Various Vatican Documents

• Vatican II Sacrosanctum Concilium nos. 57-58

57. Concelebration, whereby the unity of the priesthood is appropriately manifested, has remained in use to this day in the Church both in the east and in the west. For this reason it has seemed good to the Council to extend permission for concelebration to the following cases:

1.

a) on the Thursday of the Lord's Supper, not only at the Mass of the Chrism, but also at the evening Mass.

b) at Masses during councils, bishops' conferences, and synods;

c) at the Mass for the blessing of an abbot.

2. Also, with permission of the ordinary, to whom it belongs to decide whether concelebration is opportune:

a) at conventual Mass, and at the principle Mass in churches when the needs of the faithful do not require that all priests available should celebrate individually;

b) at Masses celebrated at any kind of priests' meetings, whether the priests be secular clergy or religious.

2.

1. The regulation, however, of the discipline of con-celebration in the diocese pertains to the bishop.

2. Nevertheless, each priest shall always retain his right to celebrate Mass individually, though not at the same time in the same church as a concelebrated Mass, nor on Thursday of the Lord's Supper.

58. A new rite for concelebration is to be drawn up and inserted into the Pontifical and into the Roman Missal.

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• Vatican II Presbyterorum Ordinis nos. 7, 8 & 13

7. All priests, in union with bishops, so share in one and the same priesthood and ministry of Christ that the very unity of their consecration and mission requires their hierarchical communion with the order of bishops.(32) At times in an excellent manner they manifest this communion in liturgical concelebration as joined with the bishop when they celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice.(33) . . .

8. Priests by virtue of their ordination to the priesthood are united among themselves in an intimate sacramental brotherhood. In individual dioceses, priests form one priesthood under their own bishop. Even though priests are assigned to different duties, nevertheless they carry on one priestly ministry for men. All priests are sent as co-workers in the same apostolate, whether they engage in parochial or extra-parochial ministry. This is true whether they devote their efforts to scientific research or teaching, or whether by manual labor they share in the lot of the workers themselves-if there is need for this and competent authority approves-or finally whether they fulfill some other apostolic tasks or labor designed for the apostolate. All, indeed, are united in the building up of the Body of Christ which, especially in our times, requires manifold duties and new methods. It is very important that all priests, whether diocesan or religious, help one another always to be fellow workers in the truth.(45) Each one, therefore, is united in special bonds of apostolic charity, ministry and brotherhood with the other members of this priesthood. This has been manifested from ancient times in the liturgy when the priests present at an ordination are invited to impose hands together with the ordaining bishop on the new candidate, and with united hearts concelebrate the Sacred Eucharist. Each and every priest, therefore, is united with his fellow priests in a bond of charity, prayer and total cooperation. In this manner, they manifest that unity which Christ willed, namely, that his own be perfected in one so that the world might know that the Son was sent by the Father.(46)

13. . . . In the mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which priests fulfill their greatest task, the work of our redemption is being constantly carried on;(14) and hence the daily celebration of Mass is strongly urged, since even if there cannot be present a number of the faithful, it is still an act of Christ and of the Church.(15) . . .

32. Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, Nov. 21, 1964, n 28: AAS 57 (1965), p 35.

33. Cf. cited Ecclesiastical Constitution of the Apostles, XVIII: (ed. Th. Schermann, Die allgemeine Kirchenordnung, I, Paderborn 1914, p 26; A. Harnack, T. u. U., II, 4, p 13, nn 18 and 19); Pseudo-Jerome, The Seven Orders of the Church (ed. A.W. Kalff, Wurzburg 1937, p 45); St. Isidore of Hispali, Ecclesiastical Offices, c. VII (PL 83, 787).

45. Cf. 3 Jn 8.

46. Cf. Jn. 17:23.

14. Cf. Roman Missal, Prayer over the Offerings of the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost.

15. Paul VI, encyclical letter Mysterium Fidei, Sept. 3, 1965: AAS 57 (1965), pp 761-762. Cf. Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Dec. 4, 1963, nn 26 and 27; AAS 56 (1964), p 107.

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• 222. SC RITES (Consilium), Decree Ecclesiæ semper: promulgating the editio typica of the rites of concelebrationand of communion under both kinds, 7 March 1965: AAS 57 (1965) 410-412

1788. The Church has always taken pains in guiding and reforming the celebrations of the sacred mysteries to ensure that the rites themselves express as effectively as possible the inexhaustible riches of Christ that the rites contain and impart to those rightly disposed. The Church’s concern is that the rites will more deeply influence the attitudes and lives of the faithful taking part in them.

This is the Church’s intention in a special way in the case of the celebration of the eucharist. The Church coordinates and arranges the different forms of celebration so that they will express the diverse aspects of the eucharistic sacrifice and convey them to the faithful.

In every form of its celebration, no matter how simple, all those marks and properties are present that belong to the Mass intrinsically and necessarily. But there is good reason for singling out the following elements.

1789. The first is the unity of the sacrifice of the cross. Many Masses are celebrated but they represent the one, single sacrifice of Christ (1) and they are sacrificial in nature by being the memorial of the bloody immolation on the Cross, the fruits of which are received through the unbloody offering of the Mass.

1790. The second is the unity of the priesthood. Many priests celebrate Mass but they are all individually simply the ministers of Christ; he exercises his priesthood through them and for this purpose makes them, through the sacrament of orders, sharers in his own priesthood in a distinctive way. Even when they offer the sacrifice individually, then, they all do so in virtue of the same priesthood and all act in the person of the one High Priest. He has the power to consecrate the sacrament of his body and blood through one priest or through many at one time. (2)

1791. The third is the more striking expression of an activity that belongs to the entire people of God. The Mass is the celebration of the sacrament of the Church’s continued life and growth (3) and of the preeminent manifestation of the Church’s true nature. (4) Every Mass, then, more than any other liturgical rite, (5) is the activity of the entire people of God, ordered and acting hierarchically.

Intrinsic to every Mass, these three characteristics are particularly conspicuous in the rite in which several priests concelebrate the same Mass.

In this way of celebrating many priests act together with one will and one voice in virtue of the same priesthood and in the person of the one High Priest. Together they bring about and offer the single sacrifice by their single sacramental act and together they share in the sacrifice.

Especially when the bishop presides, such a celebration, with the conscious, active participation of the faithful as a community, is the preeminent manifestation of the Church (6) in the unity of sacrifice and priesthood and the single offering of thanks around the one altar with the ministers and holy people.

The rite of concelebration thus strikingly presents and deeply inculcates truths of utmost importance regarding the spiritual life and the pastoral formation of priests and faithful.

These are the reasons, much more than any at a purely practical level, that concelebration of the eucharistic mystery has been accepted in the Church, in different styles and forms, from the earliest days and, while developing in different ways, has remained in use in both East and West up to the present time.

These reasons also explain why those expert in liturgy did research on concelebration and advocated extension of the permission to concelebrate and appropriate reform of the rite.

After thorough deliberation Vatican Council II did extend the permission for concelebration to a number of occasions and decreed the preparation of a new rite that was to be incorporated into the Roman Missal.(7) Once the conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy had been solemnly approved and promulgated, therefore, Pope Paul VI commissioned the Consilium to prepare as quickly as possible a rite for concelebration. After this rite had been submitted to the repeated review of consultants and members and then put into final form, the Consilium on 19 June 1964 unanimously approved it and decided that, if agreeable to Pope Paul, the rite should be put to trial use in different parts of the world and in different settings before being approved definitively.

Also in obedience to the will of the Council, the Consilium drew up a rite for communion under both kinds, which sets out the occasions and the forms of celebration in which clergy, religious, and laity may receive the eucharist under both kinds.

Over a period of several months experiments in the use of both rites have therefore been conducted throughout the world with the most welcome results. The Secretariat of the Consilium has received reports on these experiments, together with pertinent observations and opinions. With all of these taken into consideration, both rites received a final revision and were then submitted to Pope Paul VI by Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, President of the Consilium.

With the assistance of the Consilium and the Congregation of Rites, the Pope gave due consideration to both these rites. At an audience granted on 4 March 1965 to Cardinal Arcadio M. Larraona, Prefect of the Congregation of Rites, the Pope gave specific approval and by his authority confirmed the two rites in all and each of their parts and ordered their publication for universal observance beginning on 15 April 1965, Holy Thursday, for their inclusion in the Roman Pontifical and Missal.

(1) See Council of Trent, sess. 22, cap. 1 [Denz-Schön 1739-40].

(2)  See ST 3a, 82.3 ad 2 and ad 3.

(3)  See LG no. 26 [DOL (Documents on the Liturgy) 4 no. 146].

(4)  See SC art. 2 and 41 [DOL 1 nos. 2 and 41].

(5)  See SC art. 57 and 58 [DOL 1 no. 26].

(6)  See SC art. 41 [DOL 1 no. 41].

(7) See SC art. 57 and 58 [DOL 1 nos. 57 and 58].

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• 1983 Code of Canon Law

Can. 902 Unless the welfare of the Christian faithful requires or suggests otherwise, priests can concelebrate the Eucharist. They are completely free to celebrate the Eucharist individually, however, but not while a concelebration is taking place in the same church or oratory.

Can. 904 Remembering always that in the mystery of the eucharistic sacrifice the work of redemption is exercised continually, priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed, daily celebration is recommended earnestly since, even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function.

Can. 906 Except for a just and reasonable cause, a priest is not to celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice without the participation of at least some member of the faithful.

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• CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENT INSTRUCTION: Redemptionis Sacramentum: On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist

Chapter II: THE PARTICIPATION OF THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL IN THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

1. Active and Conscious Participation

[42.] It must be acknowledged that the Church has not come together by human volition; rather, she has been called together by God in the Holy Spirit, and she responds through faith to his free calling (thus the word ekklesia is related to klesis, or “calling”). [106] Nor is the Eucharistic Sacrifice to be considered a “concelebration”, in the univocal sense, of the Priest along with the people who are present. [107] On the contrary, the Eucharist celebrated by the Priests “is a gift which radically transcends the power of the community. . . . The community that gathers for the celebration of the Eucharist absolutely requires an ordained Priest, who presides over it so that it may truly be a eucharistic convocation. On the other hand, the community is by itself incapable of providing an ordained minister”. [108] There is pressing need of a concerted will to avoid all ambiguity in this matter and to remedy the difficulties of recent years. Accordingly, terms such as “celebrating community” or “celebrating assembly” (in other languages “asamblea celebrante”, “assemblée célébrante”, assemblea celebrante”) and similar terms should not be used injudiciously.

Chapter IV: HOLY COMMUNION

3. The Communion of Priests

[97.] A Priest must communicate at the altar at the moment laid down by the Missal each time he celebrates Holy Mass, and the concelebrants must communicate before they proceed with the distribution of Holy Communion. The Priest celebrant or a concelebrant is never to wait until the people’s Communion is concluded before receiving Communion himself. [183]

[98.] The Communion of Priest concelebrants should proceed according to the norms prescribed in the liturgical books, always using hosts consecrated at the same Mass [184] and always with Communion under both kinds being received by all of the concelebrants. It is to be noted that if the Priest or Deacon hands the sacred host or chalice to the concelebrants, he says nothing; that is to say, he does not pronounce the words “The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ”.

4. Communion under Both Kinds

[105.] If one chalice is not sufficient for Communion to be distributed under both kinds to the Priest concelebrants or Christ’s faithful, there is no reason why the Priest celebrant should not use several chalices. [193] For it is to be remembered that all Priests in celebrating Holy Mass are bound to receive Communion under both kinds. It is praiseworthy, by reason of the sign value, to use a main chalice of larger dimensions, together with smaller chalices.

Chapter V: CERTAIN OTHER MATTERS CONCERNING THE EUCHARIST

2. Various Circumstances Relating to the Mass

[113.] When Mass is concelebrated by several Priests, a language known both to all the concelebrating Priests and to the gathered people should be used in the recitation of the Eucharist Prayer. Where it happens that some of the Priests who are present do not know the language of the celebration and therefore are not capable of pronouncing the parts of the Eucharistic Prayer proper to them, they should not concelebrate, but instead should attend the celebration in choral dress in accordance with the norms. [201]

4. Liturgical Vesture

[124.] A faculty is given in the Roman Missal for the Priest concelebrants at Mass other than the principal concelebrant (who should always put on a chasuble of the prescribed colour), for a just reason such as a large number of concelebrants or a lack of vestments, to omit “the chasuble, using the stole over the alb”. [214] Where a need of this kind can be foreseen, however, provision should be made for it insofar as possible. Out of necessity the concelebrants other than the principal celebrant may even put on white chasubles. For the rest, the norms of the liturgical books are to be observed.

[128.] Holy Mass and other liturgical celebrations, which are acts of Christ and of the people of God hierarchically constituted, are ordered in such a way that the sacred ministers and the lay faithful manifestly take part in them each according to his own condition. It is preferable therefore that “Priests who are present at a Eucharistic Celebration, unless excused for a good reason, should as a rule exercise the office proper to their Order and thus take part as concelebrants, wearing the sacred vestments. Otherwise, they wear their proper choir dress or a surplice over a cassock.” [218] It is not fitting, except in rare and exceptional cases and with reasonable cause, for them to participate at Mass, as regards to externals, in the manner of the lay faithful.

Chapter VIII: REMEDIES

1. Graviora delicta

c) the forbidden concelebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice with ministers of Ecclesial Communities that do not have the apostolic succession nor acknowledge the sacramental dignity of priestly Ordination; [283]

Notes:

[106] Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction, Varietates legitimae, n. 22: AAS 87 (1995) p. 297.

[107] Cf. Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Mediator Dei: AAS 39 (1947) p. 553.

[108] Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 29: AAS 95 (2003) p. 453; cf. Fourth Lateran Ecumenical Council, 11-30 November 1215, Chapter I: DS 802; Ecumenical Council of Trent, Session XXIII, 15 July 1563, Doctrine and Canons on Sacred Order, Chapter 4: DS 1767-1770; Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, Mediator Dei: AAS 39 (1947) p. 553.

[183] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 55; Missale Romanum, General Instruction, nn. 158-160, 243-244, 246.

[184] Cf. Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, nn. 237-249; cf. also nn. 85, 157.

[193] Cf. ibidem, nn. 207 and 285a.

[201] Cf.Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n. 114.

[214] Cf. ibidem, n. 209.

[218] Ibidem, n. 114 cf. nn. 16-17.

[283] Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 908 et 1365; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ep. ad totius Catholicae Ecclesiae Episcopos aliosque Ordinarios et Hierarchas quorum interest: de delictis gravioribus eidem Congregationi pro Doctrina Fidei reservatis: AAS 93 (2001) p. 786.

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• RESPONSA AD DUBIA on certain provisions of the Apostolic Letter TRADITIONIS CUSTODES issued “Motu Proprio” by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS

(cf. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20211204_responsa-ad-dubia-tradizionis-custodes_en.html)

If a Priest who has been granted the use of the Missale Romanum of 1962 does not recognise the validity and legitimacy of concelebration – refusing to concelebrate, in particular, at the Chrism Mass – can he continue to benefit from this concession?

The answer is:

Negative.

However, before revoking the concession to use the Missale Romanum of 1962, the Bishop should take care to establish a fraternal dialogue with the Priest, to ascertain that this attitude does not exclude the validity and legitimacy of the liturgical reform, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs, and to accompany him towards an understanding of the value of concelebration, particularly at the Chrism Mass.

Explanatory note.

Art. 3 § 1 of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes requires the diocesan Bishop to ascertain that the groups requesting to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962 “do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs”.

St Paul forcefully reminds the community of Corinth to live in unity as a necessary condition to be able to participate at the Eucharistic table (cf. 1 Cor 11,17-34).

In the Letter sent to the Bishops of the whole world to accompany the text of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes, the Holy Father says: “Because ‘liturgical celebrations are not private actions, but celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity’ (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 26), they must be carried out in communion with the Church. Vatican Council II, while it reaffirmed the external bonds of incorporation in the Church — the profession of faith, the sacraments, of communion — affirmed with St. Augustine that to remain in the Church not only ‘with the body’ but also ‘with the heart’ is a condition for salvation (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 14)”.

The explicit choice not to take part in concelebration, particularly at the Chrism Mass, seems to express a lack of acceptance of the liturgical reform and a lack of ecclesial communion with the Bishop, both of which are necessary requirements in order to benefit from the concession to celebrate with the Missale Romanum of 1962.

However, before revoking the concession to use the Missale Romanum of 1962, the Bishop should offer the Priest the necessary time for a sincere discussion on the deeper motivations that lead him not to recognise the value of concelebration, in particular in the Mass presided over by the Bishop. He should invite him to express, in the eloquent gesture of concelebration, that ecclesial communion which is a necessary condition for being able to participate at the table of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

Traditionis custodes 

Art. 3.  Episcopus, in dioecesibus ubi adhuc unus vel plures coetus celebrant secundum Missale antecedens instaurationem anni 1970:

[…]

§ 3.      constituat, in loco statuto, dies quibus celebrationes eucharisticae secundum Missale Romanum a sancto Ioanne XXIII anno 1962 promulgatum permittuntur. His in celebrationibus, lectiones proclamentur lingua vernacula, adhibitis Sacrae Scripturae translationibus ad usum liturgicum ab unaquaque Conferentia Episcoporum approbatis;

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• SECRETARY OF STATE

  First Section — General Affairs

To the Most Excellent Extraordinary Commissioner of the Fabric of Saint Peter

To the Canons of the Vatican Chapter

To the Liturgical Celebrations Service of the Basilica

The Season of Lent invites us to return to the Lord with all our heart (Joel 2:12), giving greater centrality to listening to the Word of God and to the Eucharistic Celebration. In this sense, wishing to ensure that Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica take place in an atmosphere of recollection and liturgical decorum, from now on the following is ordered:

1. Individual celebrations are suppressed;

2. Priests and faithful who daily come to the Basilica for Holy Mass will have the opportunity to participate in the following Concelebrations: 7:00 am in the Choir Chapel; 7:30 am at the Altar of the Cathedra; 8:00 am in the Choir Chapel; 9:00 am at the Altar of the Cathedra. The timetable of the other Holy Masses remains unchanged. On the occasion of the memorial of a Saint whose remains are kept in the Basilica, one of the Holy Masses may be celebrated at the corresponding Altar. On Sundays and Solemnities, the fittingness of keeping to these times will be considered;

3. Concelebrations shall be liturgically animated with the assistance of readers and cantors;

4. Groups of pilgrims accompanied by a Bishop or a priest are assured the possibility of celebrating Holy Mass in the Vatican Grottoes.

5. With regard to the Extraordinary Rite, authorised priests may celebrate at 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 9:00 in the Clementine chapel of the Vatican Grottoes.

The present dispositions will come into force on 22 March, the Monday of the fifth week of Lent.

From the Vatican, 12 March 2021

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• Note from Saint Peter’s Basilica on the order of Eucharistic celebrations, 22.06.2021

Having received from the Holy Father the mandate to take care of and animate the liturgical life of Saint Peter’s Basilica, I would like to propose some considerations based on the communiqué of the Secretariat of State of 12 March 2021, which I hope will be useful in understanding the guidelines outlined and in choosing how and when to celebrate the Eucharist in the first part of the morning.

The communiqué of the Secretariat of State gives some provisions regarding the celebration of Holy Masses in Saint Peter’s Basilica, with the intention of ensuring that they “take place in an atmosphere of recollection and liturgical decorum”. The indications refer to a precise context, namely the organisation of liturgical actions in the period of time between 7 and 9 am.

In essence, they are inspired by two principles:

a. the ordering of the celebrations from the point of view of their temporal scansion and quality;

b. the accommodation and integration of the particular and legitimate wishes of the faithful, as far as possible.

Indeed, the content of the statements proposed by the Secretariat of State may be summarised as follows:

a. between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. priests may concelebrate at one of the hourly Masses in the established places; the liturgical animation shall include the assistance of ministrants;

b. exceptions are admitted with regard to the place of celebration - on the occasion of the memory of a saint whose remains are kept in the Basilica - and to the simultaneous celebration of certain celebrations for groups of pilgrims or in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

For the sake of ease of reading, these notes are structured in accordance with the two points mentioned above.

A. Concelebrations from 7 to 9 a.m.

The way in which the morning celebrations are organised in the communiqué of the Secretariat of State constitutes an opportunity to recall the meaning and value of Eucharistic concelebration which, as the Fathers recalled at the last Council, is part of the Tradition of the Church: “Concelebration, whereby the unity of the priesthood is appropriately manifested, has remained in use to this day in the Church both in the east and in the west” (Sacrosanctum concilium, 57). This is why the Second Vatican Council, in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, extended the right of presbyters to concelebrate, and a number of magisterial documents subsequently clarified the rules. [1] In this regard, it may be useful to recall some cases in which the Magisterium recommends concelebration, such as at the main Mass in a church or at Masses on the occasion of meetings of priests, whether secular or religious, whatever their character (cf. SC57; General Instruction of the Roman Missal 199).

On the other hand, the very nature of the celebration is clearly defined in Sacrosanctum concilim, where it is stated, in the Norms drawn from the hierarchic and communal nature of the Liturgy, that “Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the ‘sacrament of unity’, namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops. Therefore liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church; they manifest it and have effects upon it. … Whenever rites, according to their specific nature, make provision for communal celebration involving the presence and active participation of the faithful, this way of celebrating them is to be preferred, so far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and quasi-private. This applies with especial force to the celebration of Mass and the administration of the sacraments, even though every Mass has of itself a public and social nature (SC 26-27).

Therefore, the assembly gathered for the Eucharist fully manifests the mystery of the Church, the living Body of Christ. This is recalled by Lumen Gentium2] when it refers to the common priesthood exercised in the sacraments, and it is also clearly recalled by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which affirms that it is the whole community, the Body of Christ united to its Head, that celebrates (1140). From this perspective, one understands how the greatest fruit of the Eucharist is drawn from participation in the same action, because it better expresses the mystery that is celebrated. [3]

Clearly, all those who compose the assembly gathered for the Eucharist participate in the one sacrifice and priesthood of Christ, each according to his or her own state and condition of life: Bishop, presbyter, deacon, baptised, married, religious. In the Mass concelebrated by several priests there is no diminution of the value and fruits of the Eucharistic sacrifice, but rather a full exaltation of them.

A first element for discernment, in our context, is therefore the following: when possible, it is more than opportune for priests to concelebrate, given the fact that there is a regular alternation of presidency for the concelebrations that ordinarily take place in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The same is also true for individual faithful and groups, invited to participate in the same Mass so that it may be an expression of fraternity and not of particularisms that do not reflect the sense of ecclesial communion manifested by the Eucharistic celebration.[4]

B. Exceptions

The Magisterium teaches that exceptions are made to the situations in which concelebration is recommended in those cases in which the benefit of the faithful does not require it, or it is advised otherwise.[5].

In this sense, the importance of the understanding of language in the liturgy in relation to the love (cf.1 Cor 14) and pastoral value that the celebration of the Eucharist may have for a group of pilgrims, in accordance with the existing Rites of the Catholic Church, should not be underestimated.

In addition to these considerations, there are some elements of the reality of the Basilica that must be taken into account:

-the dimensions of Saint Peter’s Basilica and its architecture make it possible to meet the different needs of those who wish to celebrate the Eucharist in groups without clashing with the concelebration taking place in the main liturgical places;

-Saint Peter’s Basilica is characterised by the Petrine ministry of unity, mercy and orthodoxy of the faith and welcomes pilgrims from all over the world;

-in the time slot between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., attendance at the Basilica is numerically limited;

-for celebrations with the Missale Romanum of 1962, everything possible must be done to fulfil the wishes of the faithful and priests, as laid down in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Moreover, without in any way detracting from the legitimacy of the celebration of Mass by individual priests even when the faithful are unable to attend, [6] it is necessary to recognise the direct character of the norm that forbids the celebration “in an individual manner [...] at the same time as concelebration is taking place in the same church or oratory”. [7]

For this reason, I have already given instructions to ensure that requests from groups with special and legitimate needs to celebrate during the 7-9 a.m. period will be granted. Requests for individual celebrations can also be discerned on a case-by-case basis, without prejudice to the principle that everything should take place in an atmosphere of recollection and decorum, and taking care to ensure that what is exceptional does not become ordinary, distorting the intentions and meaning of the Magisterium.

In this way, I am confident that the path that has been embarked upon may encourage every priest and every member of the faithful to experience celebrations in Saint Peter’s Basilica in a way that is ever more ordered to goodness, beauty and truth.

Vatican City, 22 June 2021.

Mauro Cardinal Gambetti

Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter

Notes:

[1] See, for example: General Instruction on the Roman Missal;Declaration on Concelebration, of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, 7 August 1972;CIC902.
[2]“Taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life, [the faithful] offer the Divine Victim to God, and offer themselves along with it. Thus both by reason of the offering and through Holy Communion all take part in this liturgical service, not indeed all in the same way but each in that way which is proper to himself. Strengthened in Holy Communion by the Body of Christ, they then manifest in a concrete way that unity of the people of God which is suitably signified and wondrously brought about by this most august sacrament” (Lumen gentium, 11).
[3] In his work Sacrifice, sacrament and priesthood in the development of the Church (Proclaimers of the Word and Servants of Your Joy, LEV 2013) Joseph Ratzinger states: “The true place of the existence of the Church is not some bureaucracy, not even the activity of a group that claims to be the "base", but the "assembly". It is the Church in action [...]. More precisely: the content of the assembly is the reception of the word of God, which culminates in the memorial of Jesus' death, in a memorial that realises his presence and signifies mission. It follows from this that every assembly is entirely Church, since the body of the Lord cannot but be all and the word of God in turn cannot but be all. At the same time, however, it follows that the individual assembly, the individual community, remains Church only if it is in the whole, in unity with the others” (p.82).
[4] On the goodness of the concelebration of the Eucharist, what is indicated for Shrines in no. 268 of the Directory of popular piety and liturgy. Principals and guidelines, Vatican City 2002, is enlightening.
[5] Cf.SC57; General Instruction of the Roman Missal 199;CIC902.
[6] When there is no possibility for the faithful to participate, the daily celebration of the Mass is nevertheless recommended for priests. The Council teaches this in the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis: "In the mystery of the Eucharistic sacrifice, in which priests fulfil their greatest task, the work of our redemption is being constantly carried on; and hence the daily celebration of Mass is strongly urged, since even if there cannot be present a number of the faithful, it is still an act of Christ and of the Church " (13).
[7] CIC902.