Girm Changes.

[p0lar_bear]

[quote name='Fides_et_Ratio' date='Aug 27 2004, 12:23 PM'] Nothing has been "implemented" yet, but I heard that it's going to be. If it is, of course I will obey the bishop.


But my question was whether or not this was something he is free to introduce into the Mass? Especially in light of the USCCB, and every other statement about it I can find. In the "American Adaptations to the GIRM", they decided AGAINST using the orans position in an effort to rid people of holding hands.

If the bishop did okay this, it seems to me as though he would be ok-ing something against the norm. [/quote]
Not necessarily. The bishops voted not to make it a norm, but they did not forbid it either. They decided simply to give no direction. In such cases, a bishop (as regulator of the liturgy in his diocese) is generally free to provide guidance or norms for his own diocese. He's not contradicting an existing norm, but rather proscribing a norm where there was not one.

[qfnol31]

A Bishop can't add to or take away from the Liturgy...I don't think he has the ability to add the Orans posture.

[p0lar_bear]

A bishop has the authority to regulate the liturgy within his diocese. There are things set out by the Vatican, but some things are left to the judgement of the bishop. Since the people are (obviously) in some position during the prayer and the Vatican does not specifiy which position (aside from standing), there is no reason to believe that the bishop does not have the authority to proscribe the orans position.

[Guest Ora pro pacem]

This string of posts has an unfortunate vocabulary problem which makes it hard to follow the opinions being expressed and leads easily to misunderstanding what is being said: the words "prescribed" and "proscribed" are used interchangeably when they are in fact opposites. "Prescribed" means set down or required; "proscribed" means forbidden or ruled out.

[Oik]

In the Melkite Church, we always pray the Our Father with hands extended. There are other prayers with which we sometimes pray with hands extended too. We don't ever hold hands in Church though (well, at Holy Crowning I guess). Holding hands during the Our Father is just silly.