Mass in Latin and facing East

Sacrosanctum Concilium (the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Liturgy) meant Mass ad orientem and in Latin says Archbishop Koch in an interview granted by the new President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Archbishop Kurt Koch, to Gaudium Press. It's good to know that even in our little parish here in Lancashire our thinking on how to celebrate the liturgy with prayer and dignity is in tune with those being newly appointed to important posts at the heart of the Church. Explaining the theology behind our move to "ad orientem" worship has not always been easy when this orthodox and much praised ancient practice is so little in evidence in the local church here in the U.K. Thanks to Rorate Caeli for the link.

Gaudium Press - These two views [of the Church as People of God and as Mystery] also influence one's position on the liturgy. How should the liturgy be understood today?
All those things that some people say that was new after the Second Vatican Council were not a theme of the Constitution on the Liturgy [Sacrosanctum Concilium]. For instance, celebrating the Eucharist facing the faithful was never an object of Tradition. The Tradition had always meant celebrating facing East, because that was the position of the resurrection. In Saint Peter's Basilica, the celebration took place facing the people for a long time because that was the direction facing East. The second thing was the vernacular language. The Council wished that Latin remain the language of the liturgy.
Yet all those very deep, fundamental, things of the liturgical Constitution, are still ignored by many. For instance, the entire liturgy and the Paschal liturgy. The Easter of mystery, of death, and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One cannot celebrate the Paschal [mystery] without sacrifice, and that is the theme that is mentioned in theology. Because the Constitution on Revelation [Dei Verbum] is not yet known in the Church either. We still have much to do in order to receive the Council.
Gaudium Press / Anna Artymiak