Trent and its Liturgical Reform: Practical Implementation (Part V)

The previous entry of this series discussed the Breviarium Romanum of 1568 and the Missale Romanum of 1570. These new editions were only the first steps towards an unprecedented standardization of the Latin liturgical tradition. In 1588, as part of his reform of the papal curia, Pope Sixtus V created the Sacred Congregation of Rites, which was to ensure the observance of liturgical norms and to give binding answers to questions arising in liturgical practice. For celebrations of bishops, Pope Clement VIII promulgated the Pontificale Romanum in 1596 and the Caeremoniale Episcoporum in 1600. In 1614, Pope Paul V issued the Rituale Romanum for sacraments and sacramentals that were not reserved to bishops.¹ Unlike in the late medieval period, the printing of liturgical books at this time was now effectively controlled by ecclesiastical authorities, and this meant that a single set of liturgical books could be produced and distributed in a global Church.