San Cristobal de Las Casas is the diocese in southern Mexico that drew Vatican anger by ordaining more than 300 deacons a few years ago. Citing the need for more priests, not deacons, a ban on diaconate ordination was imposed. The papal nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, visited in Chiapas for four days earlier this year. He gave no sign of lifting the ban, but the visiting prelate did participate in local rituals, some of which have been adapted for liturgy. He also praised the efforts of the diocese, saying, “The local officials are truly building a church that the indigenous people can relate to.” During one Mass, Bertello joined others in chewing a tobacco mixture, inhaling native incense and watching local clergy dance with parishioners.

Building projects worldwide

Interesting building projects around the world include an enormous church in southern Italy. To be completed this summer, the 10-year project will eventually house the crypt of Padre Pio and accommodate the expected millions of pilgrims devoted to the saint. Renzo Piano, one of Italy’s foremost architects, was recruited by the local Capuchins. He was concerned about building something so big it would resemble a sports arena more than a church. But something big was needed.

Piano’s work will seat 7,000 for liturgy, with room for tens of thousands in the courtyard outside. The stone arches, at 160 feet long, are reportedly the longest ever built. Computer simulations were used to guide the cutting and fitting of limestone blocks for the structure.

On the home front, cathedral renovations were recently completed in Covington, Ky., and Kansas City, Mo., without too much fuss and controversy. Internet searches might still yield nice photos from these places, as they did earlier this year. However, liturgical consultant Dick Vosko looks to be in the crosshairs with his proposals for the cathedral renovation in Rochester, N.Y. Armed with 6,000 signatures on petitions and a canon lawyer or two, renovation opponents are hoping to have more success than they did in Milwaukee.

Anti-renovator Michael Rose pooh-poohed the Covington renovation proposal, but even traditionalists are generally pleased with the result. It’s possible that the crowd who resists change for the sake of resistance is losing some steam. Happily, many parishes are doing good work on renovations and new churches. Clearly today’s crop of new churches are head-and- shoulders above what was going up in the decade or two prior to Vatican II.

Eulogy ban

The eulogy has always been a potentially embarrassing moment for a funeral Mass. The Order of Christian Funerals states that “a brief homily based on the readings should always be given at the funeral liturgy, but never any kind of eulogy.” Although the eulogy has never been an official part of the liturgy, the OCF does permit a post-communion “remembrance.” Many pastors and liturgists squirm over what might be said (and what has been said) at such times. Although pastors generally have the final yea or nay on such practices, Archbishop John Myers has taken the heat for instituting a diocese-wide ban on the practice in Newark, N.J.

The decree, dated Jan. 2, 2003, states, “Any messages delivered by family members or friends shall be limited to the visitation — perhaps in a side chapel of the church before the eucharistic liturgy — or the graveside service and shall be ordinarily limited to a single person.” While the ban was criticized in some quarters, it does bring relief for many pastors who feel pressure to be sympathetic to a grieving family but worry that personal remarks might railroad the liturgy to places best left untraveled.

Language woes? It’s not just ICEL.

The Vatican crackdown on translation has widened beyond the English-speaking world. Don’t be fooled that it’s all about more literal or accurate translations, though. A French translation of the new rite of marriage was rejected last year, in part because the Latin text’s provision for a lay person to witness marriage vows was included in the French. No pastoral need for it in France, said Rome. So much for literalism.

German translations of the rites have come under scrutiny, and their translation group is scheduled for reorganization. The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments is presumably concerned about the Germans because many Eastern European countries use German work as a base for translation instead of Latin. The problem? Germans use the principle of “dynamic equivalence,” the same method (though approved in 1969) that got ICEL into hot water with Rome.

World Day of the Sick spontaneity

Ailing Pope John Paul II, suffering from a cold, was unable to take part in the Roman celebrations of the World Day of the Sick this past February. So the people took the celebration to him. After Mass, thousands of people processed in candlelight to his residence, where the holy father greeted them from his window.

Standing, kneeling, sitting

Don’t look now, but another round of liturgy wars approaches. This from FreeRepublic.com:

Honorable Richard Black, member of the Virginia House of Delegates and a heroic defender of life and family in the state legislature, was refused Holy Communion at Arlington’s St. Thomas More Cathedral. On September 22, the cathedral rector, Father Dominic Irace refused to give Communion to Delegate Black since Black was kneeling to receive. Father Irace told him he must stand to receive but Black chose rather to genuflect and withdraw.

Kneeling would not be the choice of most Catholics to share in communion, but is it worth the disruption during Mass to confront someone on the practice? And this from Arlington, one of the more conservative-leaning dioceses in the U.S. There is an inarguable value in maintaining a uniformity of posture amongst a particular assembly, if not a whole parish, in a matter such as this. However, it could also be argued that a public calling out hardly promotes this ideal.

On the other hand, reports are coming in from other dioceses planning to institute standing as a common posture during the communion procession — even when the people are in the pew. It’s not a new idea. In fact, it harkens back to tradition. And there is a symbolic ideal for having the entire assembly in a uniform posture. But you can’t replace the American Catholic sense of private prayer at communion by legislation. And honestly, how will resentful Catholics deal with another pronouncement from their bishops on what they should do? Be honest; weren’t you shaking your head just now?

Unity does not follow logically from uniformity. People can be in different postures (even kneeling when going to communion) and still find an awareness of an ecclesial (or at least a parish) unity. It seems there are better, more diplomatic ways to get the point across than for bishops and pastors to legislate liturgical particulars on this level.

Liturgical assault

The priest was preaching in a small parish church in Castelforte, Italy, when an attacker stepped forward, struck the homilist and knocked him over. The intruder began to recite the prayers of the Mass for the stunned elderly assembly. Authorities came to take away the assailant, and the priest, after receiving first aid, continued with the liturgy. ML

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