Vatican directives have more recently discouraged such co-operation and the Cathedral now posts commissionaires to keep non-Roman Catholics away.

Last November Father McNeill, by issuing statements to newspapers, intentionally violated a Vatican directive that he remain publicly silent on the subject.

But that was only one reaction to a Vatican directive that church experts say is intentionally sprinkled with undefined terms and left open to interpretation.

Deciding for Themselves Mr. Putney, a truck driver, said he had skipped over the article about the Vatican directive in the newspaper.

Father Nugent described his participation in the Boston event as his first speaking engagement since receiving the Vatican directive.

Although the new service must be submitted to the Vatican for approval, it closely follows a Vatican directive for Sunday celebrations without a priest.

The reason for the change is a Vatican directive issued in 2001 under Pope John Paul II that demanded closer adherence to the Latin text.

The Vatican directive in 2001, known in Latin as Liturgiam authenticam, was a turning point in the process.

Kurtz is generally seen as a conservative and a firm follower of Vatican directives on doctrine and liturgy.

The Vatican directive will require little obvious change in how the Salt Lake City Diocese deals with converts from Mormonism.