There’s a been a lot of online debate about the impact of the new translation of the Roman Missal introduced in churches in recent days. At this point, it seems that it has been somewhat of an anti-climax for most people. True — it’s only the people’s prayers have changed at this stage and there may be more of a reaction in November when the full extent of the changes become evident.
The reaction in West Cork has been muted. And varied. Curiously, the new translation was not used at all in the parish where the bishop celebrated Mass. So neighbouring parishes were using different texts for the Mass!
The news media in general seem at a loss to know how to report on the change. They have fallen back onto their reliable paradigm: find the conflict, report from the two opposing sides, thence a balanced coverage! In this case the two sides seem to be generally disinterested parishioners who are not unduly perturbed, on the one hand, and, on the other, the Association of Catholic Priests. A a spokesperson for the latter is quoted as criticising the poor standard of English translation in the Missal and goes on to describe it as “dog’s dinner” — not exactly Shakespearean English.
To add to the confusion, Veritas, the publishing wing of the Irish Bishops Conference, is recalling the Missals one week after they were delivered. The complex printing job was completed by a Milan, Italy, company but they are being redone due to “quality control” issues.
