As I read the ongoing correspondence (Letters, 1 and 8 February) in connection with the translation of the Missal, two details on the subject continue to intrigue me. The first concerns the requirement that the Holy See must approve (grant recognitio to) a translation before it can be lawfully used. Such a requirement is, in fact, not to be found in the relevant document of the Second Vatican Council. The Constitution on the Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) requires the authorisation of the Holy See for the local Church(es) to make a translation of the Missal, not that the translation, when made, requires the Holy See to approve it. What unfortunately happened was that, within a few weeks of the constitution being promulgated, the Holy See issued a motu proprio which states (wrongly) that