On 3 September Pope Francis issued the document Magnum principium (“The Great Principle”). It shifts responsibility and authority for translations from Latin into modern languages of liturgical texts (e.g. the Missal), to national Conferences of Bishops, and restricts the role of the relevant Vatican department, the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW). This is a significant step in the Pope’s plan of changing the role of the Roman Curia in the Church, and fostering “shared decision-making between local churches and Rome.”

After Vatican II, there was much discussion about the quality of some translations. In 2001, the CDW’s instruction Liturgiam Authenticam ruled that texts “insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses.” But an alternative view sees translation as “dynamic equivalence”, roughly “sense-for-sense” translation, rather than the more literal word-for-word translation that was now required. Various countries struggled with the new instruction. The CDW tightened its grip on the multi -national International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), created to produce English translations, overruling its proposed revision.

In 2016, Pope Francis formed a commission to review the implementation of Liturgiam Authenticam. He says “some principles handed on since the time of the [Second Vatican] Council should be more clearly reaffirmed and put into practice”. He wants collaboration and trust between the CDW and conferences of bishops, but lays down that the CDW’s role is to ratify the bishop’s approval, not to review the translation itself.

So what will happen? We have the possibility that the 2011 English Missal could be changed, if the Bishops choose to take that route. Will the over-ruled ICEL translation re-emerge? Or something different? Or not? Watch this space…

Fr Matthew

Next weekend 21st and 22nd we welcome priests from the Comboni Missionaries to our churches for the annual appeal that each year one congregation is allowed to make in each diocese. Please give them a warm welcome and generous support. They request us to pray “for the Comboni Missionaries, especially for those who are at present working in difficult and dangerous conditions. May they be encouraged by our spiritual and material support.” Intercession writers please include this in the Bidding Prayers next week. Meanwhile, here is something about their founder and their work.

Daniel Comboni, born in Limone, Italy, in 1831, knew at an early age that he would be a priest and missionary. His love was Africa, and in 1854, when God called him there, Daniel answered with all his heart and soul. St Daniel devised a Plan not just to bring the Gospel to people who never heard it but also to prepare Africans to evangelize their own people – a revolutionary idea for his time. His motto, Save Africa with Africa, captures the essence of the trust he had in the African peoples.

Named the first Bishop of Central Africa in 1877, St Daniel continued his faithful ministry until, at the age of 50, worn out and plagued by fever, he died, but not before founding the Comboni Missionaries and Missionary Sisters who today carry out their founder’s charism across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. St Daniel Comboni was canonized in 2003 and remains an inspiration to all who have a heart for mission.

For 150 years, the Comboni Missionaries have travelled to nearly every corner of the world, sharing the good news of Christ and working to protect the dignity of all people. They are now an international Catholic organization dedicated to ministering to the world’s poorest and most abandoned people, often working in unstable political climates, in the midst of extreme poverty. Despite these challenges, their missionaries are dedicated to their mission of serving God’s people.

Fr Matthew

How do we respond in the face of evil, especially to those who inflict grave evil upon us? Abducted in Iraq is Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna’s account of his abduction in 2006 by a militant group associated with al-Qaeda. The Bishop is a good friend of our 3 Churches, through having sisters and other family here. He is a Bishop of the Chaldean Rite of the Catholic Church, and currently Apostolic Visitor for Chaldeans in Europe.

As a young parish priest and lecturer near Baghdad, Fr Hanna was kidnapped after celebrating Mass and released twenty-eight days later. His plight attracted international attention after Pope Benedict XVI requested prayers for his safe return. The book charts his captivity as he struggles through threats, torture, and the unknown. He questions what a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq means for the future, as well as the events that led the country on that path. Through extreme hardship, the young priest gains a greater knowledge, both of his faith and of remaining true to himself.

Bishop Saad’s story reflects the experience of persecuted Christians all over the world today, especially the plight of Iraqi Christians who continue to live and hold their faith against tremendous odds. It sheds light on the complex political and spiritual situation that Catholics face in predominantly non-Christian nations. So this is also the story of a suffering and persecuted people It will be of great interest to those wanting to learn more about the violence in the Middle East and the threats facing Christians there, as well as all those seeking to strengthen their own faith.

“Abducted in Iraq – A Priest in Baghdad” Saad Sirop Hanna, with Edward S. Aris Notre Dame Press

http://undpress.nd.edu/books/P03399

We are being reminded more and more about the Mission of our Church. We are called to help spread the Gospel, not just priests and nuns, and not just in far off places, but here in our own place, in our own time. Before returning to heaven, Jesus sent out his Apostles to the whole world, and that includes Llanishen and Lisvane, Cyncoed and Thornhill! It may seem such a huge task, and so it is, but we have the Holy Spirit to guide and help us – and we have one another.

To help us understand better and equip us for this wonderful work, the archdiocese has organized another Proclaim event, following one in 2015. Saturday 21 October St David’s College 9.30 – 4.30pm. This day will give us practical steps forward in pursuing the Church’s mission – to make disciples of all nations.

After a keynote address from Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, we will be split into the five tracks that are designed to meet the needs of all parishes at different stages:

* Evangelising as an Individual
* Teams for Mission – What can we do first?
* The Unchurched
* Non-Churchgoing Catholics
* Growing Parishioners into Disciples

Each track consists of a seminar in the morning and workshop in the afternoon which will inspire you, but also give you practical help and resources as you take up the Church’s mission. With wonderful speakers from across the UK it really is an event not to miss.
For more info: https://rcadc.org/event/proclaim-17/

To book and for further information please go to www.tinyurl.com/cardiffproclaim

Come and be equipped to share the Gospel!

Fr Matthew