Catholic World News is reporting that the Vatican has officially decided that the Latin phrase pro multis in the Eucharistic Prayer should be rendered in English as “for many”. Current translations render it as “for all”:
...this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.
(You can read the current Latin and English side-by-side at CatholicLiturgy.com.)
Some of you are undoubtedly asking what the big deal is. The difference between the two versions is the difference between all people being saved, regardless of their relationship to Christ and His Church, and only those who are saved because of that relationship. As CWN summarizes:
The more natural translation, “for many,” more accurately suggests that while Christ’s redemptive suffering makes salvation available to all, it does not follow that all men are saved.
The debate over the translation has also been one of the arguments used by some Traditionalists in pointing out the deficiencies of the Novus Ordo. Could this be the first of many steps in reconciliation and reform? I hope so.
Technorati Tags:Catholic, Latin, liturgy, Mass, pro multis, Traditionalist
