Columnists take aim at Roman Missal critics

Lately, we've noticed a couple of columnists writing about the critics of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which will be implemented on Nov. 27. (We told you about some of the dissenters in an earlier post.)

Earlier this month, writer William Oddie, former editor The Catholic Herald, wrote on the Herald's website a blistering column on the "battle" over the new translation, concluding that "the good guys" won:

The fact is that the “battle” now beginning over the introduction of the new translation is little more, by comparison with the warfare of the past few years, than a final skirmish, virtually over before it has started. It is, quite openly, the last gasp of those whose watchword has been “The Spirit of Vatican II” (“Spirit”, in quotes, rather than reality), the final faltering assault of the hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture. But these people have already lost.

Read rest of story.

Catholic News Agency columnist Louie Verrecchio also has written about critics of the translation and the coverage they receive in the media, which he terms the “Global Missal Dissent System”:

Some small group of Catholic dissenters loosely organized under an official sounding name, or perhaps even a single left-leaning individual with an impressive pedigree (ideally clerical in both cases), raises a red flag or two about the new translation. In neither instance can the case be made that the opinions expressed are representative of the broader Catholic population much less the hierarchy, but undaunted, sympathetic media types seize the opportunity to create the illusion that some sort of popular uprising is in the offing.

What's your take on criticism of the new translation?