64 texts into vernacular languages, underscoring the need for the liturgy to be accessible and understandable to the faithful. It acknowledges the foundational role of SC in promoting the use of vernacular languages and emphasizes the importance of translations that are both accurate and pastorally effective, demonstrating the ongoing relevance of SC’s principles concerning the use of the vernacular to ensure that the liturgy remains relevant and meaningful in different cultural contexts. Secondly, music is among the most influential factors in the practice of worship. The chapter on music in Sacrosanctum Concilium begins by emphasizing the importance of what it calls "sacred music" and preserving the "treasury of sacred music" handed down from the past (SC 112-144).72 Accordingly, it appreciates Gregorian chant and polyphonic music. However, other kinds of music may also be included (SC 115). Musicam Sacram, an instruction on music in the liturgy issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites in 1967, provided practical guidelines for implementing the principles regarding sacred music outlined in SC. Additionally, Redemptionis Sacramentum (RS), an important instruction issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2004, demonstrates the continued relevance of SC to the Church today. Accordingly, the RS states: The Church has always recognized and encouraged the ministerial functions of the faithful in the celebration of the sacred Liturgy, but she has also emphasized the importance of music and chant in the liturgy, in particular Gregorian chant, as being especially suited to the Roman Liturgy. (RS 57) Thirdly, the practice of the priest facing the people during Mass is one of the most visible signs of the changes initiated by Vatican II that remains relevant today. Before Vatican II, the altar was typically placed against the wall, and the priest would face away from the congregation throughout the Mass. However, in the light of the principle of emphasizing the importance of active participation by the faithful in the liturgy, the reform reconsidered the orientation of both the altar and the celebrant. As a result, a year after SC, the instruction named Inter Oecumenici (IO), was issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on September 26, 1964, providing specific guidelines for implementing the liturgical reforms including more explicit instructions regarding the arrangement of the altar and the orientation of the priest. Accordingly, the main altar was to be freestanding to allow for movement around it and have the priest celebrating the Eucharist facing the people. The altar was to become the center toward which the attention of the entire community of people naturally turns (IO). This change 72 Clifford and Faggioli, 160.
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