The Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia has passed several motions concerning liturgy. For a motion to pass, it needed two-thirds of both the consultative vote (most of the participants) and deliberative vote (bishops).
The approved motion on the retranslation of the Roman Missal reads as follows:
[T]his Plenary Council affirms the fundamental importance of a sacramental and spiritually rich and joyful prayer life that is transformed, and transforming, and inclusive:
c. It requests the Bishops Commission for Liturgy to prepare a new English translation of the Roman Missal that is both faithful to the original text and sensitive to the call for language that communicates clearly and includes all in the assembly.
In accord with Magnum Principium, issued in 2017 to bring translation procedures back into harmony with the Second Vatican Council, bishops conferences now approve translations themselves, with the Holy See offering ratification in the form of confirmation rather than “recognitio.”
It seems noteworthy that the resolution calls for a revised translation to be prepared in Australia, not for Australia to request ICEL to prepare a revised translation for the English-speaking world. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
The vote calling for retranslation of the missal among the bishops was 42 in favor (placet), 0 in favor with reservations (placet iuxta modum), and 1 not in favor (non placet). Among the other participants the numbers were 181-6-18).
The plenary council also approved motions calling for implementation of women deacons if church law comes to approve of it; formation for the ministries (recently opened to women) of lector, acolyte, and catechists; and expanded use of general absolution.
A motion to allow for lay preaching at Mass was not approved.
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