Discussing reports on the 22 March 2002 Press Conference presenting the new Roman Missal.Ê
 

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2002 Roman Missal since receiving the new Roman Missal on 4 April 2002 I have learnt that there are lots of differences between it and the 2000 Institutio Generalis.

Ministers in Masses discussing the liturgical laws based on the 2000 Institutio Generalis

Roman Missal launch scheduled for 22 March

New Roman Missal on Sale

 

 

   

New Rules are church law

In the press conference Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, is reported (by catholicnews.com) to have said that with the public availability of the texts the new rules are church law.

According to Canon 7 - 8 of the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 7 A law comes into being when it is promulgated.

Can. 8 Universal ecclesiastical laws are promulgated by publication in the 'Acta Apostolicae Sedis', unless in particular cases another manner of promulgation has been prescribed. They come into force only on the expiry of three months from the date appearing on the particular issue of the 'Acta', unless because of the nature of the case they bind at once, or unless a shorter or longer interval has been specifically and expressly prescribed in the law itself.

That "the new rules are church law" suggests the laws have come into force, rather than simply come into being. So there do not seem to have been changes to what was published in 2000 in the Institutio Generalis. If so, I believe my "Ministers in Masses" gives the laws for celebrating Mass in the Roman Rite today.

I have not yet seen the new Order of Mass, which was only published this week. But the Cardinal's comments suggest it does not contain significant changes.

It would be difficult to argue "the new rules are church law" means they have come into being, but are not yet in force. I think they came into being with their publication in 2000.

Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 23 March 2002. Last updated 12 April 2002. Canon law extracts from the 1997 Harper Collins translation.

Other sites reporting on the 22 March 2002 Press Conference:

Vatican.va VIS report

catholicnews.com report With Missal release, bishops to begin work on changes, cardinal says

CWNew.com report on ewtn.com

zenit.org report

adoremus.org/newinfo