Pope Francis' Video Message on the Presentation of the Roman Missal for Zaire, Africa "...commit yourselves in the same way to the whole ritual of the Sacraments..."
ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE VOLUME PUBLISHED BY LEV
"POPE FRANCIS AND THE ROMAN MISSAL FOR THE DIOCESE OF ZAIRE"
I am delighted to be able to connect with you in this very important event for the Church in Africa. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join this event of the presentation of the volume on the Congolese Rite of the celebration of Mass. One year after the celebration of the Holy Mass which I presided in the Congolese Rite in St. Peter's Basilica , the Vatican Publishing House publishes a volume on the event. The volume is edited by Sister Rita Mboshu Kongo and has as its subtitle “A promising rite for other cultures". Precisely this subtitle indicates the fundamental reason behind this publication: a book that is the testimony of a celebration lived with faith and joy. The spiritual and ecclesial significance and the pastoral purpose of the Eucharistic celebration in the Congolese Rite were the basis of the drafting of the volume. The principles of the need for scientific study, adaptation and active participation in the Liturgy, strongly desired by the Council, have guided the authors of this volume. Being the first and only inculturated rite of the Latin Church approved after the Second Vatican Council , the experience of the Congolese rite of the celebration of Mass can serve as an example and model for other cultures. One of the main contributions of the Second Vatican Council it was precisely that of proposing norms for adapting the disposition and traditions of various peoples. I urge you - as Saint John Paul II said to the Bishops of Congo on their visit ad limina Apostolorum on April 23, 1988 - to commit yourselves in the same way to the whole ritual of the Sacraments and the sacraments that you have in sight to complete this Rite.
Let us recall what we explicitly said in Querida Amazonia : “to collect in the liturgy many elements of the experience of the indigenous people in their intimate contact with nature and to stimulate native expressions in songs, dances, rites, gestures and symbols. The Second Vatican Council had already requested this effort to inculturate the liturgy in indigenous peoples, but more than 50 years have passed and we have made little progress in this direction "( n. 82 ).
The Congolese rite of the Eucharistic celebration enhances the different languages, colors, movements of the body, which interact by leveraging all the dimensions of the personality of the faithful, always taking into account the specific values of each people.
This publication, dear brothers and sisters, reminds us that the true protagonist of the Congolese Rite is the People of God who sing and praise God, the God of Jesus Christ who has saved us all. I hope this publication will help in making progress in this regard. Thanks!
Comments