A Pope and a Council on the Sacred Liturgy: Pope Pius XII's Mediator Dei and the Second Vatican Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium with a Comparative Study, "A Tale of Two Documents" / Aidan Nichols

In Mediator Dei Pius XII is the first to explain in a magisterial document, vibrant with apostolic ardour, the basic prerogatives which entitle the liturgy to a post of the first order in the spiritual life. With Sacrosanctum Concilium the liturgical movement was seen to have "reached its maturity." Yet as Nichols asserts, Sacrosanctum Concilium "carried within it, encased in the innocuous language of pastoral welfare, some seeds of its own destruction." These texts are a tutorial in liturgical spirituality and tradition. Their comparison informs assessment of the liturgical practice of the Church today, and considerations for future reform.

Read the review in AD2000 here.

"Invaluable for anyone who wishes to understand and love the Liturgy more deeply." Msgr Peter J. Elliott AD2000

"With this book, clergy and laity alike can take a constructive step on the way to being both interested in and committed to care and treatment of a patient we love—the Liturgy." Adoremus Bulletin

"As Rome struggles to restore her Liturgy from the banalities to which the English rite has descended (and Anglicans grapple with the fuzzy datedness of Common Worship), this is a book that demonstrates the fault lines and, more importantly, where liturgical renewal…can find serious encouragement and authority." New Directions