Not Catching The Clap With Pope Benedict The XVI
LIKE you we too have read The Spirit of the Liturgy by the then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
He’s now followed in the footsteps of Bono, Mr G9 and lead singer of U2, and changed his name to something more catchy, namely The Pope. Now his words echo with renewed vigour:
Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.
Clapping is not on. The Pope may command attention, be voted into his post, preach and kiss babies but he is no politician hungry for applause. The transcriptions of his oratory are not peppered with pauses for “APPLAUSE” and a prayed for “OVATION”.
If Catholic were encouraged to clap were, churches may soon feature clapometers.
Points could be awarded for loudness, heartiness (overhead clapping), purity (clapping in time) and the time-honoured happy clap, in which shiny-eyed evangelists clap like macak monkeys in a vivisectionist’s lab.
On the Catholic Exchange website, Mary Anne Moresco wonders:
Having read Cardinal Ratzinger’s words on clapping, I wondered how I could continue to clap at Mass in good conscience. As one who has been to Masses where there was clapping for just about everyone, from musicians, lectors, altar servers and church decorators to priests giving homilies and lay people giving testimonies, I began to wonder why we clap at Mass at all.
It cannot go unmentioned that “clap” is slang for venereal disease, another reason, surely, for Catholics to abstain. Another reason is that churches are dull and often cold and clapping serves to remind the gathered that they alive…
Posted: 23rd, July 2008 | In: Strange But True Comments (11) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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January 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I still don’t understand why everyone keeps using photos of Barry Humphries when they talk about the Pope. weird.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
When you’re not there. Which Fr. Murphy tells me is too often these days
January 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I’ve never clapped at a Mass. Ever. Where and when has this been happening??????
January 28th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Let’s Give It Up For Miku , Obama, Biden and of course Jason Curless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Wow!
Obama would have applauded during Miku’s meeting with Queen Elizabeth II or The Emperor Of Japan, That Would Be Very Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:00 am
what’s so bloody wrong with human achievement all of a sudden…??
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
We have ?
No bugger told me!
You mean all that money spent on tap dancing lessons was wasted ?
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Come on people, you know this is pure jealousy on the Pope’s part. Ever since he got Nul Pointes competing incognito with his rendition of ‘Pretty (Scarlet) Woman’ he’s had it in for we tuneful persons working on our Moscow mambas…
Which reminds me, I must tell Gloria we’ve dropped the tap dancing and inserted the mambo…
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
‘OK, Good People, let’s give it up for Edith Brown, St John the Deeeeeevine and the Phwoaaar of Babylon!’
How’s that
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Phwoaaar!!!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
‘And what are you reading for us tonight Edith?’
‘Tonight Vicar I am going to be reading from Revelation Chapter 17′
‘OK, Good People, let’s give it up for Edith Brown, St John the Deeeeeevine and the Whore of Babylon!’