all peoples, to speak the languages, to penetrate all cultures.
Finally, the Church is a pilgrim on the earth far from the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 5:6): she bears the marks of the present time in the sacraments and in her institutions, but is waiting in joyful hope for the coming of Jesus Christ (cf. Titus 2: 13).43 This is expressed in the prayers of petition: it shows that we are citizens of heaven (cf. Phil 3:20), at the same time attentive to the needs of mankind and of society (cf.1 Tim 2: 1-4).
23. The Church is nourished on the word of God, written in the Old and New Testaments. When the Church proclaims the word in the liturgy, she welcomes it as a way in which Christ is present: “It is he who speaks when the sacred Scriptures are read in the Church.”44 For this reason, the word of God is so important in the celebration of the liturgy45 that the holy Scripture must not be replaced by any other text, no matter how venerable it may be.46 Likewise, the Bible is the indispensable source of the liturgy’s language, of its signs and of its prayer, especially in the psalms.47
24. Since the Church is the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice, the liturgy is always the celebration of the paschal mystery of Christ, the glorification of God the Father and the sanctification of mankind by the power of the Holy Spirit.48 Christian worship thus finds its most fundamental expression when every Sunday throughout the whole world Christians gather around the altar under the leadership of the priest, celebrate the Eucharist, listen to the word of God, and recall the death and
42 Cf. Vatican Council II, Presbyterorum ordinis 2.
43 Cf. Lumen gentium 48; Sacrosanctum Concilium 2 and 8.
44 Sacrosanctum Concilium 7.
45 Cf. ibid. 24.
46 Cf. Ordo lectionum Missae, Praenotanda, 12: “It is not allowed to suppress or reduce either the biblical readings in the celebration of Mass or the chants that are drawn from Sacred Scripture. It is absolutely forbidden to replace these readings by other non-biblical readings. It is through the word of God in the Scriptures that ‘God continues to speak to his people’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 33), and it is through familiarity with the Holy Scripture that the people of God, made docile by the Holy Spirit in the light of faith, can by their life and way of living witness to Christ before the whole world.”
47 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2585-2589.
48 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 7.
resurrection of Christ, while awaiting his coming in glory.49 Around this focal point, the paschal mystery is made present in different ways in the celebration of each of the sacraments.
25. The whole life of the liturgy gravitates in the first place around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the other sacraments given by Christ to his Church.50 The Church has the duty to transmit them carefully and faithfully to every generation. In virtue of its pastoral authority, the Church can make dispositions to provide for the good of the faithful, according to circumstances, times and places.51 But she has no power over the things which are directly related to the will of Christ and which constitute the unchangeable part of the liturgy.52 To break the link that the sacraments have with Christ, who instituted them, and with the very beginnings of the Church,53 would no longer be to inculturate them, but to empty them of their substance.
26. The Church of Christ is made present and signified in a given place and in a given time by the local or particular churches, which through the liturgy reveal the Church in her true nature.54 That is why every particular church must be united with the universal Church, not only in belief and sacramentals, but also in those practices received through the Church as part of the uninterrupted apostolic tradition.55 This includes, for example, daily prayer,56 sanctification of Sunday and the rhythm of the week, the celebration of Easter and the unfolding of the mystery of Christ throughout the liturgical year,57 the practice of penance and fasting,58 the sacraments of Christian initiation, the celebration of the memorial of the Lord and the relationship between the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic liturgy, the forgiveness of sins, the ordained ministry, marriage and the anointing of the sick.
27. In the liturgy the faith of the Church is expressed in a symbolic and
49 Cf. ibid. 6, 47, 56, 102 and 106; cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction, 1, 7 and 8.
50 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 6.
51 Cf. Council of Trent, session 21, chap. 2: Denz.-Schonm. 1728; Sacrosanctum Concilium 48ff. and 62ff.
52 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 21.
53 Cf. CDF, Inter insigniores, October 15, 1976: AAS 69 (1977): 107-108.
54 Cf. Lumen gentium 28; also 26.
55 Cf. St. Irenaeus, Against the Heresies, III, 2, 1-3; 3, 1-2: SCh, 211, 24-31; cf. St. Augustine, Letter to Januarius, 54, 1: PL 33, 200: “But regarding those other observances which we keep and all the world keeps, and which do not derive from Scripture but from tradition, we are given to understand that they have been ordained or recommended to be kept by the apostles themselves or by the plenary councils, whose authority is well founded in the Church”; cf. Redemptoris missio 53-54; cf. CDF, Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church on Certain Aspects of the Church Understood as Communion, May 28, 1992, 7-10.
56 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 83.
57 Cf. ibid. 102, 106 and Appendix.
58 Cf. Paul VI, Ap. Const. Paenitemini, February 17, 1966: AAS 58 (1966): 177-198.
communitarian form: This explains the need for a legislative framework for the organization of worship, the preparation of texts and the celebration of rites.59 The reason for the preceptive character of this legislation throughout the centuries and still today is to ensure the orthodoxy of worship: that is to say, not only to avoid errors, but also to pass on the faith in its integrity so that the “rule of prayer” (lex orandi) of the Church may correspond to “rule of faith” (lex credenda).60
28. The missionary tradition of the Church has always sought to evangelize people in their own language. Often indeed, it was the first apostles of a country who wrote down languages which up till then had only been oral. And this is right, as it is by the mother language, which conveys the mentality and the culture of a people, that one can reach the soul, mold it in the Christian spirit and allow it to share more deeply in the prayer of the Church.62
So that the word of God may be received in a right and fruitful way, “it is necessary to foster a taste for holy Scripture, as is witnessed by the ancient traditions of the rites of both East and West.”64 Thus inculturation of the liturgy presupposes the reception of sacred Scripture into a given culture.65
29. The different situations in which the Church finds itself are an important factor in judging the degree of liturgical inculturation that is necessary. The situation of countries that were evangelized centuries ago and where the Christian
59 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22; 26; 28; 40, 3 and 128; Code of Canon Law, c. 2 and passim.
60 Cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction, Prooemium 2; Paul VI, Discourse to the Consilium for the Application of the Const. on the Sacred Liturgy, October 13, 1966: AAS 58 (1966): 1146; October 14, 1968: AAS 60 (1968): 734.
61 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22, 36, 40 44-46; cc. 447ff. and 838.
62 Cf. Redemptoris missio 53.
63 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 35 and 36; c. 825, §1.
64 Sacrosanctum Concilium 24.
65 Cf. ibid.; Catechesi tradendae 55.
faith continues to influence the culture is different from countries which were evangelized more recently or where the Gospel has not penetrated deeply into cultural values.66 Different again is the situation of a Church where Christians are a minority of the population. A more complex situation is found when the population has different languages and cultures. A precise evaluation of the situation is necessary in order to achieve satisfactory solutions.
30. To prepare an inculturation of the liturgy, episcopal conferences should call upon people who are competent both in the liturgical tradition of the Roman rite and in the appreciation of local cultural values. Preliminary studies of ahistorical, anthropological, exegetical and theological character are necessary. But these need to be examined in the light of the pastoral experience of the local clergy, especially those born in the country.67 The advice of “wise people” of the country, whose human wisdom is enriched by the light of the Gospel, would also be valuable. Liturgical inculturation should try to satisfy the needs of traditional culture68 and at the same time take account of the needs of those affected by an urban and industrial culture.
31. Since it is a question of local culture, it is understandable that the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium assigned special responsibility in this matter to the “various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established.”69 In regard to this, episcopal conferences must consider “carefully and prudently what elements taken from the traditions and cultures of individual peoples may properly be admitted into divine worship.”70 They can sometimes introduce “into the liturgy such elements as are not bound up with superstition and error … provided they are in keeping with the true and authentic spirit of the liturgy.”71
32. Conferences may determine, according to the procedure given below (cf. nos. 62 and 65-69), whether the introduction into the liturgy of elements borrowed from the social and religious rites of a people, and which form a living part of their culture, will enrich their understanding of liturgical actions without producing negative effects on their faith and piety. They will always be careful to avoid the
66 In the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, attention is drawn to 38 and 40: “above all in the missions.”
67 Cf. Ad gentes 16 and 17.
68 Cf. ibid. 19.
69 Sacrosanctum Concilium 22; cf. ibid. 39 and 40; cc. 447-448ff.
70 Sacrosanctum Concilium 40.
71 Ibid. 37.
danger of introducing elements that might appear to the faithful as the return to a period before evangelization (cf. below no. 47).
34. In the planning and execution of the inculturation of the Roman rite, the following points should be kept in mind:
1) the goal of inculturation;
2) the substantial unity of the Roman rite, and
3) the competent authority.
35. The goal which should guide the inculturation of the Roman rite is that laid down by the Second Vatican Council as the basis of the general restoration of the liturgy: “Both texts and rites should be so drawn up that they express more clearly the holy things they signify and so that the Christian people, as far as possible, may be able to understand them with ease and to take part in the rites fully, actively and as befits a community.”73
Rites also need “to be adapted to the capacity of the faithful and that there should not be a need for numerous explanations for them to be understood.”74 However, the nature of the liturgy always has to be borne in mind, as does the
72 Cf. ibid. 14-19.
73 Ibid. 21.
74 Cf. ibid. 34.
biblical and traditional character of its structure and the particular way in which it is expressed (cf. above nos. 21-27).
37. Adaptations of the Roman rite, even in the field of inculturation, depend completely on the authority of the Church. This authority belongs to the Apostolic See, which exercises it through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments;78 it also belongs, within the limits fixed by law, to episcopal conferences79 and to the diocesan bishop.80 “No other person, not even if he is a priest, may on his own initiative add, remove or change anything in the liturgy.”81 Inculturation is not left to the personal initiative of celebrants or to the collective initiative of an assembly.82
75 Cf. ibid. 37-40.
76 Cf. Vicesimus quintus annus 16.
77 Cf. John Paul II, Discourse to the plenary assembly of the CDW, January 26, 1991, 3: AAS 83 (1991): 940: “This is not to suggest to the particular churches that they have a new task to undertake following the application of liturgical reform, that is to say, adaptation or inculturation. Nor is it intended to mean inculturation as the creation of alternative rites ... It is a question of collaborating so that the Roman rite, maintaining its own identity, may incorporate suitable adaptations.”
78 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22; c. 838, §§1 and 2; John Paul II, Ap. Const. Pastor bonus arts. 62, 64, §3: AAS 80 (1988): 876-877; Vicesimus quintus annus 19.
79 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22 and cc. 447ff. and 838, §§1 and 3; Vicesimus quintus annus 20.
80 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22, and c. 838, §§1 and 4; Vicesimus quintus annus 21.
81 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 22.
82 The situation is different when, in the liturgical books published after the constitution, the introductions and the rubrics envisaged adaptations and the possibility of leaving a choice to the pastoral sensitivity of the one presiding, for example, when it says “if it is opportune,” “in these or similar terms,” “also,” “according to circumstances,” “either ... or,” “if convenient,” “normally,” “the most suitable form can be chosen.” In making a choice, the celebrant should seek the good of the assembly, taking into account the spiritual preparation and mentality of the participants rather than his own preferences or the easiest solution. In celebrations for particular groups, other possibilities are available. Nonetheless, prudence and discretion are always called for in order to avoid the breaking up of the local church into little “churches” or “chapels” closed in upon themselves.
39. Language, as the principal means of communication between people, has the purpose in liturgical celebrations to announce to the faithful the good news of salvation83 and to express the Church’s prayer to the Lord. For this reason it must always express, along with the truths of the faith, the grandeur and holiness of the mysteries which are being celebrated.
Careful consideration, therefore, needs to be given to determine which elements in the language of the people can properly be introduced into liturgical celebrations, and in particular whether it is suitable or not to use expressions from non-Christian religions. It is just as important to take account of the different literary genres used in the liturgy: biblical texts, presidential prayers, psalmody, acclamations, refrains, responsories, hymns and litanies.
40. Music and singing, which express the soul of people, have pride of place in the liturgy. And so singing must be promoted, in the first place singing the liturgical text, so that the voices of the faithful may be heard in the liturgical actions themselves.84 “In some parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are people who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. Due importance is to be attached to their music and a suitable place given to it, not only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to their native genius.”85
Musical forms, melodies and musical instruments could be used in divine worship as long as they “are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, and provided they are in accord with the dignity of the place of worship and truly contribute to the uplifting of the faithful.”86
83 Cf. cc. 762-772, especially 769.
84 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 118; also 54: While allowing that “a suitable place be allotted to the language of the country” in the chants, “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them,” especially the Our Father. Cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction 19.
85 Sacrosanctum Concilium 119.
86 Ibid. 120.
44. The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium has firmly maintained the constant practice of the Church of encouraging the veneration by the faithful of images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints,95 because the honor “given to the image is given to its subject.”96 In different cultures believers can be helped
87 Cf. c. 841.
88 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 33; c. 899, §2.
89 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 30.
90 Cf. ibid. 123-124; c. 1216.
91 Cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction 259-270; cc. 1235-1239, especially 1236.
92 Cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction 272.
93 Cf. De benedictionibus: Ordo benedictionis baptisterii seu fontis baptismalis 832-837.
94 Cf. Roman Missal, General Instruction 287-310.
95 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 125; Lumen gentium 67; c. 1188.
96 Council of Nicea II: DS 601; cf. St. Basil, “On the Holy Spirit,” XVIII, 45; SCh, 17, 194.
in their prayer and in their spiritual life by seeing works of art which attempt, according to the genius of the people, to express the divine mysteries.
The introduction of devotional practices into liturgical celebrations under the pretext of inculturation cannot be allowed “because by its nature, (the liturgy) is superior to them.”97
46. “Innovations should only be made when the good of the church genuinely and certainly requires them; care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing.”101 This norm was given in the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium in relation to the restoration of the liturgy, and it also applies, in due measure, to the inculturation of the Roman rite. In this field changes need to be gradual and adequate explanation given in order to avoid the danger of rejection or simply an artificial grafting onto previous forms.
97 Sacrosanctum Concilium 13.
98 Cf. c. 839, §2.
99 Vicesimus quintus annus 18.
100 Cf. ibid.
101 Sacrosanctum Concilium 23.
102 These texts can be used profitably in the homily because it is one of the tasks of the homily “ to show the points of convergence between revealed divine wisdom and noble human thought, seeking the truth by various paths.” John Paul II, Ap. Letter Dominicae cenae, February 24, 1980, 10: AAS 72 (1980): 137.
50. Sometimes there are many languages in use in the one country, even though each one may be spoken only by a small group of persons or a single tribe. In such cases a balance must be found which respects the individual rights of these groups or tribes, but without carrying to extremes the localization of the liturgical celebrations. It is also sometimes possible that a country may be moving toward the use of a principal language.
51. To promote liturgical inculturation in a cultural area bigger that one country, the episcopal conferences concerned must work together and decide the measures which have to be taken so that “as far as possible, there are not notable ritual differences in regions bordering on one another.”104
52. The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium had in mind an inculturation of the Roman rite when it gave norms for the adaptation of the liturgy to the mentality
103 Nos. 65, 77 and 81. Cf. Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum, Praenotanda 30-31, 79-81 and 88-89; Ordo celebrandi matrimonium, editio typica altera, Praenotanda, 41-44; Ordo exsequiarum, Praenotanda, 21-22.
104 Sacrosanctum Concilium 23.
and needs of different peoples, when it provided for a degree of adaptation in the liturgical books (cf. below nos. 53-61), and also when it envisaged the possibility of more profound adaptations in some circumstances, especially in mission countries (cf. below nos. 63-64).
All peoples, even the most primitive, have a religious language which is suitable for expressing prayer, but liturgical language has its own special characteristics: it is deeply impregnated by the Bible; certain words in current Latin use (memoria, sacramentum) took on a new meaning in the Christian faith. Certain Christian expressions can be transmitted from one language to another, as has happened in the past, for example in the case of ecclesia, evangelium, baptisma, and eucharistia.
54. For the celebration of the Eucharist, the Roman Missal, “while allowing ... for legitimate differences and adaptations according to the prescriptions of the Second Vatican Council,” must remain “a sign and instrument of unity”107 of the Roman rite in different languages. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal foresees that “in accordance with the constitution on the liturgy, each conference of bishops has the power to lay down norms for its own territory that are suited to the traditions and character of peoples, regions and different communities.”108 The same also applies to the gestures and postures of the faithful,109 the ways in which
105 Cf. ibid. 36; 54 and 63.
106 Cf. Vicesimus quintus annus 20.
107 Cf. Paul VI, Ap. Const. Missale Romanum, April 3, 1969: AAS 61 (1969): 221.
108 Roman Missal, General Instruction 6; cf. also Ordo lectionum Missae, editio typica altera, Praenotanda, 111-118.
109 Roman Missal, General Instruction 22.
the altar and the book of the Gospels are venerated,110 the texts of the opening chants,111 the song at the preparation of the gifts112 and the communion song,113 the rite of peace,114 conditions regulating communion with the chalice,115 the materials for the construction of the altar and liturgical furniture,116 the material and form of sacred vessels,117 and liturgical vestments.118 Episcopal conferences can also determine the manner of distributing communion.119
56. For the rites of Christian initiation, episcopal conferences are “to examine with care and prudence what can properly be admitted from the traditions and character of each people”122 and “in mission countries to judge whether initiation ceremonies practiced among the people can be adapted into the rite of Christian initiation and to decide whether they should be used.”123 It is necessary to
110 Cf. ibid. 232.
111 Cf. ibid. 26.
112 Cf. ibid. 50.
113 Cf. ibid. 56i.
114 Cf. ibid. 56b.
115 Cf. ibid. 242.
116 Cf. ibid. 263 and 288.
117 Cf. ibid. 290.
118 Cf. ibid. 304, 305, 308.
119 Cf. De Sacra Communione et de cultu mysterii Eucharistici extra Missam, Praenotanda 21.
120 Cf. Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum, Praenotanda Generalia 30-33; Praenotanda 12, 20, 47 and 64-65; Ordo 312; Appendix 12; Ordo baptismi parvulorum, Praenotanda 8 and 23-25; Ordo confirmationis, Praenotanda 11-12 and 16-17; De Sacra Communione et de cultu mysterii Eucharisticiextra Missam, Praenotanda 12; Ordo paenitentiae, Praenotanda 35b and 38; Ordo unctionis infirmorum eorumque pastoralis curae, Praenotanda 38-39; Ordo celebrandi Matrimonium, editio typica altera, Praenotanda 39-44; De ordinatione episcopi, presbyterorum et diaconorum, editio typica altera, Praenotanda 11; De benedictionibus, Praenotanda Generalia 39.
121 Cf. Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum, Praenotanda 66; Ordo baptismi parvulorum, Praenotanda 26; Ordo paenitentiae, Praenotanda 39; Ordo celebrandi matrimonium, editio typica altera, Praenotanda 36.
122 Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum et ordo baptismi parvulorum, Praenotanda Generalia 30.2.
123 Ibid. 31; cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 65.
remember, however, that the term “initiation” does not have the same meaning or designate the same reality when it is used of social rites of initiation among certain peoples or when it is contrary to the process of Christian initiation, which leads through the rites of the catechumenate to incorporation into Christ in the Church by means of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.
57. In many places it is the marriage rite that calls for the greatest degree of adaptation so as not to be foreign to social customs. To adapt it to the customs of different regions and peoples, each episcopal conference has the “faculty to prepare its own proper marriage rite, which must always conform to the law which requires that the ordained minister or the assisting layperson,124 according to the case, must ask for and obtain the consent of the contracting parties and give them the nuptial blessing.”125 This proper rite must obviously bring out clearly the Christian meaning of marriage, emphasize the grace of the sacrament and underline the duties of the spouses.126
60. As regards the liturgical year, each particular church and religious family adds its own celebrations to those of the universal church, after approval by the
124 Cf. cc. 1108 and 1112.
125 Sacrosanctum Concilium 77; Ordo celebrandi matrimonium, editio typica altera, Praenotanda 42.
126 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 77.
127 Cf. Ordo exsequiarum, Praenotanda 4.
128 Cf. ibid. 9 and 21.1-21.3.
129 Cf. ibid. 2.
130 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 81.
131 Cf. ibid. 79; De benedictionibus, Praenotanda Generalia 39; Ordo professionis religiosae, Praenotanda 12-15.
Apostolic See.132 Episcopal conferences can also, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See, suppress the obligation of certain feasts or transfer them to a Sunday.133 They also decide the time and manner of celebrating rogationtide and ember days.134
63. Apart from the adaptations provided for in the liturgical books, it may be that “in some places and circumstances an even more radical adaptation of the
132 Cf. Normae universales de anno liturgico et de calendario 49 and 55; CDW, Instruction Calendaria particularia, June 24, 1970: AAS 62 (1970): 349-370.
133 Cf. c. 1246, §2.
134 Cf. Normae universales de anno liturgico et de calendario 46.
135 Liturgy of the Hours, General Instruction 92, 162, 178 and 184.
136 Cf. cc. 455, §2 and 838, §3; that is also the case for a new edition, cf. Vicesimus quintus annus 20.
137 Canon 838, §3.
liturgy is needed, and this entails greater difficulties.”138 This is more than the sort of adaptations envisaged by the general instructions and the praenotanda of the liturgical books.
The desirability or need for an adaptation of this sort can emerge in one of the areas mentioned above (cf. nos. 53-61) without the others being affected. Moreover, adaptations of this kind do not envisage a transformation of the Roman rite, but are made within the context of the Roman rite.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is ready to receive the proposals of episcopal conferences and examine them, keeping in mind the good of the local churches concerned and the common good of the universal Church, and to assist the process of inculturation where it is desirable or necessary. It will do this in accordance with the principles laid down in this instruction (cf. above, nos. 33-51), and in a spirit of confident collaboration and shared responsibility.
138 Sacrosanctum Concilium 40.
139 Cf. Cong. for Bishops, Directory on the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops, February 22, 1973, 84.
140 Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 40.
70. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments presents these rules to the episcopal conferences to govern the work of liturgical inculturation envisaged by the Second Vatican Council as a response to the pastoral needs of peoples of different cultures. Liturgical inculturation should be carefully integrated into a pastoral plan for the inculturation of the Gospel into the many different human situations that are to be found. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments hopes that each particular church, especially the young churches, will discover that the diversity of certain elements of liturgical celebrations can be a source of enrichment, while respecting
141 Cf. ibid. 40.
142 Cf. ibid.
the substantial unity of the Roman rite, the unity of the whole Church and the integrity of the faith transmitted to the saints for all time (cf. Jude 3).
CDW, 29 March 1994, Instruction, AAS 87 (1995): 288-314; Notitiae 30 (1994): 80-115; Comm 27 (1995): 10-29; TPS 39 (1994): 265-286; Origins 23 (1993-1994): 745, 747-756. http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWINCLT.HTM