George on Liturgy

In his hometown paper, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago appeared above the fold this morning... not on the usual topic of his above-fold appearances, for once.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago was the U.S. representative to the International Committee on English in the Liturgy, the panel of bishops from 11 English-speaking countries that prepared the translation.

In addition to concerns about language, George said many bishops have expressed fear over disrupting the mass as leaders work to restore trust damaged by the sexual abuse scandal.

"Liturgy is what the church is all about, so no matter what the question is, liturgy inspires intense debate," George said in an interview.

"Everybody knows that this translation is far more faithful to the Latin," he said. "Whether or not it is a good example of the receiver language, English, is one consideration. Whether or not, no matter how good it is, is this the time to change anything, is another consideration. Those are the two arguments going back and forth as the bishops struggle with whether or not to pass this."

Word on the street is that the two days of lead-up BCL sessions were "awful." As in "not pretty."

Then again, what's new?

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