NEW COMMITTEE TO ASSIST CONGREGATION IN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a Message from the Holy Father to Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, on the occasion of the inaugural meeting of the 'Vox Clara' Committee, recently established by the congregation.

The Pope recalls in his Message that the Vox Clara Committee "has been established to assist and advise the Congregation .... in fulfilling its responsibilities with regard to the English translations of liturgical texts. Representing the different continents as its does, the committee reflects the international character of the English language. This makes available to the Holy See the great wealth of pastoral experience drawn from different cultures."

Noting that "the 'lex orandi' conforms to the 'lex credendi'," the Pope goes on to say that "fidelity to the rites and texts of the Liturgy is of paramount importance for the Church and Christian life." He encourages the Committee in its task "of ensuring that the texts of the Roman Rite are accurately translated in accordance with the norms of the Instruction 'Liturgiam Authenticam'."

In closing, John Paul II asks Pastors of the Church "to make available to the faithful ... the vernacular translations of the 'editio tertia' of the 'Missale Romanum'." He says he is "pleased to learn that members of the Vox Clara Committee have generously pledged to assist the Holy See in expediting the revision and 'recognitio' of these translations by the Congregation."

MESS;VOX CLARA COMMITTEE;...;CCD; MEDINA;VIS;20020423;Word: 260;