Inter Oecumenici

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Inter Oecumenici is the title of an instruction for the proper implementation of the Constitution Sacrosanctum concilium (SC) of the Second Vatican Council on the Sacred Liturgy. It was published on September 26, 1964 jointly by the Congregation for Rites of the Holy See and the Consilium for the implementation of the liturgical constitution .

designation

As is customary in Vatican texts, the instruction is named after its Latin incipit : Inter Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II primitias Constitutio de sacra Liturgia merito adnumeratur. ("The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy is rightly one of the first gifts of the Second Vatican Council.")

Emergence

The Second Vatican Council adopted the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium on December 4, 1963 as the first ever Council document. Pope Paul VI set up the Consilium with his Motu proprio Sacram liturgiam of January 25, 1964 to carry out the liturgy constitution . The study group, made up of bishops and international theologians from various disciplines, had the task of revising the liturgical books of the Latin Rite in the spirit and according to the norms of the Council and to "helpful and wise support" like the Pope in the implementation of the Council's decisions Said in a 1967 speech. The first changes to the liturgy were presented with the instruction Inter oecumenici . Since the legislative powers of the Consilium were controversial in the Roman Curia, the questions about the liturgical books as well as the phase of the experiments were checked by the Consilium ; the final promulgation was the responsibility of the Congregation for Rites. Thus the Sacred Congregation of Rites and the Consilium acted jointly as editors of the instruction.

Subject

With the instruction, the Roman Catholic church leadership ordered a first group of the changes and simplifications desired by the council, which among other things led to a significantly revised official measuring order , the rite servandus in celebratione missae and ordo missae of 1965 ("1965 rite") . As a result , the corresponding parts of the missal John XXIII became legally effective on the first Sunday of Lent , March 7, 1965 . from 1962 replaced. Other changes affected the Liturgy of the Hours .

Numerous rites in the celebration of Holy Mass have been changed and simplified. The aim for the rites was the “shine of noble simplicity” desired by the council (No. 36). The introduction of the national language in many parts of the Holy Mass, the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours was particularly striking ; the instructions here also issued orders for official, ecclesiastically approved translations (nos. 40–43, 57–59). Preface and prayer were initially excluded and continued to be sung or spoken in Latin until the instruction Tres abhinc annos on May 4, 1967 changed this too. The responsibility for the order of the liturgy in a diocese lies with the bishop , who makes his orders in accordance with the prescriptions and the spirit of the constitution on sacred liturgy and the decrees of the Apostolic See; certain questions are also decided by the regional episcopal conferences (nos. 22 and 23).

At the episcopal ordination , all bishops present can take an active part in the ordination by laying their hands on the candidate (n. 69). This takes into account the collegiality of the bishops strengthened by the council .

Furthermore, specifications were made for the design of churches and altars in order to achieve the active participation of the faithful in the divine service desired by the council . The arrangement had particular effects: “The high altar should be erected separately from the rear wall so that one can easily walk around it and celebrate at it to the people” (No. 91), which led to the fact that in many churches “popular altars “ Were erected; Since then, in many countries the celebration of Holy Mass versus populum has been the most common form of Mass celebrations in which the priest is facing the believers.

For the individual subsections, the instructions refer to the provisions of the Liturgy Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC). It is striking that in the 5th chapter on the furnishing of the churches and altars reference is only made to point 124 of the liturgy constitution:

"If churches are built, renewed or furnished, care must be taken that they prove to be suitable for a celebration of the ordinances in accordance with the nature of their meaning and structure and for the realization of the active participation of the faithful (cf. Const. Art 124). "

- Inter Oecumenici 90

The other concretions on the arrangement of the altar and the design of the sanctuary are implementations of the principle of the active participation of the faithful, which were developed by the Congregation for Rites and the Consilium .

Main points of the outline

The sections in the Council Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) to which the text by Inter Oecumenici expressly refers are also given.

  • Preface: sense and purpose; Principles (1–8; 6, 9, 10, 47, 61, 102–107)
  • Chapter 1: General Guidelines (9–47)
    • The liturgical formation of the clergy (11-17; SC 15-18)
    • Liturgical formation in religious communities and the faithful (18-19; SC 19)
    • Competent authority; Liturgical Commissions (20–31, 44–47; SC 22)
    • The role of the various participants in the liturgy, no respect for the person (32–35; SC 28, 32)
    • Simplification of some rites (36; SC 34)
    • The Word Worship Services (37-39; SC 35)
    • Mother tongue translations of liturgical texts (40–43; SC 36, 44, 45)
  • Chapter 2: The Sacred Mystery of the Eucharist (48-60)
    • The Mess-Ordo (48; SC 50)
    • Readings and chants (49–52; SC 51)
    • The Homily (53-55; SC 52)
    • The "universal prayer" or the "prayer of the believers" (56; SC 53)
    • The permitted scope of the mother tongue in the mass (57–59; SC 54)
    • The repetition of communion on the same day (60; SC 55)
  • Chapter 3: The Remaining Sacraments and Sacramentals (61–77)
    • The permitted scope of the mother tongue (61; SC 63)
    • Confirmation (64-67; SC 71)
    • The "rite continuus" of the anointing of the sick and the consumption of the journey (68; SC 74)
    • The laying on of hands at the episcopal ordination (69; SC 76)
    • The wedding rite (70-75; SC 80)
  • Chapter 4: The Liturgy of the Hours (78–84; SC 95–101)
  • Chapter 5: The right design of churches and altars with a view to better participation of the faithful (90–99; SC 124)
    • The high altar (91)
    • The seats for the celebrant and the ministri (92)
    • Side altars and fittings of the altars (93–94)
    • The keeping of the Holy Eucharist (95)
    • The Ambo (96)
    • Space for the schola and organ, spaces for the faithful (97–98; SC 32)
    • The place of baptism (99; SC 27)

Individual changes in the liturgy of Holy Mass

Among other things, the instruction ordered:

  • Parts spoken or sung by the people or the Schola , as well as the readings, no longer have to be spoken privately by the celebrating priest, as was previously the case (nos. 32, 33 and 48).
  • Abolition of Psalm 42 in step prayer , e.g. In part, complete abolition of the graded prayer (No. 48 c).
  • Common speaking of the Lord's Prayer (n. 48 g).
  • The formula for giving communion is “Corpus Christi” (“The Body of Christ”), the abolition of the sign of the cross when giving communion (No. 48 i).
  • Abolition of the final gospel and the Leonine prayers (No. 48 j).
  • Readings, epistle and gospel are spoken to the people (at the ambo or altar); readings and epistle can be spoken by a lay person (nos. 49 and 50).
  • The sermon has the character of a homily and is made binding in Holy Mass on Sundays and feast days, and recommended on ordinary days (nos. 53 and 54).
  • Introduction of General Prayer (n. 56).
  • In the liturgy, the kiss on the hand and the kiss of objects that are offered or received should be avoided (No. 36 d).

Further changes demanded by the council, namely the concelebration and the chalice communion , were regulated by the decree Ecclesiae semper of March 7, 1965 , on March 5, 1967 the instruction Musicam sacram was published on church music .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paul VI: Address Iuvat nos gratum of April 19, 1967
  2. ^ Annibale Bugnini: The liturgical reform: 1948-1975 . Freiburg 1988, p. 94 f .
  3. ↑ Christiaan W. Kappes: The chronology, organization, competencies and composition of the Consilium ad exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia. Rome, Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo de Urbe , Facoltà di Liturgia, May 4, 2009 (thesis), pp. 13f.18.22.40. academia.edu .
  4. ↑ Ordo Missae. Rite servandus in celebratione Missae. De defectibus in celebratione Missae occurentibus. Editio typica. Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1965
  5. ↑ Sacrosanctum concilium, No. 34.
  6. ↑ Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium No. 22; Decree Christ Dominus on the pastoral duty of the bishops.