Roman Catholic Church

IV

Worship and Practices

Catholic worship is unequivocally centred on the Mass, at which the faithful are expected to be present every Sunday and on a few major feasts during the year. Mass is also celebrated daily in most Churches and is the essential element of the service at marriages, funerals, and other Catholic observances.

A

The Mass

The Mass consists of several parts of which the longest and most important are the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist, during which Holy Communion is administered. Within this set structure considerable variation is possible in the use of music, pageantry, and other devices to render the service appropriate for a given occasion.

This potential for variation is graphically illustrated in the history of the Mass and in the differences that exist today between the Roman rite and the rites of the Eastern Churches. The most sweeping changes ever made in the Roman rite were those effected by the Second Vatican Council in its decree Sacrosanctum Concilium (December 4, 1963). The general tendency of these changes was to excise accretions to the liturgy that obscured its purpose and basic outline. Of all the provisions legislated or inspired by the council, none was more dramatic than the translation of the liturgy and rites of the Church from their traditional Latin language into modern vernaculars.

B

Sacraments

The Eucharist is one of the seven sacraments, which are the most important symbolic rites by which the Church nourishes its members. Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist through the change of bread and wine into his body and blood (transubstantiation) and are encouraged to receive the Eucharist at every Mass in which they participate. The other sacraments are baptism, confirmation, penance, holy orders, matrimony, and the anointing of the sick. Catholic theology teaches that these signs, instituted by Christ, effect their spiritual benefit on the recipient independent of the faith or virtue of the minister (ex opere operato).

Liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council revised the sacrament of penance to shift attention away from confession of a detailed list of sins to the healing nature of the divine mercy mediated through the sacrament. To highlight these purposes the alternative term “sacrament of reconciliation” was devised. Besides other revisions in sacramental rites, the council determined that the anointing of the sick should be administered in every serious illness or old age and not be delayed until the point of death. Hence, it should no longer be called extreme (last) unction.

The minister for the sacrament of matrimony is not the officiating priest, as is usually thought, but the bride and groom themselves. The bond this sacrament creates between two baptized people cannot, according to Catholic theology, be dissolved. Numerous prior conditions exist for a valid bond, however, so that it is sometimes possible for the Church to declare, after examination, that a marriage was null and void from the beginning. Often viewed as the Catholic equivalent of divorce, annulment is based on different principles. The Church teaches that the purpose of matrimony is to foster mutual love and procreation.

C

Other Practices

Catholics express piety in many ways in addition to the Mass and sacraments. The rosary of the Virgin Mary, for instance, is still a popular devotion. In recent years the strict obligation to fast and to abstain from meat on certain days has been made optional but is still observed by many. Although the earlier insistence of bishops, especially in the United States, that children be sent to schools operated by the Church has been abandoned, many Catholics continue to do so, maintaining a strong system of elementary and secondary education. Throughout the world the Church sponsors a number of universities and an even larger number of faculties of theology. The Church is directly or indirectly responsible for an immense number of publications that range from popular journalism to highly sophisticated scholarship.

D

Current Issues

The Roman Catholic Church has been characterized in modern times by strong positions on some controversial issues. Beginning with Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), the popes have consistently decried the injustices of the economic and social conditions created by modern industrial societies and proposed remedies for them. They have denounced nuclear warfare, repeatedly urged an end to the arms race, and sought to halt the exploitation of poor nations by rich ones. The protection and promotion of basic human rights in the social, economic, and political orders have been central to these pronouncements. The liberation theology created by some Catholic intellectuals in Latin America has recently attempted to fit these concerns into a less traditional framework of speculation, even utilizing concepts found in Marxist literature.

At the Second Vatican Council the Church encouraged Catholics to work with members of other religions for common human goals and for the reunion of the various Christian Churches. Although the Roman Catholic Church has never joined the World Council of Churches, it does maintain contact with it. In recognition of the genuine spiritual values in other religions, Catholic missionary practice since the council has been modified from proselytizing to a dialogue more respectful of those values.

On certain other issues the Church has been more conservative but no less forceful. The prohibition of “artificial” means of birth control was reiterated by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (1968). This document provoked objections in some theological and even episcopal circles—a unique phenomenon for the modern papacy. Although its import continues to be debated, it is certainly the most authoritative statement on the issue. The Roman Catholic Church has been a fierce opponent of liberalized abortion laws and has inspired political resistance to such legislation in several Western countries. Although the Church permits women under certain circumstances to administer the Eucharist and perform some other ministries, it has not allowed them to be ordained priests or deacons. For priests of the Roman rite, marriage is strictly forbidden. The stance of the Roman Catholic Church on all these issues has been reaffirmed during the pontificate of John Paul II, who has, as the most widely travelled of popes, spoken out against abortion, artificial contraception, and euthanasia on his visits to Latin America, Asia, and Africa.