Carmen Álvarez Cuadrado
At the general audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV devoted his most recent catechesis to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy.
The liturgy has been one of the most sensitive issues for the Church in recent years, leading to internal divisions and the emergence of various movements.
Part of this is because of the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass. But it's also because of the rejection of abuse allegations: a lot of unease has been caused by excessive creativity and the loss of a the scared in celebrations.
Pope Leo XIV also discussed how the liturgy was reformed at the Second Vatican Council, and pointed out that this reform is part of the living Tradition of the Church, and that for that reason, it is necessary to understand it.
POPE LEO XIV
A correct understanding also makes it possible to reject the abuses that occurred in certain sectors of the Church during the post-conciliar period, and which, unfortunately, still occur at times even today, by taking some of the principles underlying the reform itself to extremes or misunderstanding them.
The pope emphasized that it's the responsibility of bishops, and of every priest, to safeguard and promote a liturgy that respects Tradition and shines with simplicity.
POPE LEO XIV
Such a liturgy will also be a fundamental means of evangelization. The instrument of grace through which, as the Council teaches, we will learn to offer ourselves and, through Christ’s mediation, will be perfected in unity with God and each other.
The pope finished by recalling what Sacrosanctum Concilium states: that liturgical actions are not private acts, but celebrations of the Church, which is a sacrament of unity, and belongs to the entire ecclesial body.
