Position of altar in one of the Holy Father’s chapels

Posted on 17 February 2008 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Over at NLM we find a photo taken during the Lenten exercises for the Holy Father and curia.

The altar in the Redemptoris Mater sure seems awfully close to that wall, doesn’t it?

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5 Responses to Position of altar in one of the Holy Father’s chapels

  1. Arieh says:
    17 February 2008 at 9:26 AM

    And there is a crucifix on the other side of the altar, necessitating ad orientem.

  2. Derik Castillo says:
    17 February 2008 at 12:41 PM

    I like it when the Holy Father preaches
    by example.

  3. Jonathan Bennett says:
    17 February 2008 at 12:50 PM

    The article that accompanies this photograph also says that the step before the Altar is too narrow for Mass to be celebrated Ad Orientem and that most of the Masses celebrated there are large concelebrations.

    Though this is not the Holy Father’s private chapel. We know for a fact that he celebrates his own private Masses in Latin and Ad Orientem, which a few months ago led to some speculation that he was using the 1962 Missal.

    I am curious about something though. Is it not true that at one time the Pope’s daily Masses were celebrated for the Pontifical household in the Sistine Chapel? I would think that would be a much more suitable venue then the more modern-looking chapels in the Apostolic Palace that came out of the reigns of Paul VI and John Paul II.

  4. Mark says:
    17 February 2008 at 2:50 PM

    NLM has a nice piece on this, it is a few days old and about 1/3 the way down the page. They show a slow progression in the setup of this chapel over the last few years.

  5. danphunter1 says:
    17 February 2008 at 4:33 PM

    Has anyone heard when His Holiness will be offering the Tridentine mass in public?