The Latin in Latin America is becoming harder and harder to find, and the "World Youth Day" liturgical events over the next few days will be no exception.
The Vatican's Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has released this week's World Youth Day program in Rio de Janeiro here. As you can see, Latin has been almost entirely removed from the novus ordo celebrations by Pope Francis.
Compare this week's program with the one from the last International World Youth Day trip, to Madrid in 2011, by Pope Benedict XVI, here. Latin was said or sung for the heart of the novus ordo liturgies, especially during the preface and canon. The liturgies were far from traditional Masses, but the week of Latin at the core at least offered a teachable moment for the million-plus youth assembled there.
Catholic News Service, the official media outlet of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, looked at World Youth Day and the "personal stamps" of Popes John Paul II, Benedict and Francis. Of note was CNS' observation on the shift in tone from JPII to Benedict:
Under Pope Benedict, the evening vigil was transformed from a rally into a mass moment of eucharistic adoration, surprisingly silent and devout, given the fact that it involved tens of thousands of young people on their knees in the dirt on a wide open field.
Pope Francis is flying from Rome to Rio today. Fox News Latino sums up the main event this week here:
