Another English Bishop Apologizes for Missal Translation

As Pray Tell reported, Bishop Crispian Hollis recently apologized for the unfortunate English translation of the Roman Missal of 2011. In the current issue of The Tablet, Bishop Thomas McMahon, bishop emeritus of Brentwood, added his voice to Hollis’s with this letter to the editor:

Your headline “We bishops got it wrong about the Missal” (Letters, 9 December) prompts me to add my own mea culpa. In my case doubly so, since for many years I was part of the National Liturgical Commission.

As Bishop Crispian Hollis indicated in his letter, the volume of work at the Bishops’ Conference is considerable and sometimes we failed to do justice to something as important as translations for the Missal. However, I was also very aware that whatever text we came up with, Rome was intent on complete oversight and having a translation closer to the Latin; hence the rather convoluted prayers that we now have.

Like others, I feel sure that given the support expressed by Pope Francis, a way forward could be found.

THOMAS MCMAHON
EMERITUS BISHOP OF BRENTWOOD

Editor

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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Comments

11 responses to “Another English Bishop Apologizes for Missal Translation”

  1. Brian Duffy

    Do bishops regain their spines when they become emeriti?
    How would Dom Gregory Dix respond?

    Reply
    1. Donna Zuroweste

      Remember Brian that dissension was verboten under Benedict… voices and hearts need to be retrained to be free to collaborate. 🙂

      And America could use some VII chutzpah; perhaps another English invasion?

      Reply
      1. Aiden Riley

        I think “dissenters” are worse off with Bergoglio then they ever were with Benedict. Maybe in a few years time.

    2. Alan Griffiths

      He wrote something in ‘The Shape of the Liturgy,’ about being ‘governed by the whims of elderly eccentrics’ (I think that’s the quote)

      He was referring to the Bishops of the Church of England.

      It is of course unthinkable that anyone would take this quote and apply it to personnel in the Vatican or, for that matter, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

      AG.

      Reply
      1. Christopher Lazowski OSB

        Is that last sentence by The Rev’d Canon Alan Griffiths, Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, or the Rt Hon. Francis Urquhart?

      2. Karl Liam Saur

        You may well think that, but I couldn’t possibly comment.

        PS: I’ve never bothered to watch the Netflix House of Cards, because the original trio of series was such perfection, and this shift to an American context means one is dealing with American political characters, much less able to provide such exquisite entertainment.

  2. Reyanna Rice

    Published in “The Table”??? Do you mean “The Tablet”?

    Reply
    1. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
      Anthony Ruff, OSB

      Yes, the Tablet! Thanks. 🙂

      Reply
  3. David Hayes

    I hope that Bishop McMahon’s new-found repentance will extend to writing and publishing a personal apology Fr Michael Butler, whom he saw fit to rebuke in 2014 : http://protectthepope.com/?p=9908

    Reply
  4. Alan Johnson

    Too late.

    Reply
    1. Mark Coley

      Surprise surprise another bishop speaks out in this week’s Tablet!

      Jon Crowley, Bishop Emeritus of Middlesbrough, UK, writes:

      “…Like a number of my fellow bishops I have had plenty of time to repent of our original decision to vote this translation through Conference…”

      Who will be next?!

      Reply

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