The FABC’s call for dialogue with various cultures of Asia has also given impetus to the use of the vernacular in the liturgy of the local churches. Oliver Dy revisits the debate in the Second Vatican Council and argues that the council’s decision in Sacrosanctum Concilium—to allow a wider use of the vernacular in the Roman rites—constitutes a shift away from the position of Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805–1875), whose theology contributed to the “essentialization” of Latin as the language proper to the celebration of the Mass. Dy attributes this shift to the change in the historical contexts in which Guéranger and the Vatican II Council (1962–1965) operated:

“Whereas Guéranger conducted himself under an existing climate of anti-Protestantism … Vatican II, on the other hand, had already adopted a more reconciliatory and open-minded approach towards Protestants, thanks largely to the pre-conciliar ecumenical movement received by the Council. Furthermore, Guéranger’s operative horizon was spatially confined to Europe in general and his native France in particular …. By contrast, Vatican II had a more enlarged geographical purview that embraced and highly valued the Mission territories outside Europe, some of which at the time of the Council were politically characterized by the emergent movements and strong sentiments of anti-colonialism and indigenous nationalism.” – from the Editor’s Preface