Pope praises renewed ICEL for liturgical translations

October 18, 2013

Pope Francis met on October 18 with the members of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), and praised the group for having “contributed to the understanding of the faith, the exercise of the common priesthood and the renewal of the Church’s missionary outreach.”

The Holy Father told the ICEL members that their work had “helped to foster the Church’s unity in faith and sacramental communions,” by “enabling the vast numbers of the Catholic faithful throughout the world to pray in a common language.”

ICEL, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has undergone a remarkable change since the publication of the 2001 Vatican document Liturgiam Authenticam, with subsequent English-language translations adhering more closely to the Latin original of liturgical texts. In earlier years ICEL had been criticized for producing looser translations that often downplayed the sense of the sacred in the liturgy.

 

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Further information:

• The Pope praises the work of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (VIS)
• Pope meets with International Commission on English in the Liturgy (Vatican Radio)