All the rites of the Catholic Church are of equal dignity and equally valid. Attendance at a different rite fulfils the Sunday obligation. Read more

"There are two Kerala priests at St Mary's Church on Ruahine St who support our people with their cultural and spiritual needs."

The two priests were employed after the Kerala Catholic organisation approached Bishop Charles.

"People feel at home there as our cultural ceremonies are important to us." Continue reading

The new liturgical rite includes material from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer — the 1662 text which became the main point of reference for prayer in the Anglican Church — and from the Roman Rite followed by the Catholic Church.

It also contains prayers written by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, who was burnt at the stake in 1556 during Queen Mary's brief attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England.

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The instruction, issued by the Ecclesia Dei Commission and approved by Pope Benedict on May 13, says Tridentine Masses should be made available to even small groups of people. However these "traditional catholics" are not permitted to question the validity of the modern Mass nor the authority of the Pope.

"In deciding individual cases, the pastor or the rector, or the priest responsible for a Church, is to be guided by his own prudence, motivated by pastoral zeal and a spirit of generous welcome," it said.

The Tridentine Rite went out of use when the Second Vatican Council permitted the celebration of Mass in the vernacular, and despite a 2007 Papal decree ordering its wider use, there has been a reluctance to implement the decree.

The new Vatican document instructs bishops to make more space and time available for groups wanting to celebrate the old rite. The decree says that both the old and new rites are equally valid.

The decree highlights the need for training in the Tridentine rite; priests who use the Tridentine Rite must be qualified to do so. While all priests have permission to celebrate the old rite, Vatican Spokesman Fr Frederico Lombardi said learning, or relearning, the rubics of the old rite could be demanding.

Bishops are to make sure that seminarians are taught Latin and are trained in celebrating the old rite.

Lombardi said the new norms were published in order to reconcile differences between those in favour of restoring the Latin rite and those who see it as a backwards step.

Asked if altar girls are allowed to serve the Tridentine Mass, Fr Lombardi said the question was not specifically addressed in the new instruction.

Sources

• Catholic Herald
• BBC
• Reuters
• Image: Overheard in the Sacristy