Kissing Archbishop's Ring

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This question was actually posted and answered (although very inadequately) on the “Ask an Apologist” Forum. So I will try to ask it here…

My wife & I will be attending a Mass presided by our archbishop this coming Sunday. Is it still proper to kneel on one’s left knee, greet the archbishop by “His Excellency” and kiss his ring?

Also, is there a partial indulgence for this? This is certainly not my motivation, but the question stands…

Harsalter
 
Harsalter said:
This question was actually posted and answered (although very inadequately) on the “Ask an Apologist” Forum. So I will try to ask it here…

My wife & I will be attending a Mass presided by our archbishop this coming Sunday. Is it still proper to kneel on one’s left knee, greet the archbishop by “His Excellency” and kiss his ring?
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Yes, it most certainly is still proper to do that. 🙂 An archbishop may also be addressed as “Your Grace.”
Harsalter said:
Also, is there a partial indulgence for this? This is certainly not my motivation, but the question stands…
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If there is, I’m not aware of it. Perhaps someone else will be able to help with that.
 
I have been to plenty of masses and meeting where bishops, archbishops and cardinals have been present and except for a few nuns (they were from Poland) I have never seen anyone kiss a ring or genuflect before the bishop or archbishop or cardinal. Whenever I am introduced to one I shake his hand and call him Bishop … or Cardinal … I think it is best to do what you see everyone else doing. If you see others kissing his ring and genuflecting then do so…but if not, then you may just be bringing attention to yourself. Some bishops are a bit uncomfortable with this sign of courtly reverence.
 
Thanks Malphono.

Our priest said our archbishop expects it. It’s everyone else that greets him and fails to do it that is ignorant and not educated in their own faith.

I do not want to bring attention to myself as Joannm suggested. But if I can respect and honor the succession of bishops by kissing the ring, I certainly want to.

When I was brought into the Church several years ago with a different archbishop, the catechumens in our parish were told by our parish priest at the Rite of Election to do this, so we did including our priest.

But this time, I’ll be on my own without our conservative and thoughtful priest. I suppose I just answered my own question, as it would be only pride to keep me from doing what is right.
 
Harsalter said:
This question was actually posted and answered (although very inadequately) on the “Ask an Apologist” Forum. So I will try to ask it here…

My wife & I will be attending a Mass presided by our archbishop this coming Sunday. Is it still proper to kneel on one’s left knee, greet the archbishop by “His Excellency” and kiss his ring?

Also, is there a partial indulgence for this? This is certainly not my motivation, but the question stands…

Harsalter
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Back home, I would do the genuflection, etc. Here I just kiss the ring, because that’s already quite over-the-top, given what everyone else does - genuflecting would just be a bit *too *much. And technically, the new norms do call for a profound bow, so…

It always throws me off, if bishops ask not to be called “Excellency”. I perpetually forget and fumble. “Yes, Excellency…I mean, my Lo…I mean, Father…”. I haven’t yet got used to “Bishop” - it still sounds a bit strange to me - and I dislike using their first names.
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Last I saw him, I kissed my bishop’s ring. I think he liked that, he said, “Thank you”. It’s just a sign of respect. 🙂 What difference what everyone else does? You do what’s right.
 
In this area, Southern California, I have only seen the Hispanics doing it. The bishops in this area discourage it.
 
In Traditional Latin Catholicism is it the custom of the faithful to kiss the priest’s hand, too?

In Christ,
Andrew
 
Harsalter said:
This question was actually posted and answered (although very inadequately) on the “Ask an Apologist” Forum. So I will try to ask it here…

My wife & I will be attending a Mass presided by our archbishop this coming Sunday. Is it still proper to kneel on one’s left knee, greet the archbishop by “His Excellency” and kiss his ring?

Also, is there a partial indulgence for this? This is certainly not my motivation, but the question stands…

Harsalter
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I did this recently, the archbishop was a little shocked, but he didn’t mind or anything… I was just giving my respect to the authority of his office. though, I didn’t get to kiss his ring or anything… he didn’t really extend his hand but to shake mine.
 
Yeah, I caught that while I was ironing yesterday. Pretty good show. 🙂
 
Harpazo said:
In Traditional Latin Catholicism is it the custom of the faithful to kiss the priest’s hand, too?

In Christ,
Andrew
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Andrew,

I have always kissed the hand of a priest upon greeting them. I take their hand as if to shake it and then kiss the hand. It is proper and, IMHO, teaches a good example to younger folks.

The kiss itself, whether it is the hand of a priest, the Bishop’s ring, or kissing the hand of a priest during a Solemn High or Missa Cantata, is not really a proper kiss (as you might kiss your daughter’s cheek) It is rather just a momentary touching of your lips to the hand, ring, or object you are taking from a priest during a ceremony.

Hope that helps.
 
Some years back one of the Auxiliary Bishops in Los Angeles was quite insitant on having his rind kissed. Until the day a small child bit his finger quite severely. After a month or more of saying mass with a very conspicuously bandaged finger He gave up on the kissing. 😃
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Some years back one of the Auxiliary Bishops in Los Angeles was quite insitant on having his rind kissed. Until the day a small child bit his finger quite severely. After a month or more of saying mass with a very conspicuously bandaged finger He gave up on the kissing. 😃
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Being in L.A., there may have been a reason for that biting. 🤷

Don’t you guys have that Cardinal that EWTN criticizes all the time? Or is that Cardinal from somewhere else on the liberal-left coast?:confused:

BUT seriously, this subject has nothing to do with a specific bishop, but respect & honor for the succession of bishops, and if Catholics are doing or not what they should be. But of course, a lot of Catholics don’t even vote their faith, why would they lower themselves to kiss and honor the succession of bishops? :eek:
 
giuseppeTO said:
Andrew,

I have always kissed the hand of a priest upon greeting them. I take their hand as if to shake it and then kiss the hand. It is proper and, IMHO, teaches a good example to younger folks.

The kiss itself, whether it is the hand of a priest, the Bishop’s ring, or kissing the hand of a priest during a Solemn High or Missa Cantata, is not really a proper kiss (as you might kiss your daughter’s cheek) It is rather just a momentary touching of your lips to the hand, ring, or object you are taking from a priest during a ceremony.

Hope that helps.
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Oh, I have no problem with it. We do it all the time. At my parish we kiss the priest’s hand when he personally blesses us. I’m glad to hear that some Catholics still have this pious practice. 👍

In Christ,
Andrew
 
I’m also familiar with kissing the hands of the priest, yes by Hispanics, especially after Mass when Father chats with us. I find it a nice sign of respect. As for the ring-kissing, I’ve heard of some being rebuffed by those who don’t feel comfortable with it. I’d admit it’d hurt if that happened to me; in trying to show reverence for the successor of the Apostles — like a parent turning away.
 
Many years back Cardinal Cushing was dedicating our new parish church, shortly after he became a Cardinal. My wife was playing the organ and leading the choir.

She had practiced up: genuflect on the left knee, kiss his ring, address him as Your Eminence.

She was in the middle of a difficult passage on the organ when someone brought the Cardinal up to the choir loft to introduce him. She pivoted on the organ bench, shook his hand, and said “Good afternoon Father.” He laughed.

He had his own special Cardinal robes. They were coral rather than scarlet and quite beautiful. Later in conversation we commented on them. He said that those Italian fellows had a rig for their pant legs [gaiters I think], but he couldn’t figure them out. He pulled up his cassock to show us how he did it. He had wrapped the cuffs around his pants around his legs and pulled his socks up over them. 😃
 
When I was in Kosovo when Archbishop O’Brien visited and celebrated the Vigil Mass for Christmas, I greeted him with a genuflection on my left knee with a kiss on the ring and a “your excellency”. I probably was the only person do this, and most Soliders called him sir :mad:

He visited the troops and had lunch with them, when I came into the room I greeted him first. My commander was there and I jokingly said to him, " I needed to greet the senior ranking member first".
 
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