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Catholic World News News Feature

Papal master of ceremonies reflects on liturgical norms April 07, 2004

The liturgy of the Catholic Church must not be treated as a "consumer good," or understood as "the sum of the emotions of a group of persons ,and much less a receptacle for personal feelings." That is the message of Archbishop Piero Marini, the master of ceremonies for papal liturgies.

Speaking from his own perspective, as the principal planner of the public liturgical ceremonies at which Pope John Paul II presides, Archbishop Marini believes that the years since Vatican II have helped to restore a "noble simplicity" to the liturgy. At the same time the archbishop-- who is a key player in the often heated discussions about liturgy within the Vatican -- takes pride in the "adaptations" that have been seen in papal liturgies. He says:

We have moved from a Roman Liturgy characterized by uniformity (one language and fixed rubrics), to a liturgy more adapted to the sensitivity of men and women today, one open to adaptation and to different cultures, the expression of a Church of communion which sees diversity not as an essentially negative element but as an opportunity for the enrichment of unity.

Archbishop Marini offered his reflections on the liturgy at a February conference in Naples. His address to that conference was recently posted on the Vatican web site.

The Italian archbishop does not directly address some of the issues that have prompted the most vociferous disputes among Roman clerics, such as the use of liturgical dance and the incorporation of symbols from non-Christian cultures in the Pope's liturgical celebrations.

Archbishop Marini does note, with great satisfaction, that the public signs associated with papal celebrations have changed markedly in the past 40 years. He points to the fact that the Pope no longer wears a tiara on public occasions, for instance. He explains that the understanding of the Pope's role in the Church has changed, to emphasize his spiritual leadership rather than his role as an earthly prince. In the liturgy, he explains, "experts advised that all 'secular' customs should be abolished and that papal celebrations, still tied to Renaissance principles and ceremonies, should be adapted to the new liturgical legistlation."

The Pope's master of ceremonies observes that some Catholics tend to emphasize the "horizontal" aspect of the liturgy, with a focus on building community; while others emphasize the "vertical" aspect of worship owed to God. Both aspects are important, he says, and must be combined in a proper balance. While different Catholics will have different individual preferences, he insists: "The liturgy is not a consumer good; it is not the Church’s supermarket!"

Although Archbishop Marini is often seen as being at odds with more tradition-minded prelates, in his address to the Naples conference he delivers an emphatic reminder that celebrants must follow the established rules of the Church's liturgical legislation:

By its nature the liturgy demands order. Without rubrics, or indications from the Church, there can be no liturgy. This is clearly seen from the earliest liturgical texts. Beauty in the liturgy is also the result of order. The first word in the title of almost all the books produced by the liturgical reform is the Latin word ordo.