In 1963, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy released the document Sacrosanctum concilium, which promoted the use of the vernacular in the administration of the sacraments.
The document then explained how, "Translations from the Latin text into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority."
Translations of all liturgical texts from Latin into vernacular languages started shortly thereafter and many of these first translations were published in the mid 1970s.
Difficulties with translations
However, in 1988 St. John Paul II believed these translations needed to be improved. In his apostolic letter Vicesimus quintus annus, he wrote:
This project, initiated by St. John Paul II, took many years to develop and was more specifically detailed in the document Liurgiam authenticam in 2001.
Retranslations are still in progress
Initially this resulted in a complete retranslation of the Roman Missal, which was completed in 2011.
In additional to the Mass, local bishop conferences also started retranslating all other liturgical texts, such as the Liturgy of the Hours, Rite of Matrimony, Rite of Baptism and Rite of Penance, to name a few examples.
Many of these new translations are starting to be published, with the Rite of Penance being released in 2023 and the Liturgy of the Hours possibly coming in 2024.
The Church, in her wisdom, recognizes that these translations should not be rushed and should be "timeless," enduring through the decades and, possibly, centuries to come.
