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Views from the Choir Loft

Pope Francis to Cardinal Sarah: Investigate an Official Reform of the Reform

Fr. David Friel · July 6, 2016

368 Robert Cardinal Sarah AST SUMMER’S Sacra Liturgia conference in New York City began with special interest as attendees were read a welcome letter from Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In that letter, the Cardinal revealed that, upon accepting his post at the CDW, Pope Francis asked him to continue the good work of Pope Benedict XVI on the liturgy.

At the Sacra Liturgia proceedings presently underway in London, no letter was necessary, as Cardinal Sarah was present to speak at the opening session and offer Mass on the second day of the conference. Again this year, Cardinal Sarah said some very important things. Before offering a more detailed summary of his talk, allow me to present the two most important points, which will be very interesting to those who work closely with the liturgy:

1. Cardinal Sarah said that we cannot discount the possibility of an official “reform of the reform.” Amplifying this point, his Eminence revealed that, in an April 2015 audience with Pope Francis, the Holy Father requested that he investigate this possibility with a view toward formalizing the “mutual enrichment” encouraged by Summorum Pontificum. He spoke of this as “a delicate work,” requiring careful study, clarity, and prudence.

2. Speaking about urgent liturgical priorities, Cardinal Sarah approached the topic of the orientation of worship. He said that it is important that we return, as soon as possible, to the practice of offering Mass ad orientem (or at least toward the apse of the church). This he described as a “perfectly legitimate” option and “a necessary step toward making sure the Lord is at the center” of our worship. Priests who exercise this option, he said, should do so with the confidence that this is something good for the Church. The cardinal asked priests to implement this reform whenever possible, after suitable catechesis, suggesting even a potential starting date: the First Sunday of Advent this year.

These were the two most significant remarks from Cardinal Sarah, but there was much more content also worthy of our consideration. Here I shall present a general overview of his other points.

PENING HIS remarks with a rich reflection on the first paragraph of Sacrosanctum Concilium, Cardinal Sarah stated that much remains to be done for the full assimilation of the council’s Constitution on the Liturgy. He further stressed that, as we become further and further removed from the time of the Second Vatican Council, it is more and more necessary to seek out the true intentions of the council Fathers. The cardinal warned against doing eisegesis with Sacrosanctum Concilium, imputing to it things that it does not, in fact, say. Reading the document in this way, one discovers that the council Father desired a liturgical evolution, not a revolution.

His Eminence spoke briefly about enculturation. “I am an African,” he said, adding that the liturgy is not the place to glorify his culture. The liturgy, rather, is the place where all cultures are baptized and taken up into the divine.

Turning to a historical consideration, Cardinal Sarah spoke about a faction of priests who rejected the post-conciliar reformed rite and continued to celebrate the traditional rite without authorization. It was never the intention of the council Fathers, however, to coopt the liturgy into “a tool of division.” This unintended effect was lamentable. The cardinal argued that the freedom offered to the Church in 2007 through Summorum Pontificum has provided the solution to this tension, since it is now possible to respect and rejoice in legitimate liturgical diversity.

Attention was given also to the formation of the clergy. “We cannot talk about liturgical reform,” the cardinal observed, “without liturgical formation.” Notably, the cardinal directed his remarks equally to seminarians studying for the priesthood and candidates for the permanent diaconate. Candidates for the permanent diaconate were highlighted as needing a profound immersion in liturgical formation over a prolonged period of time (a need that is frequently not met in the contemporary life of the Church). For seminarians, moreover, an important part of their formation should be the usus antiquor. Cardinal Sarah asked, “How can we begin to comprehend or celebrate the reformed rites with the spirit of continuity if we have never experienced” the beauty of the rites that the council Fathers knew so well?

In speaking about the real possibility of an official reform of the reform, Cardinal Sarah made reference to a “learned study” given by Fr. Thomas Kocik at Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 in New York City. In his presentation, Fr. Kocik proposed practical ideas for what such a reform might look like. Some of his specific suggestions are reported here.

These remarks from Cardinal Sarah were a wonderful beginning to this Sacra Liturgia conference. His presentation included many important points that I have not included above. Readers will be happy to know, then, that the full text of Cardinal Sarah’s lecture will be available early next week on the Sacra Liturgia Facebook page.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem, Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, Pope Francis, Robert Cardinal Sarah, Sacra Liturgia, Summorum Pontificum Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

It should be borne in mind that there is no preference expressed in the liturgical legislation for either “versus populum” or “ad orientem.” Since both positions enjoy the favor of law, the legislation may not be invoked to say that one position or the other accords more closely with the mind of the Church.

— ‘Congregation for Divine Worship (Vatican City), 10 April 2000’

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