Over the past year, CNWE has been collecting signatures on our web petition and by mail to express dissatisfaction with the New Roman Missal. We gathered over 400 signatures in total and in January 2013, we sent a letter outlining our issues with the New Roman Missal to the English-speaking bishops of Canada and we included these signatures.

Our dissatisfaction centres on four issues:

i) the New Roman Missal presents humanity as largely sinful and unworthy before a monarchical God,

ii) it uses exclusive language, thereby removing women from the language of prayer,

iii) it employs a literal translation from the Latin that results in obscure vocabulary and long and awkward wording and

iv) it’s development ignored a widely approved draft in favour of a Latinized translation that has little relevance to our times. This translation rejects the teaching of Vatican II for a liturgy with “noble simplicity.”

We join with clergy (many of whom feel they cannot speak openly) and groups around the English speaking world in letting our leaders know that much has been lost in translation!