Today, Pope Benedict availed himself of this new possibility and celebrated Mass ad orientem. This is, as far as I am aware, the first time the Holy Father has publicly celebrated Mass in the traditional posture at a freestanding altar which allows for either form of celebration.
Pope Benedict thereby sends an important signal, underlining that this liturgical orientation is acceptable - and even encouraged - not only at altars which are fixed to the wall or to a reredos, and which therefore do not allow for a different manner of celebration, but at any altar where this is physically possible.
Here are some images of the Mass from the L'Osservatore Romano:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhhaWbm_dK91WKb9nUAqvkn5ELDcYOAm6tuIltej38VKerNjUtRFhUPtWx7JnKcRnAJ7GsF0d5jP98FZO0YZgRXeQWJdG54hTXz0jG2gZNtf92I14QReYlQtCQl7Xz_3osgdBDA/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-1.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkZtoXk9wwyJwFX-S7leXpv9nAPGCU5QSO1dsXbzkYvo2Nv16ltupkRWGQhR47SXbvu3j0CtPTxxRQXyAhsjkNx9HHug-_gV6TgzAUCGTDUXoRSJefEpMWbhISyIdZK6dH9mrZA/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-4.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGv_fmNBAsBPZK-vM4f26JXcH5kqWOJiDek1dWTZX-S7h5glX7_FgBK964edG370CVffHFltIVaRwyEJo3qpvxUus9xl7m1V56KYT1HXXbDcRjhxPr7NKUnMw9k5eyT34veBCHQ/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEyNyNFLzXkeUG1tQpwkL3vpfqQHWvahb9fcii-WAu0vtb-PmAkN9r-vJ_QMrp3hCD3gV8eacSd1XC7-DV2gDpOpIq4VSGa8qJIiu0qk8GJtB4T-sz7Wsy6z31cz9U2b6eabRBw/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-10.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pYNpF3nkjBgqOvprxdN0FRpAT4JbhM7DxYb07tVT7WMy4VDGfyPYuL5qI2TRS7k0zZaDxN9Zd0ricLD1RNksmr9q22Ol0XWQ0MZ3b1ELKaMZz_9kCL1kLyPiVvxQ-_DpdHSCQQ/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-9.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdwvcytFyPS1T90SA0cfUGyLO36sriWrPhnFSZyhPYd3_CWU9Mhae6fD4lc_fHr8bVLfYGRHytlKscqTFdWJs1Rgep1c_ycsNyKp1Zj9ZuMrl0hO1Ormp3Msak_IA9YqdmtTvMg/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-6.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN_-MQxNQrgc2cm1JuQ9sTqMy4DFjvLOeNsKQ1d8ZcxkWm_mrpJqa34bLJQ0Hyppa8ENliw0akVhAs1CXtPVSqdamShvwAesXW6gCPopJCpSrI98hNKFAo7FuhuEqDIPZ3VjNRA/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-8.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6I-FVZu7P66CF-XVN1aRSzQqK-8CmZbKYn6IAGlrS8gtysAfJVTgsQzvfw2cNlXnBP4eGr_4tS2lp_sBZu0z2mvWQ8VqUKn4ryrNHtQH0epUfgOo0J-F1jj6qC4YndKkeNBsGw/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-7.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZW3_D0Y3DBCUh_zsf7S7u4GS0rLgB5fKdYDtgpzFOXVsKjbrNgv5p_pHEc3HSFz_v2A9Cp-l4n0idRrSYIFjv28Hkbtkk-czjYznDObSdBNGzXjX21xyQoioRqJ8RCetPoqQGg/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-5.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6VLL21pSys6GWYp8GzWSTpcLjq-wMbxFKBRwoYPzb2Yab20x3keNXf9tzMusbUn3HiEH-kULXV5ffxePY1lDuFFE7y8ZQGWhveEJ9g48h1am_IC0E1221q9KbjdL2WdoVCfLRg/s400-rw/Paulina1Dez09-3.jpg)