Survey: one year on, most Americans have accepted new missal

The world did not end, and people actually seem to be just fine with it.  Details:

American Catholics have widely accepted the changes in the Roman Catholic Mass to reflect a closer translation of the Latin that was introduced last year, even if these revisions may signal greater centralization in the church, according to a new survey by Catholic University of America researcher Anthony Pogarelc.

The changes to the liturgy introduced by the Vatican included a more literal translation of Latin texts used in the Mass, a greater distinction between sacred and secular language (such as using the term “chalice” rather than “cup”), and more scriptural allusions.

Pogarelc’s study, was presented at the meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Phoenix, Arizona, which Religioscope attended, and was based on a sample of 1,047 Catholics. The survey found that 70 percent “agree” (50 percent) or “strongly agree” (20 percent) that the new translation is a good thing for the church, but such acceptance was tied to the degree of participation in parish life.

But on the question of whether the new translation helps them understand the prayers, participate more in the Mass, or feel closer to God, inspiring one to be a better Catholic, there was no significant difference between the earlier translation and the one adopted last year. In fact, Catholics born before 1942 who had reported a high rate of understanding and appreciating the Mass in a 2011 survey , showed a significant drop in their responses in the recent study. Millennials, those born in 1982 or later, were least likely to register strong agreement about the new Mass. This may reflect the lower rate of participation by this generation, Pogarelc said.

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