Liturgical abuse is often treated as a modern controversy — but complaints about it are almost as old as the liturgy itself. Dr. Brant Pitre examines what the Church actually teaches, and how the problem has surfaced in every century.
What Is Liturgical Abuse? The Church's Norms from Scripture to Redemptionis Sacramentum
Dr. Brant Pitre approaches liturgical abuse not as a partisan flashpoint but as a question the Church has faced across its whole history. He begins with St. John Paul II's acknowledgment in Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003) that alongside the fruits of liturgical renewal, "shadows are not lacking," and with the Congregation for Divine Worship's 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum. The session maps the biblical roots — from Cain and Abel's offerings and Korah's rebellion to St. Paul's rebuke of "divisions" at Corinth — then follows the thread through the Fathers, medieval witnesses, and the Council of Trent's own "Compendium of Abuses." Pitre presents the Church's established norms factually, letting the sources define what an abuse is rather than any individual preference. The result is a map of a very old conversation, and of why the Church regulates public worship at all.
Key passages & sources examined: Genesis 4:3-4; Leviticus 23:10-14; Numbers 16 (Korah); Malachi 1:7-11; 1 Corinthians 11:18-30; Apostolic Constitutions; St. John Chrysostom; St. Athanasius; Council of Hippo (393); William Durand; St. Thomas Aquinas (ST II-II q.93); Council of Trent (Compendium of Abuses; Session 22); St. Vincent de Paul; Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium 22; Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003); Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004)
What is liturgical abuse according to the Catholic Church? In the session's sources, it is the unauthorized altering, adding, or omitting of what the Church prescribes for the sacred liturgy — Pitre lets documents like Redemptionis Sacramentum and Sacrosanctum Concilium 22 speak, rather than offering private opinion.
Is liturgical abuse only a post-Vatican II problem? The video traces complaints across many centuries — 4th-century Fathers, the medieval church, and the Council of Trent — showing it is far from new. The full teaching is in the session.
What does the Church say causes and results from liturgical abuse? Pitre reviews what John Paul II and the Congregation for Divine Worship taught about the effects on the faithful; the details are unpacked in the video.
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I love getting the mass readings/readings explained, every week. Dr Brandt Petrie it’s truly amazing in his knowledge of the Old Testament and the New Testament.!
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Once logged in, you can access everything by going to 'Membership' in the main menu bar of our website, then 'Mass Readings Explained' and then pick one of the options there. The calendar view works well for finding those Mass Readings that are in the near future and The Mass Explained will take you to videos in that series.
I love getting the mass readings/readings explained, every week. Dr Brandt Petrie it’s truly amazing in his knowledge of the Old Testament and the New Testament.!
I’ve subscribed for many years and have shared Brant Pitre’s excellent work as gifts to friends and colleagues around the world. Keep up the good work. Team!
