A proposed crackdown on some practices during Mass such as dancing, using altar girls or serving wine as well as wafers at communion has reportedly split top Vatican officials.
An Italian Catholic affairs monthly, Jesus, has released what it says are excerpts of a draft document under consideration at the Vatican.
The proposed document is still in its early stages and now undergoing review by various cardinals and other officials charged with safeguarding Church orthodoxy, a Vatican official said Tuesday.
But initial review of the document, by theologians and other officials of two Vatican offices, has reportedly led to some strong objections.
The Rome daily Il Messaggero reported that the crackdown, as laid out in the draft document, has been branded as too severe by some of those who have studied it.
The document grew out of an encyclical by Pope John Paul II earlier this year in which he cracked down on what he considered serious abuses in his flock regarding communion.
Roman Catholics believe that they receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ when they take communion.
According to Jesus magazine, the draft discourages the use of altar girls and denounces such practices such as applauding or dance performances during Mass.
Forging ahead with a ban on dancing could be delicate. The pope himself has presided over several ceremonies, both during his trips abroad, as well as in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican featuring dancing as well as singing.
The pontiff also has been the recipient of emotional applause, including at formal ceremonies and informal visits to Rome parishes.
Many of practices which are widely accepted during Mass by many faithful include taking communion in the form of a sip of wine and a small piece of bread instead of the communion wafers which had been used for generations.
The Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s led to many liberalizing changes, such as having priests face the congregation during Mass and celebrating the Mass in the local language instead of only in Latin. The changes were aimed at bridging the distance often felt between rank-and-file faithful and the clergy.
In his encyclical last spring, John Paul said he hoped to "banish the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice" regarding communion.