Devil in Church

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edwcarr11

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The Pastor of my Parish has had a banner depicting the Devil hung in our Sanctuary.
I believe this is a sacrilege of the Sanctuary.
What are the guidelines for permitted displays within a Sanctuary?
Ed
 
more detail needed
I got criticized my first year of teaching CCD because I gave children a holy card depicting St. Michael and the dragon-satan, with the prayer, because I was promoting devil worship, according to one parent.
 
How is the Devil depicted though?

I mean even Michelangelo’s Last Judgment (painted on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel, where I believe there used to be a permanent altar) naturally depicts fallen souls, demons and devils, but in an appropriate context - that of judgement.
 
puzzleannie,sounds like that parent could use a little more education and should be sitting next to the child in your class.😉
 
I mean even Michelangelo’s Last Judgment (painted on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel, where I believe there used to be a permanent altar)

It’s still there. Not too long ago, the Pope celebrated at that altar in the ordinary form facing east.
 
LilyM said:
How is the Devil depicted though?

I mean even Michelangelo’s Last Judgment (painted on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel, where I believe there used to be a permanent altar) naturally depicts fallen souls, demons and devils, but in an appropriate context - that of judgement.
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:rotfl:

“used to be a permanent…”? Sorry. That juxtaposition struck me as rather funny. :o

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program.
 
edwcarr11 said:
The Pastor of my Parish has had a banner depicting the Devil hung in our Sanctuary.
I believe this is a sacrilege of the Sanctuary.
What are the guidelines for permitted displays within a Sanctuary?
Ed
Click to expand...
What is the devil doing? Is it a part of a scene? What is the context of the banner? Is it just the devil hanging there? Have you asked your pastor about it? And when you find out, please let us know–I am curious:D
 
edwcarr11 said:
The Pastor of my Parish has had a banner depicting the Devil hung in our Sanctuary.
I believe this is a sacrilege of the Sanctuary.
What are the guidelines for permitted displays within a Sanctuary?
Ed
Click to expand...
It sounds inappropriate. Perhaps sending a photograph to the bishop may be way to get this rectified.
I am not aware of a specific instruction forbidding it. But this guidance may be helpful.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“318. … Thus, images of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints, in accordance with the Church’s most ancient tradition, should be displayed for veneration by the faithful in sacred building and should be arranged so as to usher the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated there. For this reason, care should be taken that their number not be increased indiscriminately, and that they be arranged in proper order so as not to distract the faithful’s attention from the celebration itself.”

An image of a saint can be distracting. How much more an image of the devil in the sanctuary.
 
puzzleannie said:
more detail needed
I got criticized my first year of teaching CCD because I gave children a holy card depicting St. Michael and the dragon-satan, with the prayer, because I was promoting devil worship, according to one parent.
Click to expand...
Uggh…somthing tells me that parent was a fellow Gen-Xer of mine…arghh we recieved such HORRIBLE catechesis…thanks to the mess that happened the first decade and a half after VII…and thanks to the boomers…ooops sorry there I go again…
 
John_Lilburne said:
It sounds inappropriate. Perhaps sending a photograph to the bishop may be way to get this rectified.
I am not aware of a specific instruction forbidding it. But this guidance may be helpful.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“318. … Thus, images of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Saints, in accordance with the Church’s most ancient tradition, should be displayed for veneration by the faithful in sacred building and should be arranged so as to usher the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated there. For this reason, care should be taken that their number not be increased indiscriminately, and that they be arranged in proper order so as not to distract the faithful’s attention from the celebration itself.”

An image of a saint can be distracting. How much more an image of the devil in the sanctuary.
Click to expand...
 
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edwcarr11:
John Lilburne, THANK YOU for your response, you have provided me with some guidance ie: the reference to “2002General Instruction of the Roman Missal”.
I have written to my Bishop but did not include a picture, I did not want to side track my concern to ones reaction to the art or lack there of.
The question is “what is proper within the Sanctuary” I wanted to focus on that element.
Again thank you - John.
Ed
 
John_Lilburne said:
An image of a saint can be distracting. How much more an image of the devil in the sanctuary.
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I do not like the concept but maybe for that parish it is the right place where to keep the image of the devil. We should remember that a lot of Catholics do not have a clear understanding (or any at all) of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a grace giving medium to keep souls away from hell. Maybe that is the right image to keep reminding the congregation why we have a Mass. I am afraid that a lot of Catholics do not believe in either the devil or hell.
 
I guess we are not going to hear what the picture in question actually portrays
 
I would like to see a picture of this banner. What exactly is being discussed here?
 
So would I. Depending on how the devil is depicted, it may or may not be proper.
 
The gargoyles on old European churches are depictions of demons fleeing from the presence of God within the church. So, if the banner shows this, it could be appropriate. Please post a picture of the banner for us. Maybe it’s just a really homely angel??😃
 
love4mary said:
puzzleannie,sounds like that parent could use a little more education and should be sitting next to the child in your class.😉
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Amen to that! My father-in-law did the sculpture of Saint Michael battling Satan for the Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero. It’s one of my favorite pieces. It reminds us, after all, who wins the fight in the end.

hillstream.com/GZ_sculpture.html
 
edwcarr11 said:
The Pastor of my Parish has had a banner depicting the Devil hung in our Sanctuary.
I believe this is a sacrilege of the Sanctuary.
What are the guidelines for permitted displays within a Sanctuary?
Ed
Click to expand...
Hi Ed!

Just a suggestion: Google images of satan and you may well find the image you speak of. It would be great if you can post it here. Here are a few examples I have found:



http://www.tcnj.edu/~linck2/Images/Satan.jpg



Context and the actual image displayed is imperative to providing (name removed by moderator)ut on whether the image is allowable or not.

Peace be with you,

Kelly
 
Claire_from_DE said:
The gargoyles on old European churches are depictions of demons fleeing from the presence of God within the church. So, if the banner shows this, it could be appropriate. Please post a picture of the banner for us. Maybe it’s just a really homely angel??😃
Click to expand...
Yes, but they were only on the outside.

However, there are some works of art, like the “Last Judgment” at the Cathedral in Strasbourg France, which depicts, among other things, demons. And that is inside the Church in the nave near the front. It is an absolutely beautiful work. (I saw it on a business trip in 2001, long before my conversion from Atheism.)

The key is that the demons are depicted in the context of suffering in Hell, tormenting the damned or tempting the innocent. They are not depicted by themselves like some giant baseball card.
 
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