A Priest Need Not Celebrate "Versus Populum" or Facing the People

Vienese theology professor Feulner: according to accepted Liturgical order, every priest can celebrate Mass at the front side of the "people's altar" while "facing the Lord"

Wien/Vienna (kath.net) "In no document of the Second Vatican Council does it say, especially not in the Constitution on the Liturgy "Sancrosanctum Consilium"(1963), that the priest should or must celebrate the Eucharist "versus populum"." [To the people] This is what the Viennese theology professor Hans-Jürgen Feulner said in a recent interview in the newspaper "Der Sonntag".  Feulner explained then that the foundation for the alteration according to the second Vatican Council is the instruction "Inter Oecumeninici"(1964), in which it states, that the high altar must be separated from the back wall, so that one can easily go around to the back side and say Mass facing the people.

This is to begin with only precautionary clause, which had been quickly introduced, that almost in every Catholic Church so-called people's altars were to be erected, which Feulner describes as constituting "the most obvious achievement" of the Council, although there were before the Council in individual churches such "volks-altars". The designation was later addressed in the "General Introduction to the Roman Mass Book" (Nr. 262) and in the 3rd edition of the Mass book.

The theologian pointed out however on that, that at the same time the Congregation of Divine Rites is said to have clearly ordered, that Mass should not be celebrated to the people. "The rubrics themselves of the past Mass books report indirectly, that the rule for celebration "versus Dominum" ("Facing to the Lord, i.e., not facing the community) is, if it meant to say there, e.g.: "...e (except when he turns to face the people); "...facing the Community.../... turning to face the community" (at the kiss of peace and "Behold, the Lamb of God"); „turn toward the altar” (at the Communion of the priest).", observed the professor of the University of Vienna.

As to the question, why then do priests celebrate today the way they do, turned in most cases to the people, Feulner said that this was often derived from the "Meal character" of the Eucharist and calls by the General Council for "active participation", which required an awareness of what was going on at the altar. "Does this, however, overlook the fact that the meal excludes the sacrificial nature or is opposed irreconcileably to facing each other, rather the Eucharistic sacrifice is complete at least partly in the form of a meal," concluded the theologian and pointed also to the cosmic dimension of the Liturgy an the orientation of prayer "ad orientum". The East is a symbol of the Resurrection on Eastern Sunday, of the assumption into heaven and the coming of Christ at the end of all times (compare Mt 24,27; Offb 7,2).

When asked as to whether the priest may celebrate the Liturgy away from the participants of the liturgy, if there were an [editor: unsightly] people's altar in this church/chapel, Feulner then explained, that both ways of celebration are correct. "According the current valid Liturgical order every priest can thus celebrate at the Euchastic celebration self-evidently (except for the offertory) also stand during Mass at the front side of the altar "facing the Lord", that means, facing the same way as the Community, which corresponds to an ancient tradition of Christians.