Monday, March 20, 2006

Vatican responds to 2 U.S. liturgical controversies

Adoremus has a pertinent page on the Vatican's response to many inquiries from the U.S. on 2 issues. The first is the practice of removing the holy water from the holy water fonts during the entire season of Lent. The Vatican states that
removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted. The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

The other issue is the continuing controversy over whether it is licit in the U.S. to kneel to receive Holy Communion. There are some priests who have refused to distribute Holy Communion to those who kneel to receive. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments says the following about that issue:
"...while this Congregation gave the recognitio to the norm desired by the Bishops' Conference of your country that people stand for Holy Communion, this was done on the condition that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds. Indeed, the faithful should not be imposed upon nor accused of disobedience and of acting illicitly when they kneel to receive Holy Communion".

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