Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches (CCEO)
Canon
667
Through
the sacraments, which the Church is bound to dispense so that the mystery of
Christ is communicated under a visible sign, our Lord Jesus Christ sanctifies
people by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that they become in a unique way
true worshipers of God the Father and by which they are inserted into the
Church, His Body; therefore all Christian faithful, especially sacred
ministers, are to observe diligently the prescriptions of the Church in
conscientiously celebrating and receiving the sacraments.
Canon
668
§ 1. Divine worship, if it is done
in the name of the Church by a person legitimately appointed for this and through
an act approved by the authority of the Church, is called public; if
not, it is called private.
§ 2. For the regulation of divine
public worship the competent authority is the one mentioned in can. 657*, with
due regard for can. 199, § 1**; no other person can add to, remove, or
modify that which was established by this authority.
*
Canon 657
§ 1. The approval of liturgical
texts, after prior review of the Apostolic See, is reserved in patriarchal
Churches to the patriarch with the consent of the synod of bishops of the
patriarchal Church, in metropolitan Churches sui iuris to the
metropolitan with the consent of the council of hierarchs; in other Churches
this right rests exclusively with the Apostolic See, and, within the limits set
by it, to bishops and to their legitimately constituted assemblies.
Note: Such an approved text of the liturgy will
be published with the letter of promulgation or decree of the authority. For
example, the Text of the Holy Qurbana (Taksa) published from the Curia,
Mount Saint Thomas is the approved one.
“General Instructions Regarding the Order of
the Qurbana of the Syro-Malabar Church,” no. 15 states, “… Only approved hymns
and tunes are to be used in the Qurbana…” Hymns are not an ‘extra’ in the
liturgical texts those can be replaces by anyone, but part of the approved
liturgical text. Thus the hymns given in the Taksa of the Qurbana
including those in the two Appendices (Anubandha Geethangal) are
the only hymns approved by the authority of the Church.
**
Canon 199
§ 1. The eparchial bishop, as the moderator,
promoter and guardian of the entire liturgical life in the eparchy committed
to him, must be vigilant that it be fostered as much as possible and ordered according
to the prescriptions and legitimate customs of his own Church sui
iuris.
(The
power the Major Archbishop in Major Archiepiscopal Churches is equivalent to
the Patriarch in the Patriarchal Churches.)
