The head of the conservative Roman Catholic movement Opus Dei suggested Thursday that the church consider not giving out Holy Communion during huge Masses because it cannot be done 'in a dignified way.'
Monsignor Javier Echevarria Rodriguez also criticized Masses that have what he called an excessive number of priests celebrating together, saying it can confuse the faithful and diminish the link between the priest and the altar.
His comments to the Synod of Bishops, the Oct. 2-23 meeting of the world's bishops, appeared to be an indirect criticism of the enormous outdoor Masses favored by the late Pope John Paul II.
During those Masses _ held at the Vatican, during World Youth Day events and during John Paul's many world travels _ tens of thousands of people would line up to receive Communion and dozens, sometimes hundreds, of priests would concelebrate.
One of the largest such gatherings at the Vatican occurred in 2002, when the Opus Dei founder, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, was canonized. During that Mass in St. Peter's Square, priests walked down as far as the River Tiber to distribute Communion to the estimated 300,000 people attending.
Echevarria said he asked himself whether such large Masses were being celebrated correctly, and he also said Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, expressed a similar question in his book 'Look at the Crucifix.'
Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment