Liturgiam authenticam
Liturgiam authenticam is an instruction of the Congregation for [Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments], dated 28 March 2001.
This instruction included the requirement that, in translations of the liturgical texts or of the Bible, "the original text, insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses. Any adaptation to the characteristics or the nature of the various vernacular languages is to be sober and discreet."
Content
Use of the ''Nova Vulgata''
Liturgiam authenticam established the Nova Vulgata as "the point of reference as regards the delineation of the canonical text." Concerning the translation of liturgical texts, the instruction states:However, the instruction specifies that translations should not be made from the Nova Vulgata, but "must be made directly from the original texts, namely the Latin, as regards the texts of ecclesiastical composition, or the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, as the case may be, as regards the texts of Sacred Scripture". Therefore, the instruction does not recommend a translation of the Bible or of the liturgy based upon the Latin Nova Vulgata; the Nova Vulgata must simply being used as an "auxiliary tool".
Reactions
The American Catholic Biblical Association reacted negatively to the publication of the instruction. In reaction to this, Cardinal Medina wrote in Notitiae to answer criticisms and misunderstandings concerning the instruction.Bruce Harbert, a former executive secretary of International [Commission on English in the Liturgy|ICEL], considered the instruction a “courageous document on texts,” saying that “It’s not easy to write prescriptively on language, but I thought it did so very well. The time had come when some guidance had to be given.”