Present Canonical Rules For The Latin Church
The Code of Canon Law dedicates a short chapter of five canons to altars for Mass. It distinguishes between fixed altars (those that adhere to the floor) and movable altars (those that in fact be moved around), and states: "It is desirable to have a fixed altar in every church, but a fixed or a movable altar in other places designated for sacred celebrations" (canon 1235 §2)
On the material to be used, it decrees:
- Canon 1236 §1. According to the traditional practice of the Church, the table of a fixed altar is to be of stone, and indeed of a single natural stone. Nevertheless, another worthy and solid material can also be used in the judgment of the conference of bishops. The supports or base, however, can be made of any material.
- §2. A movable altar can be constructed of any solid material suitable for liturgical use.
With regard to relics of saints, it says:
- Canon 1237 §2. The ancient tradition of placing relics of martyrs or other saints under a fixed altar is to be preserved, according to the norms given in the liturgical books.
The norms in question are as follows:
- It is fitting that the tradition of the Roman liturgy should be preserved of placing relics of martyrs or other saints beneath the altar. However, the following should be noted:
- a) Relics intended for deposition should be of such a size that they can be recognized as parts of human bodies. Hence excessively small relics of one or more saints must not be deposited.
- b) The greatest care must be taken to determine whether relics intended for deposition are authentic. It is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful credibility placed beneath it.
- c) A reliquary must not be placed on the altar or in the table of the altar but beneath the table of the altar, as the design of the altar may allow.
This last norm explicitly excludes the practice customary in recent centuries of inserting relics into a specially created cavity within the table (the mensa) of an altar or altar stone.
The Rite also makes explicit what is only implicit in the Code of Canon Law:
- It is not permissible to place the relics of saints in the base of a movable altar.
Read more about this topic: Altar Stone
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