The Pope decrees that not only men may be chosen for the washing of the feet in the Liturgy of Holy Thursday

[cappie]

Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) – The Holy Father has written a letter, dated 20 December and published today, to Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in which he decrees that from now on, the people chosen for the washing of the feet in the liturgy of Holy Thursday may be selected from all the People of God, and not only men and boys.

The Pope writes to the cardinal that he has for some time reflected on the "rite of the washing of the feet contained in the Liturgy of the Mass in Coena Domini, with the intention of improving the way in which it is performed so that it might express more fully the meaning of Jesus' gesture in the Cenacle, His giving of Himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, His limitless charity".

"After careful consideration", he continues, "I have decided to make a change to the Roman Missal. I therefore decree that the section according to which those persons chosen for the Washing of the feet must be men or boys, so that from now on the Pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite from among all the members of the People of God. I also recommend that an adequate explanation of the rite itself be provided to those who are chosen".

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has today published a decree on the aforementioned rite, dated 6 January 2016, the full text of which is published below:

"The reform of the Holy Week, by the decree Maxima Redemptionis nostrae mysteria of November 1955, provides the faculty, where counselled by pastoral motives, to perform the washing of the feet of twelve men during the Mass of the Lord's Supper, after the reading of the Gospel according to John, as if almost to represent Christ's humility and love for His disciples.

In the Roman liturgy this rite was handed down with the name of the Mandatum of the Lord on brotherly charity in accordance with Jesus' words, sung in the Antiphon during the celebration.

In performing this rite, bishops and priests are invited to conform intimately to Christ who 'came not to be served but to serve' and, driven by a love 'to the end', to give His life for the salvation of all humankind.

To manifest the full meaning of the rite to those who participate in it, the Holy Father Francis has seen fit to change the rule by in the Roman Missal (p.300, No. 11) according to which the chosen men are accompanied by the ministers, which must therefore be modified as follows: 'Those chosen from among the People of God are accompanied by the ministers' (and consequently in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum No. 301 and No. 299 b referring to the seats for the chosen men, so that pastors may choose a group of faithful representing the variety and unity of every part of the People of God. This group may consist of men and women, and ideally of the young and the old, healthy and sick, clerics, consecrated persons and laypeople.

This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Disipline of the Sacraments, by means of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff, introduces this innovation in the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, recalling pastors of their duty to instruct adequately both the chosen faithful and others, so that they may participate in the rite consciously, actively and fruitfully".

[Nihil Obstat]

So it goes. We do not have to like or favour it.

[cappie]

Yes, I have never really seen the need to include the ceremony in my Holy Thursday Mass. It's optional anyway: from the Roman Missal for Holy Thursday: " After the homily, where pastoral reason suggests it, the washing of the feet follows."

[Nihil Obstat]

At least now when the Holy Father continues to do as he wishes, those who follow his example are not thereby breaking Liturgical law.

[Benedictus]

1 hour ago, Nihil Obstat said:

At least now when the Holy Father continues to do as he wishes, those who follow his example are not thereby breaking Liturgical law.

It says 'pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite from among all the members of the People of God'. I guess that includes non Catholics and Christians too, if the Popes actions are anything to go by.

I think it better to omit the washing completely so as to not confuse everyone more than already happens with the endless list of modifications or liturgical tinkering.

[Anomaly]

Yes.  Better to not perform the washing of the feet to demonstrate that the Church Clergy is to serve humanity if risking muddling up some arcane theological point that is unknown and irrelevant to the vast majority of the observers. 

[Nihil Obstat]

9 minutes ago, Benedictus said:

It says 'pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite from among all the members of the People of God'. I guess that includes non Catholics and Christians too, if the Popes actions are anything to go by.

I think it better to omit the washing completely so as to not confuse everyone more than already happens with the endless list of modifications or liturgical tinkering.

Yes, going exclusively by past actions, one would be justified in thinking that Pope Francis intends to include all sorts of non-Catholics and non-Christians. But, regardless of how the law is worded, he probably intends to continue doing whatever he wishes to do.

[Benedictus]

10 minutes ago, Anomaly said:

Yes.  Better to not perform the washing of the feet to demonstrate that the Church Clergy is to serve humanity if risking muddling up some arcane theological point that is unknown and irrelevant to the vast majority of the observers. 

Off base. You're outside the ball park.

[StMichael]

55 minutes ago, Nihil Obstat said:

Yes, going exclusively by past actions, one would be justified in thinking that Pope Francis intends to include all sorts of non-Catholics and non-Christians. But, regardless of how the law is worded, he probably intends to continue doing whatever he wishes to do.

Better be careful, you might end up like me where every post is moderated, your mailbox shrunk to nothing and get the scarlet letter of "fishy."

[MarysLittleFlower]

Are priests free to still choose altar boys for this ceremony if they want? Especially in the TLM where they just stick to the 1962 way of doing things. I'm a bit confused what the washing of the feet means. From what I read it was an example but also a way Jesus purified the Apostles before the Communion. Is this so? Also this recent change, is it under infallibility or just pastoral? If the latter, does it mean priests can choose the older way too?

[Basilisa Marie]

All this does is open it up so that pastors can choose what he wants to emphasize with the Holy Thursday footwashing. Some people like having a bunch of men there because it sends a better image of the institution of the priesthood. But having different kinds of people there emphasizes how Jesus took on the role of the servant of all, and how we're meant to be servants to one another in imitation of him. Neither is inherently better than the other, we just have to be clear what we're trying to teach people. 

And honestly most changes in the liturgy that have ever happened in the history of the Church came from the bottom up, not from decrees from the Pope. So this change is actually pretty typical of the process. There's no reason to get our knickers in a bunch. 

1 hour ago, Nihil Obstat said:

Yes, going exclusively by past actions, one would be justified in thinking that Pope Francis intends to include all sorts of non-Catholics and non-Christians. But, regardless of how the law is worded, he probably intends to continue doing whatever he wishes to do.

Yeah, because he's the pope, honey, he IS the law.  

[superblue]

This is the utter idiocy that society sees , to wash only a mans foot or not. But if we are going to follow this stupidity then the topic has to include well if we are only going to wash the feet of men, should those men only be seminarians , who have a good GPA , or only deacons, or only men between the ages of 21 and 65, or how about only white men, or only Hebrew men, how about only circumcised men should have their feet washed ?  This is beyond stupid to even be written an published about. Let alone even be considered an argument. Pedophile priests run free, bishops and cardinals who covered it up get only a slap on the wrist, everyone turns a blind eye to it and just goes oh well that is humanity for ya. An this is what the church wants us as catholics to notice  as a worthy topic of interest ? Because watching who gets their feet washed is really a life changing moment in the Church. Forget the entire message Christ was trying to emphasis to his disciples at that moment; what Christ would really be p.offd about today is how dare women or the unholy get their feet washed on this day. Wait now the argument should be, are only religious women allowed to have their feet washed !

So raise the stupidity flag proud and high and make sure to keep it going.

An then everyone goes wait a minute why are people leaving the church ? I have my church militant badged polished, I make sure to politely inform everyone I know of their mistakes while pointing out I am no holier than they because I tell them I am a sinner too so that way they can not possibly pin me as being a fat hypocrite... I just have no idea why anyone would want to leave the church.

An what is sadder, is that the Pope had to waste his time to clarify the matter when he could have been doing something more important than having to wipe the noses of those people sniveling about the entire thing.

[Nihil Obstat]

56 minutes ago, StMichael said:

 

34 minutes ago, Basilisa Marie said:

 

Yeah, because he's the pope, honey, he IS the law.  

I thought that was obvious. He is the pope, and liturgically he does as he wishes. And in this case too, we are obligated neither to like nor favour what he wishes.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Nihil Obstat

[Nihil Obstat]

20 minutes ago, Nihil Obstat said:

I thought that was obvious. He is the pope, and liturgically he does as he wishes. And in this case too, we are obligated neither to like nor favour what he wishes.

Whoops. Weird implicature there. "We are not obligated to like, neither are we obligated to favour what he wishes."

[MarysLittleFlower]

4 hours ago, superblue said:

This is the utter idiocy that society sees , to wash only a mans foot or not. But if we are going to follow this stupidity then the topic has to include well if we are only going to wash the feet of men, should those men only be seminarians , who have a good GPA , or only deacons, or only men between the ages of 21 and 65, or how about only white men, or only Hebrew men, how about only circumcised men should have their feet washed ?  This is beyond stupid to even be written an published about. Let alone even be considered an argument. Pedophile priests run free, bishops and cardinals who covered it up get only a slap on the wrist, everyone turns a blind eye to it and just goes oh well that is humanity for ya. An this is what the church wants us as catholics to notice  as a worthy topic of interest ? Because watching who gets their feet washed is really a life changing moment in the Church. Forget the entire message Christ was trying to emphasis to his disciples at that moment; what Christ would really be p.offd about today is how dare women or the unholy get their feet washed on this day. Wait now the argument should be, are only religious women allowed to have their feet washed !

So raise the stupidity flag proud and high and make sure to keep it going.

An then everyone goes wait a minute why are people leaving the church ? I have my church militant badged polished, I make sure to politely inform everyone I know of their mistakes while pointing out I am no holier than they because I tell them I am a sinner too so that way they can not possibly pin me as being a fat hypocrite... I just have no idea why anyone would want to leave the church.

An what is sadder, is that the Pope had to waste his time to clarify the matter when he could have been doing something more important than having to wipe the noses of those people sniveling about the entire thing.

The liturgy is very important which is why these topics are discussed. Its not just a human thing, its divine worship and sharing in the worship of Heaven. If we saw the spiritual reality of it we would see Calvary, Our Lady and countless Angels. 

I personally don't think its unimportant to discuss aspects of the liturgy