At the Vatican ...
I recorded the Midnight
Mass which the Pope celebrated. Neither of the readers appeared to be an instituted
lector. The first reading, in Spanish, was by Raffaelle Karlis. He was not
wearing vestments, so I doubt he was an instituted lector. (According to
the General Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, n. 54, ... "an instituted
reader must wear the distinctive vestment of their office when
they go to the lectern to read the word of God. "...).
The second reader was clearly
not an instituted lector, since she was female. The commentator said her
name was Andrea Seton Teresa Kirk, daughter of Russell Kirk.
According to the 2002 Roman
Missal, n. 101. "In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons
may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture." I have
difficulty believing there was not at least one instituted lector in such
a large crowd at St Peter's Basicilia.
I think John Allen described
the problem on 9 August 2002:
"... Anyone who follows the Vatican knows that one of its most protracted internal tensions is between Bishop Piero Marini, responsible for the papal liturgies, and Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, who runs the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The latter makes the rules; the former sets the tone through what happens when the pope himself celebrates. Medina tends toward a traditionalist, by-the-book stance, while Marini is more reform-minded.
The Mexican celebrations, with their unapologetic embrace of elements of native worship, reflected the Marini imprint. But the $64,000 question is, whose side is John Paul II on? He signs Medina’s documents and yet celebrates Marini’s liturgies, so some accuse him of trying to have it both ways. ... "
On 12 December 2003 he
wrote about how Cardinal Arinze had chosen speakers for the 40th anniversary
of Sacrosanctum Concilium:
"Also striking is the absence of Archbishop Piero Marini, the Vatican official who organizes papal liturgies, and someone identified with the more “liberal” view of liturgical matters now out of fashion."
According to his 2 January
2004 article:
"... Throughout 2003, a drafting committee comprised of staff from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith worked on the disciplinary document, now set for release in early 2004. An early draft leaked to the press over the summer stirred controversy because it would have discouraged altar girls, along with clapping and liturgical dance. Vatican sources say, however, that this language has been removed. The 30-some page document, now being translated into several languages, focuses almost exclusively on the Eucharist, and sources say it adds nothing to existing liturgical law. It will repeat controversial strictures on lay Eucharistic ministers and inter-communion with Protestants. ..."
But hopefully this document will further
highlight the difference between the liturgical books and actual practice.
This may encourage the examination of conscience needed to fix these problems.
By J.R. Lilburne, 6 January 2004. I give what I have written on this page to the public domain.
Other sites:
Apostolic
Letter Spiritus et Sponsa by John Paul II on 4 December 2003