Q Is it ok for a priest to change or omit words of the Nicene Creed? While recently visiting another church in another diocese, the pastor said, “For us and for our salvation” (the word men omitted) and later, “he came down from heaven and became “human”  (rather than became man). My understanding is man means mankind  — male and female.  Thank you.  T.W., Rochelle

A  The first and quick answer is no. It is not permissible for priests to change the words of the Nicene Creed.

You are correct in your understanding of the word “man” referring to all God’s people, male and female. The correct term for this is “vertically inclusive” language.

English has a peculiarity that other languages don’t always have, in that when we talk about man, it is meant as a common term to indicate both men and women. In other languages there are specific terms for male and female, man and woman, that are not inclusive of each other in the same way as in the English language.  

In the Latin, the language from which our Mass comes, there is a word for man, or male, which is vir. For female or woman, the term in Latin is mulier. When these words are used they can never be inclusive. If all people, male and female are being referred to as in the Mass, the Latin terms are homo or homines, which mean human or humans.

When the Mass was translated into English, the vertically inclusive language was used. Yes, it would have been much easier to simply use the Latin translation of human beings, but it was not up to me.

The important thing to remember is that God’s love and plan is equal for both male and female and that love transcends any word or labels we may find ourselves caught up in,  distracting us from our prayer and our focus on the intent of the celebration of Mass.

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