Monday 23 November 2015

Interesting lectionary news from the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

Some interesting news from the November plenary meeting of the English and Welsh bishops:
The Bishops' Conference agrees to seek the approval of the Holy See for the use of the Revised Standard Version (2nd Catholic edition 2010) and the Revised Grail Psalter (2010) in the preparation of a Lectionary for use in England and Wales. [link]
IMO, a good choice of translation for the biblical readings, but not a great choice (though a predictable one) for the psalter. The authorisation, even if only for optional use, of the Coverdale Psalter - which as far as I am aware can be used in the Ordinariate Use - would be preferable (and also thoroughly ecumenical!).

However, given that the RSV2CE is in use in the Ordinariate, and the Revised Grail Psalter (with adjustments) has already been authorised for use in other countries like the USA, one would have thought that the Holy See's approval would be fairly quick in coming. Perhaps in time for publication by Advent 2017?

This resolution is particularly interesting in light of the collapse of the International Commission for the Preparation of an English Language Lectionary (ICPELL), which was supposed to have produced a common lectionary for conferences where English is used in the liturgy (excluding the USA). For more on that saga, see the relevant posts on Fr Hugh Somerville-Knapman's blog.