The Holy Spirit apparently wanted this dear Nigerian in the top spot at the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments (CDW). He continues to do a very fine job.
In very clear terms, the Cardinal has made it known that it is "not acceptable to maintain that people have become accustomed to a certain translation for thirty or fourty years."
Well Cardinal Arinze, all I can say is: "And with your Spirit!!!!"
Diogenes at Off the Record in the Catholic World News (CWNews.com) website covers the story in full:
Arinze to Skylstad: sorry, not buying it.
...or, to respond in ICEL-ese, "And also with you, pal." A letter from Cardinal Arinze shows that, while the liturgy wars continue, the old tactics just aren't doing it. In the latest round of the Roman Missal translation battle, the U.S. bishops dug into their playbook and tried to run Pastoral Hardship Left in order to out-flank Liturgiam authenticam (they explained to Rome, you see, that we faithful are so besottedly in love with the 1974 ICEL Sacramentary that it would be cruel for the Holy See to make us change it for a translation closer to the Latin). Arinze wasn't having any:
2 May 2006
The Most Reverend William Skylstad
Bishop of Spokane
President, United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops
Prot. n. 499/06/L
Your Excellency,
With reference to the conversation between yourself,
the Vice President and General Secretary of the
Conference of Bishops of which you are President,
together with me and other Superiors and Officials
when you kindly visited our Congregation on 27 April
2006, I wish to recall the following:
The Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam is the latest
document of the Holy See which guides translations
from the original-language liturgical texts into the
various modern languages in the Latin Church. Both
this Congregation and the Bishops’ Conferences are
bound to follow its directives. This Congregation
for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments is therefore not competent to grant the
recognitio for translations that do not conform to
the directives of Liturgiam authenticam. If, however,
there are difficulties regarding the translation of a
particular part of a text, then this Congregation
is always open to dialogue in view of some mutually
agreeable solution, still keeping in mind, however,
that Liturgiam authenticam remains the guiding norm.
The attention of your Bishops’ Conference was
also recalled to the fact that Liturgiam
Authenticam was issued at the directive of the
Holy Father at the time, Pope
John Paul II, to guide new
translations as well as the revision of all
translations done in the last forty
years, to bring them into greater
fidelity to the original-language official
liturgical texts. For this reason it
is not acceptable to maintain that people have
become accustomed to a certain translation for
the past thirty or forty years, and therefore
that it is pastorally advisable to make no changes.
Where there are good and strong
reasons for a change, as has been determined by
this Dicastery in regard to the entire translation
of the Missale Romanum as well as other important
texts, then the revised text should make the needed
changes. The attitudes of Bishops and Priests will
certainly influence the acceptance of the texts by
the lay faithful as well.
Requesting Your Excellency to share these reflections
with the Bishops of your Conference I assure you of
the continued collaboration of this Congregation and
express my religious esteem,
Devotedly yours in Christ,
+Francis Card. Arinze
Prefect, Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments
Ouch.
Loss of eight. Fourth and twenty-two. And the punting unit, led by John Huels, is coming onto the field.
I hope Cardinal Arinze lives a very long time. God Bless his Emminence!
Note: Photo above taken from the Detroit News online.