Ministers in Masses discussing the liturgical laws based on the 2000 Institutio Generalis
Roman Missal press conference for 22 March 2002
There is a report on catholicnews.com that a press conference has been scheduled for the launch of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal on 22 March 2002.
On the question of why the publication has taken so long it reports:
... Technical difficulties with the printing and, especially, with the music for sung sections of the liturgy bore the major responsibility for the delayed publication, said Archbishop Francesco Pio Tamburrino, congregation secretary. ...
I find this surprising and I suppose many will be asking what other reasons there were for the delay.
I think the Third Edition of the Roman Missal was approved more than two years ago, on 11 January 2000 (not less than two years ago that catholicnews.com report on 20 April 2000). The copy of the Institutio Generalis I have has at the front:
Quam Summus Pontifex Ioannes Paulus II die 11 mensis ianuarii 2000 novam editionem Missalis Romani benigne approbavit, Congregatio de Culto Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum die 20 mensis aprilis promulgavit, typicam declaravit et typis mandari curavit. ...
Whichever date, it is a long time to blame the printers for. I suppose the key question is whether it contains the same Institutio Generalis as was published in 2000.
Another question is when the changes to liturgical laws of this new Roman Missal come into effect. In a letter published in the Novemeber 2000 edition of the Newsletter of the USCCB BCL Archbishop Tamburrino wrote:
... The Institutio Generalis will have force of law at the moment when the promulgation of the above mentioned edition of the Missale Romanum appears in its third Latin edition along with the promulgating decree, any vacatio legis being specified at that time. It now appears that by the time of publication any part of the vacatio legis will still be unexpired. ...
the provisions of the new Institutio Generalis in themselves have immediate effect as of the date of publication of the full Missal. They are, consequently, not dependent upon the decisions of the diocesan Bishop nor the Conference of Bishops. ...
It now seems that this "date of publication" is 22 March 2002.
Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 19 March 2002. Last updated 20 March 2002.
Other sites:
zenit.org report of 18 March 2002
catholicnews.com report of 18 March 2002
A report on ewtn.com of 19 March It has that the General Introduction was unveiled last year, but this happened in 2000.