Want to Pray Better? -- Pope Says New Missal Will Help

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The new English translation of the Mass is the result of a long process of international cooperation and is meant to help Catholics pray better, Pope Benedict XVI told Australia's bishops.  The new translation, which most Australian dioceses began introducing on Pentecost 2011, "is intended to enrich and deepen the praise offered to God by his people," the pope said Oct. 20. The morning after joining bishops from Australia for the inauguration of the Domus Australia, a pilgrim center in Rome, the pope welcomed the bishops to the apostolic palace and said the new liturgical translation was "the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the bishops and experts from all over the world." He asked the bishops to help their priests appreciate the new text, and to help catechists and musicians do their part to make the Mass "a moment of greater grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching for everyone."

Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney is the chairman of the Vox Clara Commission, an international body established by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, to assist in the evaluation of English liturgical translations. The cardinal said, "I think a goodly percentage of the people didn't notice the difference" when he began using the new text at the Sydney cathedral. "There are pockets of dissatisfaction, but overwhelmingly the priests and people are happy and they will get used to it. The prayers are immensely richer . . . "

Web Source:  http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20111020.htm