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Liturgical reform is crucial in the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said this to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on Thursday.
After what has been labelled as a significant address, discussion took place against the backdrop of the dicastery’s annual plenary assembly.
The assembly focused on enhancing the liturgical formation for clergy and laity in line with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Pope’s recent reflections.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Council’s foundational document on the liturgy, which set the stage for sweeping reforms intended to make the Church’s rituals more accessible and meaningful to the faithful worldwide.
Pope Francis used this occasion to reiterate that genuine reform of the Church is impossible without a reinvigoration of its liturgical life.
“Without liturgical reform, there is no reform of the Church” declared the Pope. He outlined a vision of a Church that engages actively with its people’s spiritual and pastoral needs, bridges divisions among Christians and proclaims the Gospel with renewed vigour.
During the address, Francis spoke passionately about the importance of priests’ fidelity and their relationship with the Church.
Keen to animate the Church’s mission in the modern world, Francis urged the Dicastery for Divine Worship to proceed in close cooperation with other Vatican bodies, such as the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
In affirming the centrality of the liturgy to the life of the Church and as a way of encountering Christ, he says the Dicastery’s focus is to ensure the liturgical life of the Church is vibrant and a unifying force for Catholics around the globe.
Liturgy and church life a single coherent unity
“At its most profound level, Sacrosanctum Concilium articulates a renewed understanding of the Church, where the liturgy of the church and the life of the baptised form a single coherent unity.
“Sacrosanctum Concilium was the first Constitution issued by the Council, not only because of the decades-long research that preceded it and the liturgical reforms of Pope St Pius X and Pope Pius XII but, most importantly, according to Pope Benedict XVI, because the liturgical life of the Church is central to the very existence of the Church.
“2,147 bishops at the Council overwhelmingly approved Sacrosanctum Concilium” Dr Joe Grayland told CathNews recently.
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