VATICAN (CWN) -- On Sunday, November 23, Pope John Paul II observed the 50th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Mediator Dei, by Pope Pius XII. That encyclical, dealing with the Eucharistic liturgy, was actually published on November 20, 1947. But the anniversary observance was appropriate because Sunday marked the feast of Christ the King, and the end of the Church's liturgical year-- as did the day of the encyclical's promulgation.

      The encyclical of Pope Pius XII, the Holy Father said, paved the way for liturgical reform, and especially for greater participation on the part of the laity.

      "As one liturgical year ends and another begins, we are invited to a more active understanding of the role played by the liturgy in the life of the Church," the Pope said. He said that the liturgy "constantly nourishes hope and love," and thus provides the wherewithal for "the work of the new evangelization."

      The Pope praised Pope Pius XII for the "equilibrium" of his encyclical, which combined "a prophetic pastoral sense" with a prudent effort to avoid all excesses. He insisted that the encyclical had provided the basis for the liturgical changes brought forward by Vatican II. And he added that as the 1999 liturgical year begins-- the year which he has consecrated particularly to the Holy Spirit-- the Church should renew her efforts to enhance the quality and appreciation of liturgical celebrations.

November 25, 1997 volume 8, no. 38         DAILY CATHOLIC