Since the topic of music during the Sign of Peace was recently discussed here on the Forum, I am happy to post a bit of information which can help to clarify the Church's intended practice.

In the 2007 post-synodal exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to consider various questions about the Sign of Peace, to inquire about current practice of this part of the Mass, and to consider proposals to change its placement within the Mass of the Roman Rite. Antonio Cardinal Canizares Llovera, the prefect of the Congregation, recently sent a letter to the Spanish Bishops Conference describing the decisions of the Congregation. The Cardinal's letter, in Spanish, with a cover letter by Rev. Jose Maria Gil Tamayo, secretary general of the Conference, is attached.

I'll exercise my two semesters of Spanish and summarize, sometimes in my own words, some practical points in the Cardinal's four-page letter:

Para. 5. The Congregation, upon reflection, considers it suitable to keep the rite of peace at its traditional place in the Roman rite, and not introduce structural changes in the Roman Missal. Some practical considerations follow, better to express the content of the sign of peace and to moderate excesses that produce confusion in the congregation immediately prior to Communion.

Para. 6a) Giving the peace correctly among the participants in Mass enriches its significance. It is not necessary to "mechanically" invite the people to give each other the sign of peace. Recall that the rubric of the Missal says: "Then, if appropriate, the Deacon, or the Priest, adds: Let us offer each other the sign of peace".

Para. 6b) The introduction of the third edition of the Roman Missal may be an opportune time to change established practices, if appropriate. For example, in places where people have chosen to offer familiar and secular gestures of greeting, other more appropriate gestures may be substituted.

Para. 6c) It is necessary to avoid abuses such as:
- introducing a "song for peace", which does not exist in the Roman rite
- the faithful moving around to exchange the peace
- the priest leaving the altar to give the peace
- the priest using the sign of peace as an opportunity to express greetings or condolences on special occasions

In addition to these ritual points, the document includes an exhortation that the faithful bring the peace into daily life (lex orandi, lex credendi, and also lex vivendi).

Pope Francis approved and confirmed the circular letter of the Congregation on June 7, 2014.