How much affection should be displayed during the sign of peace?

[stubby]

Is it appropriate to kiss your spouse or hug someone during the handshake of peace?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Is it approriate to kiss your spouse or hug someone during the handshake of peace?

It’s called the “sign of peace” and the rubrics for the Mass provide:

As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by conferences of bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner (GIRM 82).

The sign of peace is not intended to be a time for engaging in public displays of affection, however chastely those PDAs may be exchanged. It is a ritual moment during the Mass, when, as the GIRM indicates:

… the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the sacrament [of the Eucharist] (ibid).

To hug one’s children, kiss one’s spouse, and then turn and nod and exchange handshakes and peace signs with others, indicates the levels of affection you feel toward others. In other words, you are singling out some people for more lavish displays of affection than others, when the Eucharist is supposed to signify our mutual communion in Christ. While the Church does not explicitly forbid PDAs during the rite of peace, prudence suggests that a “sober” exchange of peace with one’s fellow congregants excludes hugging and kissing family members.