Two videos of Francis at Loreto, where the Holy House is venerated.
First, the whole Mass Francis celebrated… ad orientem. Take careful note of the dreadful music, with which Italians are regularly afflicted. Mass starts at about 14:00. No concelebration. Refreshing.
And notice how, with the faithful, he deals with people who want – quite properly – to kiss his ring. I can’t figure out how to embed this. HERE
Comment moderation is ON.
UPDATE:
UPDATE:
Allow me to add a note, based on personal experience and common sense.
Consider the experience of a public figure. Everyone wants to shake your hand. Imagine you are, say, a politician, pressing the flesh. In a campaign, the repetitive stress of handshakes is horrendous. Watch how public figures, after a while, tend to offer their hands: they protect them by offering just a few hooked fingers, which is bad enough.
I’ve had a few experiences at conferences where many people want to shake my hand. I’ve gotten it crunched a few dozen times by happy well-wishers. It’s the repetition that causes the problems.
Just a thought as we watch this rather ghastly video. I am not saying that I know for sure that Francis is trying to protect his hand. I think he is trying to keep people from kissing his ring. On the other hand – *cough* – that’s the hand that everyone goes for.
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Wow, he’s really not a fan of that.
At first when I saw the brothers it wasn’t as pronounced, but when he got to some of they lay people, he straight out jerked his hand back.
I mentioned on Twitter a moment ago that what makes the Pope’s action even worse is that he doesn’t discourage the people who “only” want to bow to him.
Having recently stood in that blessed place, it is easy to see why, if one were constrained to say Mass on that altar, it was done ad orientem and without concelebration.
Put quite simply: there is no room for a freestanding altar, and no room on the footpace for concelebrating priests.
Well well…our good and loving mother imposes her benevolent discipline on her son…
RevFrZ –
Can we edit “his ring” to the “Ring of St. Peter (The Vicar of Christ)” or something like that? It would put a finner point on it I think.
There is no “ring of Francis.” He is stopping the faithful from veneration of the Ring, symbol of The Office and The Authority of Peter.
Am I wrong?
Sort of like when our former President of USA always bragged about “his” helicopters and such.
Of course the import here is even far more grave.
This is very distrubing.
And notice how, with the faithful, he deals with people who want – quite properly – to kiss his ring.
Wow. Just… wow.
“All pastors should remember too that by their daily conduct and concern they are revealing the face of the Church to the world, and men will judge the power and truth of the Christian message thereby.” (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 43)
Refusing to let people kiss the papal ring is so strange. Instead of adding to humility, I think it gives the opposite impression. And there is quite a bit violence to the action too which I am sad to see. More and more I just shake my head and wonder what is going on nowadays. Wouldn’t not letting people kiss the papal ring be a form of reverse clericalism?
Thank you Fr for highlighting this. I love Loreto! It’s truly a special place. I will differ about the music though, I don’t see why it’s dreadful.
As for the kissing of the ring, he was allowing it quite willingly but half way through he decidedly doesn’t; the shift seems to occur after 2 guys came down, seemingly, hard and direct to his hand. He then allows it again when he meets the sick.
Vis a vis the kissing of the ring, all I will say it is very strange. I have never seen a pontiff refuse the faithful to kiss the papal ring. The strange has been the norm in the Francis pontificate.
Let me speak in general terms. Humility is a virtue that is for most a very difficult thing. It can be a life long struggle which is never quite obtained. It can often be the case that men, from their vanities, will put on a false air of humility (as well as piety). There are some for show, who desire to kiss a ring of Office, and some for show who desire to prevent others from kissing their ring of Office. Both are false senses of humility.
Humility on the part of an Officeholder requires the acceptance of the burden of the Office — its crushing weight, its trappings, its isolation — for the Office represents the authority of the One Above and any honor directed at the Office holder is rather to Him.
Humility on the part of a subordinate requires due reverence, respect, and obedience to the Officeholder, for the Officeholder represents the authority of the One Above and any honor directed at the Office holder is rather to Him.
The only thing good about both of these videos is the act of celebrating ad orientem. The rest…. a sad commentary on Italian liturgical life. Who wants to be a part of such a poor experience? A smaller Church…we should hope for but also one more inclined toward a better ars celebrandi. As for this Pope…I washed my hands of him a long time ago. Yes, he holds the see of Peter, but I wait in hope for another……
So question. At the end of the Mass, some people managed to kiss the ring. Now I’m really confused! Why did he recoil at it one time and allow it in another???
Populus volunt venerari officium Pontificis Petri. Non volunt venarari Franciscum ipsum. Nescio si Franciscus cogitat quid significat annulae officii. Nescioque si cogitat dignitatem officiorum Episcoporum. Est pro dolor, quia est tantum generatio sacerdotalis Francisci, generatio idiologicae, et quoque generatio quod moriens. Volo et oro pro generationem istam…
I just can’t understand why he would treat the faithful in this way. People just want to show their respect for him and especially for the office that he holds. I know if that happened to me, I would be despairing for a while that I somehow offended the Pope! This is a great excuse to say extra prayers for him, not that we need an excuse.
This is appalling. I need more words. This is beyond the pale. These faithful Catholics are showing respect to the Petrine Office and are doing as Catholics have done for…how long? Certainly hundreds of years. But he can’t allow that, no no, his humility won’t allow it. But it is not about him! It is about the office…those people will perhaps never get another chance to meet a pope. Now their memory of the day is being humiliated by the pope! How awful. But they were not in the wrong, he was. Where’s the mercy?
Perhaps cold and flu season is going pretty strong and this is an effort to prevent catching and or spreading contagions?
I noticed it especially starting at 1:12.
Whatever the reason for it, it looks really, really bad.
I have never seen or heard of a pope doing something so uncharitable.
For many of those people, perhaps the only chance in a lifetime to meet the Roman Pontiff…and he does that.
My thought while watching was, “Here is a man who does not believe what the Church teaches about the Successor of Peter.”
Kyrie, eleison.
What a strange man.
I think they’re reenacting that scene from Disney’s Robin Hood.
LITTLE JOHN (bowing to kiss his ring): And now, your mightiness, allow me to lay some protocol on you…
PRINCE JOHN (violently withdrawing his hand): Oh no, no, forgive me, but I lose more jewels that way, heh heh.
Matthewp said:
So question. At the end of the Mass, some people managed to kiss the ring. Now I’m really confused! Why did he recoil at it one time and allow it in another???
Perhaps the Holy Father realized how rude and disrespectful he was being, and that he was subjecting these good people to embarrassment, and so relented.
“Oimoi,” as the ancient Greeks said. That video of the Pope pulling back his hand was hard to watch.
This was nice to see – not so nice to hear.
Is he holding two hosts at the consecration??
I doot know if it is true, but I once heard that the reason episcopal rings were kissed was because they contained relics and that was a way of venerating them rather than the wearer.
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Where’s the bad lip reading voice over when you need it?!?