Gerald O'Collins, SJ, takes a systematic look at the 2010 English translation of the Roman Missal and the ways it fails to achieve what the Second Vatican Council mandated: the full participation of priest and people. Critiquing the unsatisfactory principles prescribed by the Vatican instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (2001), this book, which includes a chapter by John Wilkins: tells the story of the maneuverings that sidelined the 1998 translation approved by eleven conferences of English-speaking bishops, criticizes the 2010 translation, and illustrates the clear superiority of the 1998 translation, the "Missal that never was".
"Here is a required book for any class in contemporary Roman Catholic eucharistic liturgy today. ... O'Collins calls for the end of the 2010 text with its impossible syntax and forced 'sacral language' in favor of an official recognition of the 1998 text. ... May O'Collins's hope be realized and may the 2010 text become but a footnote in the history of the Roman Rite."
Maxwell E. Johnson, University of Notre Dame
"At last we have a comprehensive treatment of the sad history of the Vatican's dismantling of ICEL's efforts at providing us with translations that are both elegant and communicative. My favorite line: 'Before I die, I would be delighted to celebrate once again the Eucharist in my native language.'"
John F. Baldovin, SJ, Professor of Historical and Liturgical Theology
"Authoritative, well detailed, and searingly honest, this account of the recent history of Vatican translation policy and its devastating effect on the current English version of the Roman Missal needs to be read by any liturgy scholar, teacher, or presider who uses these texts or, indeed, tries to explain them."
