July 16, 2012 - Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown

Q. Recently, my wife and I
attended Mass at a small parish
church in the southwestern part
of England. The priest’s homily
was fine, and the congregation
participated with enthusiasm.
In fact, it was the first Mass I
can remember where no one left
church until the priest left the
altar. But here is my question:
The priest used an iPad for the
liturgical readings as well as for
the Mass prayers. There were no
liturgical books in sight. This
struck me as very different, although
it clearly accomplished
the task. Is it permissible now
to use an iPad instead of the
Lectionary and Roman Missal?
(Roanoke, Va.)
A. The General Instruction
of the Roman Missal, which
serves as a preface to the book
you see at the celebrant’s chair
Crosiers
Question Corner
By Father Kenneth Doyle
Can The Priest Use
An iPad At Mass?
Joachim and Anne
first century
July 26
Not mentioned in the Bible, Joachim and Anne are first named as
the parents of Mary in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James,
which may date from the second century. In this story, they are old
and childless, like the Old Testament Hannah, mother of Samuel,
when angels deliver the news that Anne will conceive a child. Anne
was an especially popular saint in medieval England, and her feast
was celebrated in the West by 1350; Joachim’s feast was authorized
or suppressed by various popes, but was joined with Anne’s in 1969.
They are the patrons of married couples; Anne is also the patron of
childless women, expectant mothers and miners.
Saints
and on the altar during Mass,
provides the “rules” for the
celebration of the liturgy. That
instruction (not surprisingly)
makes no mention of iPads or
other electronic media but refers
only to the “liturgical books.”
Prior to Mass, the priest is
directed to set out the Roman
Missal at the presider’s chair
and the Lectionary on the ambo
(reading stand). It is noted in No.
349 of the General Instruction
of the Roman Missal that these
books, used to proclaim the
Word of God, should be “truly
worthy, dignified and beautiful.”
In 2010, Father Paolo Padrini,
a consultant to the Vatican’s
Pontifical Council for Social
Communications, designed an
iPad application, which offered
the text of the Roman Missal in
several languages.
At the time, he said the use
At one point in history, with the invention of the
printing press, worship aids changed from hand-lettered
scrolls to bound books. In recent years, Pope
Benedict XVI has called repeatedly for creative use
of new media in efforts toward evangelization. It may
well be that, after an appropriate period of adjustment,
the use of an iPad at Mass could actually enhance
the experience of prayer.
of the iPad would not detract
from liturgical decorum, noting
that “as far as I can see, there is
no liturgical rule saying a printed
instrument must be used,”
and that is where the matter still
stands.
I have participated in many
Masses where, instead of using
a Lectionary, all of the readings
were typed ahead of time and
included in a plain but presentable
loose-leaf binder placed on
the lectern. This seemed to contribute
to the smooth flow of the
service because readers did not
have to flip through the pages of
a large book to find the proper
place.
Recently, I led a parish pilgrimage
to the Holy Land and
Italy, and the deacon who accompanied
us had downloaded
the Lectionary and the Missal
onto his iPad. This proved to
be invaluable since we couldn’t
find English-language liturgical
books in some of the places
where we wanted to celebrate
Mass. Still another advantage
(for the graying clergy population)
is that the font size on an
iPad can be expanded.
Objectors may point to
the Vatican’s 2001 document
“Liturgiam Authenticam,”
which requires that the liturgical
books “should be marked by
such a dignity that the exterior
appearance of the book itself
will lead the faithful to a greater
reverence for the word of God
and for sacred realities.” But it
would seem that aim could be
achieved by covering an iPad in
a red leather case (which would
also mask the manufacturer’s
logo).
At one point in history,
with the invention of the printing
press, worship aids changed
from hand-lettered scrolls to
bound books. In recent years,
Pope Benedict XVI has called
repeatedly for creative use of
new media in efforts toward
evangelization. It may well be
that, after an appropriate period
of adjustment, the use of an iPad
at Mass could actually enhance
the experience of prayer.
Questions may be sent to
Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com
and
40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y.
12208.
The Catholic Register, July 16, 2012 Page 9
Parish Diary
By Father Peter J. Daly
Educating Ourselves About
Religious Liberty
Our parish is doing a “teach-in” on religious liberty. Back in the
1960s, during the days of the Vietnam War, universities did “teachins”
to discuss the war as a way of learning. We are following that
pattern, but our topic is religious liberty.
Knowledge of history is important. Intellectual honesty is necessary.
Consistency is good.
As a church, we will do ourselves and our society a favor if we
are historically accurate, intellectually honest and philosophically
consistent in our approach to religious liberty. If we demand religious
liberty for ourselves, we should and do support it for everyone.
Our teach-in has shown us that the Roman Catholic Church has
not always been a defender of religious liberty. Until 1965, our official
position was opposed to religious liberty. That is why non-Catholics
were nervous about electing a Catholic as president in 1960. Thencandidate
John F. Kennedy had to go to Houston to allay the fears
of Baptist ministers that a Catholic president would take away their
religious freedom.
For centuries before the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965),
some say the Catholic Church was opposed to religious liberty. We
lived in a time of “error has no rights,” interpreted by some to mean
that all erroneous religions (any “non-Catholic” religion) had no rights.
The church thought governments would “institute” Catholicism
as the official religion of any nation if Catholics were the dominant
group in the population. We also said that government should stamp
out false (non-Catholic) religions.
This view was expressed most clearly in a declaration known as
the “Syllabus of Errors” promulgated by Pope Pius IX in December
1864.
The pope listed 80 “errors” of the modern age. Among the “errors”
condemned by Pius IX was error No. 15, which said that it was
an error to think that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that
religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.”
In error No. 55, the pope said it was wrong to say that “the
church ought to be separated from the state and the state from the
church.” Error No. 77 said it was wrong to think that “in the present
day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held
as the only religion of the state, to the exclusion of all other forms of
worship.” Pope Pius further said that non-Catholic religions should
not be permitted to worship freely in Catholic countries (error No. 78.)
It was not until 1965, in Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Liberty
(“Dignitatis Humanae”) that the Catholic Church official recognized
religious liberty as a human right.
“Dignitatis Humanae” said in No. 2: “The human person has a
right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be
immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups
and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to
act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly,
whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.”
The declaration was mostly drafted by John Courtney Murray,
an American Jesuit. Murray’s idea of religious liberty was a change
in policy for the church.
“Dignitatis Humanae” was the last document promulgated by
Vatican II before it adjourned. It almost did not get adopted because
of bitter opposition by ecclesiastical conservatives such as Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre, who left the church largely over his disagreement
on religious liberty.
An honest reading of history teaches us the importance of religious
liberty to humanity. An honest reading of church history teaches
us to be a humble in our lecturing others on religious liberty.