The Liturgy Betrayed

For more than thirty years the Church has been torn apart by a conflict that revolves around the question of Liturgy. In this instructive and practical work, Denis Crouan makes accessible to everyone the criteria which have been issued by the Magisterium and which define a truly Catholic Liturgy in today’s Church. From a position of strength as an experienced theologian, Crouan attempts to show the real causes of the liturgical crisis that has been afflicting the Church. At the same time, his aim has been to highlight the sort of pastoral action that would allow this crisis to be overcome. His solution is not to argue for a return to the past, nor is it to promote arbitrary innovations as regards the liturgical celebration of our faith. Rather, he champions a restoration of the individual authority of the bishops in bringing about, solely with the help of the official liturgical texts, the proper application of the principles clearly enunciated by Sancrosanctum Concilum, Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

Denis Crouan, the author of several studies on the pressing liturgical questions of our time, holds a doctorate in Catholic theology. He is also an organist, a choirmaster, a specialist in Gregorian Chant and a professor of literature and history.