Towards a Theology of Liturgical Reconciliation

More than fifty years after the liturgical reform, tensions remain in the Catholic Church over the Old and New Rites – tensions that theologians and liturgists have not been able to resolve. Following Pope Francis’s calls to liturgical unity and synodal listening, in 2022 the Centre for Ecclesial Ethics at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge held the ‘Views from the Pews’ webinar to ask lay Catholics for their experiences. Which form of the Roman Rite do they prefer and why? Theologians were then asked to respond.

Here we publish a rich conversation of liturgical reconciliation: the testimonies, the theo­lo­gians’ responses and summaries of the ensuing discussions with our lay participants, which provide often-surprising resources for liturgical reconciliation, especially in the area of liturgical anthropology. The story is brought up to date with a review of more recent church documents and a reflection on the challenges and opportunities for liturgical reconciliation afforded by new currents in the Church and in society.