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Cardinal Arinze’s Letter

This Rock Volume 18, Number 3   March 2007     Reasons for Hope By Cherie Peacock   Letters   A Primer on Peace By Msgr. Stuart Swetland   What Does Jesus Teach about Peace?   Beyond the Slogans: Seven Meanings of Peace   Peace is Our Life’s Quest By Donald DeMarco   Further Reading   The Battle that Saved the Christian West By Christopher Check   Interesting Facts about the Battle   Timeline for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary   Other Feasts that Celebrate Military Victories   For Further Reading   Vatican Corrects Controversial Translation By Jimmy Akin   Eucharistic Words at the Last Supper   Cardinal Arinze’s Letter   For Further Reading   What Will Save Civilization? By Donald DeMarco   Further Reading   Culture in Crisis: Pope Benedict XVI on Europe   Damascus Road The Promise I Made to God: The Conversion of Carl James Monroe By Russell Ford   By the Book Friends in High Places By Tim Staples   Truth be Told Cadavers, Calvin, and Anti-Catholicism By Robert P. Lockwood   Classic Apologetics Life after Death By C.C. Martindale, S.J.   Quick Questions   Last Writes By Karl Keating    Preview (pdf; 3MB)    Subscribe    Permissions

The following is the text of the letter from Cardinal Arinze to the bishops’ conferences on the proper translation of "pro multis."

Congregatio de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum

Prot. N. 467/05/L Rome, 17 October 2006 Your Eminence / Your Excellency, In July 2005 this Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, by agreement with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to all Presidents of Conferences of Bishops to ask their considered opinion regarding the translation into the various vernaculars of the expression pro multis in the formula for the Consecration of the Precious Blood during the celebration of Holy Mass (ref. Prot. N. 467/05/L of 9 July 2005). The replies received from the Bishops' Conferences were studied by the two Congregations and a report was made to the Holy Father. At his direction, this Congregation now writes to Your Eminence / Your Excellency in the following terms:

1. A text corresponding to the words pro multis, handed down by the Church, constitutes the formula that has been in use in the Roman Rite in Latin from the earliest centuries. In the past 30 years or so, some approved vernacular texts have carried the interpretive translation "for all," "per tutti," or equivalents.

2. There is no doubt whatsoever regarding the validity of Masses celebrated with the use of a duly approved formula containing a formula equivalent to "for all," as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has already declared (cf. Sacra Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei, Declaratio de sensu tribuendo adprobationi versionum formularum sacramentalium, 25 Ianuarii 1974, AAS 66 [1974], 661). Indeed, the formula "for all" would undoubtedly correspond to a correct interpretation of the Lord's intention expressed in the text. It is a dogma of faith that Christ died on the Cross for all men and women (cf. John 11:52; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Titus 2:11; 1 John 2:2).

3. There are, however, many arguments in favour of a more precise rendering of the traditional formula pro multis:

a. The Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24) make specific reference to "many" (psllwn = pollôn) for whom the Lord is offering the Sacrifice, and this wording has been emphasized by some biblical scholars in connection with the words of the prophet Isaiah (53:11-12). It would have been entirely possible in the Gospel texts to have said "for all" (for example, cf. Luke 12:41); instead, the formula given in the institution narrative is "for many," and the words have been faithfully translated thus in most modern biblical versions.

b. The Roman Rite in Latin has always said pro multis and never pro omnibus in the Consecration of the chalice.

c. The anaphoras of the various Oriental Rites, whether in Greek, Syriac, Armenian, the Slavic languages, etc., contain the verbal equivalent of the Latin pro multis in their respective languages.

d. "For many" is a faithful translation of pro multis, whereas "for all" is rather an explanation of the sort that belongs properly to catechesis.

e. The expression "for many," while remaining open to the inclusion of each human person, is reflective also of the fact that this salvation is not brought about in some mechanistic way, without one's willing or participation; rather, the believer is invited to accept in faith the gift that is being offered and to receive the supernatural life that is given to those who participate in this mystery, living it out in their lives as well so as to be numbered among the "many" to whom the text refers.

f. In line with the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam, effort should be made to be more faithful to the Latin texts in the typical editions.