Vatican City, Oct 3, 2012 / 08:42 am
Pope Benedict XVI has reminded Catholics that the liturgy belongs to Jesus Christ and his Church, and should not be changed according to individual whims.
"It is not the individual – priest or layman – or the group that celebrates the liturgy, but it is primarily God's action through the Church, which has its own history, its rich tradition and creativity," the Pope said during his Oct. 3 general audience in Rome.
"This universality and fundamental openness, which is characteristic of the entire liturgy is one of the reasons why it cannot be created or amended by the individual community or by experts, but must be faithful to the forms of the universal Church," he stated.
With over 20,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope explained how the Church is made most visible in the liturgy where "God enters into our reality and we can meet him, we can touch him." The liturgy is where "he comes to us, and we are enlightened by him."