Q: Regarding your recent post about priests celebrating Mass facing the apse https://paulturner.org/priest-facing-the-people-2/ , I believe the more relevant question is not whether it is allowed for the priest to consecrate with his back turned to the people, but rather why on earth would he ever want to?
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A: I know some priests who would answer with words about devotion and reverence, but in my view a good priest is always reverent whenever he faces the Body of Christ.
You may recall that in 2016 the Holy See’s press officer, Fr. Federico Lombardi, corrected the impression that Cardinal Sarah appeared to promote a change in the priest’s orientation. Fr. Lombardi cited GIRM 299 as the basis for celebrating Mass facing the people.