Communion kneeling, on the tongue: new Vatican norm?
Vatican, Jun. 26, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The new director of the Vatican liturgical office has strongly encouraged kneeling to receive Communion, indicating that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) prefers the practice.
In an interview with L'Osservatore Romano, Msgr. Guido Marini said that kneeling and receiving the Eucharist on the tongue are practices that express and reinforce reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. He added that it is "urgent to highlight and recover" that sense of reverence.
Since Msgr. Marini assumed his current task as director of papal liturgies, Vatican-watchers have noticed that Pope Benedict has distributed the Eucharist to worshippers who kneel and receive Communion on the tongue. Asked whether these practices would become the norm for papal liturgies, the Vatican's top liturgist said that he thought they would. The Holy Father strongly supports that initiative, he indicated.
Msgr. Marini reminded L'Osservatore Romano that reception of Communion on the tongue remains the norm for the universal Church. Allowing the faithful to receive the Eucharist in their hands is a concession, or indult, "allowed by the Holy See to those bishops' conferences who requested it," he said.
Vatican, Jun. 26, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The new director of the Vatican liturgical office has strongly encouraged kneeling to receive Communion, indicating that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) prefers the practice.
In an interview with L'Osservatore Romano, Msgr. Guido Marini said that kneeling and receiving the Eucharist on the tongue are practices that express and reinforce reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. He added that it is "urgent to highlight and recover" that sense of reverence.
Since Msgr. Marini assumed his current task as director of papal liturgies, Vatican-watchers have noticed that Pope Benedict has distributed the Eucharist to worshippers who kneel and receive Communion on the tongue. Asked whether these practices would become the norm for papal liturgies, the Vatican's top liturgist said that he thought they would. The Holy Father strongly supports that initiative, he indicated.
Msgr. Marini reminded L'Osservatore Romano that reception of Communion on the tongue remains the norm for the universal Church. Allowing the faithful to receive the Eucharist in their hands is a concession, or indult, "allowed by the Holy See to those bishops' conferences who requested it," he said.
I don't understand who is in command in this catholic church, if the pope thinks it's irreverent to receive in a person's hand, he should tell the the bishops what he wants and that should be it. How the bishops override what the pope wants. I thought in the bible Jesus told peter" what you allow here will be allowed in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerome,
ReplyDeleteYou may ask a question(forum) in EWTN.com website to fully understand your query. Just think first of "pope" as a word only not a specific person. Or you may think US president will decide on something means collaboration first of senate, supreme court and rank and files NOT "Bush" himself. Just to give you a few example.