‘Living the liturgical action’: some principles for Christian liturgical formation in Desiderio desideravi

Abstract

This article introduces the key principles of Desiderio desideravi, Pope Francis’s 2022 Apostolic Letter on liturgical formation. The Letter is read in the context of the liturgical renewal associated with the Second Vatican Council and the more recent rise and suppression of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and the aesthetic and theological discourse surrounding it. I argue that the themes of this discourse are not unique to the Catholic Church, and the Pope’s call to imagine afresh the realms of the theological sense of the liturgy, the need for ‘serious and vital’ liturgical formation, and the refinement and development of the ars celebrandi are important appeals to the whole Body of Christ, especially in the context of the celebration of the Eucharist.