Review in the Church Times

Canon Paul Bradshaw has kindly reviewed Laszlo Dobszay's book on the Restoration and Development of the Roman Rite in last week's edition of the Church Times. 

"A STEADILY growing body of literature is building up within Roman Catholic circles that claims that the liturgical reforms that have emerged within that Church are not what the Second Vatican Coun­cil originally in-tended. It is argued that the Roman Rite had previously always dev­eloped “organically”, whereas the new rite represents a complete rup­ture with that tradi­tion. In this stable László Dobszay’s book firmly belongs.

What is unique about his con­tribu­tion, however, is that he is not urging a “reform of the reform”, as others tend to do. He does not think “that the content of the post­conciliar reform liturgy can really be reformed”. Instead, what he advo­cates is that existing alongside this modern rite should be “a process of continuous and organic develop­ment of the classicalRoman Rite”, whose 1962 form has recently been authorised for use in Latin by Pope Benedict XVI. 

The bulk of this substantial book is a series of very detailed proposals for doing this within what the author believes to be the true spirit of the Second Vatican Council, even including a limited use of the ver-­nacular. His suggestions are not res­tricted to the eucharist alone, but also cover the daily office, the calendar and lectionary, Holy Week rites, and — as might be ex­pected from a musicologist — the chants of the mass."

Read the full review here.