On 19 October Bishop Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds, presented the Holy Father with a special white edition of the new Roman Missal. Bishop Roche is Chairman of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), and Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Christian Life and Worship. Also meeting the Holy Father were Archbishop Hart of Melbourne, Monsignor Bruce Harbert, former Executive Director of the Secretariat of ICEL, and Pierpaolo Finaldi of the Catholic Truth Society.
Bishop Roche spoke about their meeting, “At the end of Pope Benedict’s visit to Great Britain he spoke about the then forthcoming new translation of the Roman Missal. It is therefore with great pleasure that today we are able to present him with a special edition of the Missal which has been approved for use in England and Wales, Scotland and Australia. The publication of the Missal is a significant landmark in the life of the Church in England and Wales. It will help us to respond to the Holy Father’s call to deepen our knowledge and faith in the Eucharist and renew our liturgical celebration. I am grateful to the Catholic Truth Society for producing the magnificent edition for the Holy Father but also the general high quality of the Missals which will soon be gracing our altars.”
The Missal given to the Holy Father has binding featuring uniquely shaped boards and hand-tooling for the cover, marbled endpapers and a dedicatory inscription to His Holiness.
Further Information
Liturgy Office microsite for the new translation of the Roman Missal:
http://www.missal.org.uk/
Catholic Truth Society information about the new translation of the Roman Missal:
http://ctscatholiccompass.org/category/roman-missal/
