Can Catholic Social Teaching Bring Peace to the “Liturgy Wars”?

Abstract

A way past the “liturgy wars” opens up if we view contemporary liturgy from the perspective of Catholic social teaching. Freedom of conscience and worship requires toleration of diverse theories of liturgy. Respect for the dignity of the human person foregrounds Vatican II’s fundamental teaching that active participation is the primary and indispensable source of the true Christian spirit. The right to culture signals the importance of culturally informed liturgical formation. In this way the “liturgy wars” can be reinterpreted as illustrating Congar’s dialectical understanding of ecclesiastical tradition.