Can the priest change the wording of the Gospel to make it more understandable?
The short answer
No. A priest may not change Christ's words in the Gospel for any reason. Canon law and Vatican II forbid anyone, even a priest, to add to, remove from or change the liturgy on his own authority.
Changing the words of Christ in the Gospel reading is forbidden for any reason.
- Canon 846 §1: the approved liturgical books must be faithfully observed, and no one on his own authority may add, remove or change anything in them.
- Sacrosanctum Concilium 22: no other person, even a priest, may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
- GIRM 57: in the readings God's word is set before the faithful and the riches of the Bible opened to them, so the arrangement of the readings should be kept, and it is unlawful to substitute non-biblical texts for the readings and responsorial psalm.
- Inaestimabile Donum 1: the Lectionary's norms must be observed, and replacing the word of God with the word of man, whoever the author, would be a serious abuse.
For help addressing liturgical abuse, see Jimmy Akin's Mass Confusion and Lou Bruno's article "How to Address a Liturgical Abuse."
Continue exploring
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