Empty Alter

[dominosNbiscuts]

It has been reported - by a less than reputable source I might add - that “a pope never says Mass with the Blessed Sacrament present in the tabernacle on the altar? During a Papal Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is moved to a side tabernacle. This is because, as strange as it sounds, God Almighty is giving a reverence to a human being, His Vicar, and God wills not to compete for the attention given His Vicar.”

Then I happened to notice while watching a Papal Mass in EWTN the other night that the main altar was inded absent it’s tabernacle.

Is this true?

 

[OhioBob]

I have no idea whether there is a tabernacle on the high altar at a Papal mass or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there weren’t. It isn’t required to be as long as it is in a place of secure reverence. In the case of the outdoor Papal Mass venues, I wouldn’t expect the tabernacle to be on the altar.

The rationale you suggest sounds a bit unusual to me. I haven’t heard such an explanation before.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

dominosNbiscuts:

It has been reported - by a less than reputable source I might add - that “a pope never says Mass with the Blessed Sacrament present in the tabernacle on the altar? During a Papal Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is moved to a side tabernacle. This is because, as strange as it sounds, God Almighty is giving a reverence to a human being, His Vicar, and God wills not to compete for the attention given His Vicar.”

Then I happened to notice while watching a Papal Mass in EWTN the other night that the main altar was inded absent it’s tabernacle.

Is this true?

“Then I happened to notice while watching a Papal Mass in EWTN the other night that the main altar was inded absent it’s tabernacle.”

A tabernacle is usually not something that is eaisly moved or re-moved?

It is true that he rules state that the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament is not to be present on the altar where the Sacrifice of the Mass is taking place. It can be in the center of an altar directly behind the altar where Mass is being celebrated.

 

[Detroit_Sue]

Did the rationale come from:

a. Bob Jones?
b. Jack Chick?
c. Jack van Impe?
d. Any number of fundamentalists "ministers’ who know nothing about Catholicism?

 

[mercygate]

dominosNbiscuts:

It has been reported - by a less than reputable source I might add - that “a pope never says Mass with the Blessed Sacrament present in the tabernacle on the altar? During a Papal Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is moved to a side tabernacle. This is because, as strange as it sounds, God Almighty is giving a reverence to a human being, His Vicar, and God wills not to compete for the attention given His Vicar.”

Then I happened to notice while watching a Papal Mass in EWTN the other night that the main altar was inded absent it’s tabernacle.

Is this true?

“less than reputable source?” Though one could argue that God does “give reverence” to human beings – by loving us so much that he sent his Son to redeem us.