The French-speaking Catholic world is heading for a tug-of-war over the translation of the Roman Missal. The Vatican is insisting on a precise translation from the Latin text approved in 2002, as it did for the translation into English. The planned new translation will be for French-speaking parts of Europe, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. Read more
The Vatican’s liturgy chief has called on priests to celebrate parts of the Mass facing the east, as this is what Vatican II wanted. The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah, made this call in an interview with a French Catholic magazine. Cardinal Sarah said Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has urged Catholics to resist both “ideological colonisation” and the removal of God from society. Cardinal Robert Sarah did this during a speech at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, on May 17. The Guinean cardinal spoke of a religious persecution and threat being visited on Read more
The Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has criticised “long and loud” offertory processions in some countries. Writing in L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Robert Sarah took aim at offertory processions in some African countries that include “endless dances”. “One has the impression of being present at a folklore exhibition,” the cardinal wrote. Cardinal Sarah comes Read more
The Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has made pointed statements about intercommunion, Anglican orders and Eucharist. In an interview with aleteia.org, Cardinal Robert Sarah said intercommunion between Catholics and other Christians is not a matter of following one’s conscience. Rather, intercommunion between Christians not united in faith and doctrine would promote profanation, he Read more
The editor of the German bishops’ website has said the Church is growing in Africa because of a lack of education and because Africans have little else. Björn Odendahl said this on Katholisch.de in an article entitled “The Romantic, Poor Church”. “Of course the Church is growing there. It grows because the people are socially dependent Read more
The Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has said he feels wounded at incomprehension by some priests of the Church’s teaching on marriage. Cardinal Robert Sarah told French Catholic magazine “L’Homme Nouveau” he ascribed this to “the insufficiency of the formation of my confreres”. “And insofar as I am responsible for the discipline of Read more
Ahead of the synod on the family, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has pointed to African bishops as a sign of hope in confused times. Archbishop Fisher’s comments came after an address by Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia on September 24. Archbishop Fisher, who attended the address said: Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has attacked the German Catholic Church’s claim of world leadership on moral matters. Speaking at the launch of the German edition of Cardinal Robert Sarah’s book “God or Nothing – A Conversation on Faith”, Cardinal Gerhard Müller hit out at his national church. The Read more
The presidents of Africa’s bishops’ conferences have stated they will not adopt the language of movements fighting for the destruction of the family. In a preparatory meeting in Accra, Ghana ahead of October’s synod on the family, the bishops stated “we must begin from the faith, reaffirm it and live it for the sake of Read more