Apostolic exhortation imminent

Catholic World News is reporting that the publication of the apostolic exhortation from the Eucharist on the Synod is imminent. This is especially noteworthy because most people think that it will coincide with the publication of the expected motu proprio dealing with a reform of the indult for the Tridentine Mass.

The informed Vatican sources cited by I Media say that the papal document will be quite similar to the list of final propositions endorsed by the Synod fathers after concluding their discussions in Rome last October. In a break from ordinary Vatican practice, the Synod released that list of 50 propositions in an “unofficial” Italian-language statement last October 22. The “official” Synod conclusions, in Latin, were given to the Holy Father.

If that’s the case, I wouldn’t expect the exhortation itself to contain much in the way of a reform of the reform, but then an exhortation is an expression of the Synod’s work. A motu proprio, on the other hand, is an expression of the Pope’s work. The 50 propositions from the Synod are available online in the unofficial translation from last year.

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