Non-Catholics attending Mass; Catholics attending non-Catholic services

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What are our rules regarding having non-Catholics attend Mass? This is an inevitable problem with Weddings and Funerals. For example, do we expect protestants and non-Christians to kneel, stand, etc.?

I would guess that they’re free to just not participate; I know I wouldn’t want to be forced to follow the rituals of a religion I don’t believe in. I’m happy to do it with Orthodox Churches, and perhaps joining in prayer when protestants preside, but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t bow down to Mecca.

I once had to take a class in Buddhism, and the professor took us to a Buddhist temple. She told us to bow to the statue of the Buddha as we took our seats. I refused to. I mean, I didn’t make a big stink about it, but I just discreetly said that I can’t do that, and without bowing took my seat respectful of the other people there, but not in any reverence for the Buddha. It was particularly revolting because it was a Catholic university. She later said that it is a custom, like shaking hands; but whatever they say, I don’t care, I’m really just not gonna do it.

Since I wouldn’t do those things, I can’t imagine prescribing them to participate in our rituals. I don’t think it pleases God to have people who don’t believe in Him kneel down at Eucharist. Kneeling should be the outward physical action of the heart’s devotion; if the heart doesn’t feel it, the body shouldn’t budge.

But then this would seem to create a liturgical distraction. If, for example, in a Mass, a group of people were to remain seated, it would be distracting to the faithful and it would put them under the impression that there are people who came to the Mass just to be rude.

It could also cause problems when the faithful kneel but their views are obstructed by people who are standing or sitting.

I suppose a solution would be to keep non-Christians seated in a particular section of the church, so that their non-participation would not be a distraction. But it doesn’t seem like this ever happens. Among other reasons, that would also make the Catholic Church, in the minds of many, look uncharitable toward outsiders – something that the post-Conciliar Church won’t prepetuate. We really just can’t tell them to “sit over there.”

What are the solutions to these cases? Are there any customs out there that have dealt with this?
 
JesuXPIPassio said:
What are our rules regarding having non-Catholics attend Mass? This is an inevitable problem with Weddings and Funerals. For example, do we expect protestants and non-Christians to kneel, stand, etc.?

I would guess that they’re free to just not participate; I know I wouldn’t want to be forced to follow the rituals of a religion I don’t believe in. I’m happy to do it with Orthodox Churches, and perhaps joining in prayer when protestants preside, but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t bow down to Mecca.

I once had to take a class in Buddhism, and the professor took us to a Buddhist temple. She told us to bow to the statue of the Buddha as we took our seats. I refused to. I mean, I didn’t make a big stink about it, but I just discreetly said that I can’t do that, and without bowing took my seat respectful of the other people there, but not in any reverence for the Buddha. It was particularly revolting because it was a Catholic university. She later said that it is a custom, like shaking hands; but whatever they say, I don’t care, I’m really just not gonna do it.

Since I wouldn’t do those things, I can’t imagine prescribing them to participate in our rituals. I don’t think it pleases God to have people who don’t believe in Him kneel down at Eucharist. Kneeling should be the outward physical action of the heart’s devotion; if the heart doesn’t feel it, the body shouldn’t budge.

But then this would seem to create a liturgical distraction. If, for example, in a Mass, a group of people were to remain seated, it would be distracting to the faithful and it would put them under the impression that there are people who came to the Mass just to be rude.

It could also cause problems when the faithful kneel but their views are obstructed by people who are standing or sitting.

I suppose a solution would be to keep non-Christians seated in a particular section of the church, so that their non-participation would not be a distraction. But it doesn’t seem like this ever happens. Among other reasons, that would also make the Catholic Church, in the minds of many, look uncharitable toward outsiders – something that the post-Conciliar Church won’t prepetuate. We really just can’t tell them to “sit over there.”

What are the solutions to these cases? Are there any customs out there that have dealt with this?
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Only Catholics are expected to obey the GIRM in regard to posture, responses, etc. I have attended Mass with protestant friends and relatives. Some participate fully (except at communion) and some decline and respectfully skip on kneeling and the sign of the cross. We are to be welcoming and respectful, all the while thanking God that they are in our company. To tell them that they MUST do what we do would be equal to a slap in the face, unChristian and would be a clear message that they were unwanted at our Mass (which isn’t the case). Segregation would be horrible in my opinion and frankly makes me quite sad to think of.

Peace
 
I am new to this forum and have been learning and examining the Catholic Religion for the past few months because our family has made friends with a young man who has grown up in the Catholic faith. That said, I thought I might let you in on the “other side” of what it is like to attend Catholic Mass as a non-Catholic who has grown up on the protestant church and devotes my daily life to prayer and participation in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My 15 year old daughter and I attended mass with this young man last fall on All Saint’s Day. His mother stated he “had to go” so he obediently did as his mother said. She however was not available to take him to Mass so I volunteered to take him. He was dating my daughter at the time and had invited her to go as well. We went to Mass together and all was well until it came time for the Holy Eucharist. He of course went forward to take the Eucharist and appropriately instructed my daughter to stay in the pew. (I already knew not to take the Eucharist because I attended Mass on Wed. nights with a friend during college.) Then came a time when the people in attendance held hands and raised them up during song. He would not hold our hands and he did not raise them up either. By now my daughter is feeling extremely rejected and confused. The Priest then led the people in a Rosary prayer and my daughter said she would have run out crying had I not been there. I say these things so you who have grown up Catholic can understand how odd Mass can seem to first timers. My daughter said it seemed like everyone was in a trance and that they were reciting things like robots. She said the service was cult-like and she was very scared. I just feel the Catholic faithful need to have more grace when it comes to people who have never been to Catholic Mass. There are so many rules it is overwhelming. I somehow think sometimes these rules hide the love of Christ. Just a thought.
 
You were right not to bow to false idols, really a Catholic should avoid attendance at all non-Catholic services.

In the early Church, non-Catholics and Catachumens actually had to stand in the back of the church (seats did not exist in churches yet so everyone stood anyways) and leave before the Eucharistic anaphora started. Not very practical for today, there are ways of attending a Catholic Mass respectfully without performing most of the gestures if a person feels they can not do them for some reason.

I am sorry to hear the story about your daughter, perhaps she would have been better prepared though if her boyfriend or you had given her some background information first before attending. It can be a big shock to some people who have not grown up in a liturgical tradition, but its not something we are going to change just appeal more. Most converts today find a lot to like in Liturgical worship and the rich , deep symbolism found in it. Her boyfriend was also right not to hold hands. The reception of the Eucharist, Christ’s body and blood, is supposed to be the defining moment of communion within the liturigy. Hand holding breaks this. Someone who does not realize the significance of the Eucharist will see the hand holding as the apex of communal worship within the Mass, hence why your daughter’s boyfriend was right to refuse such a practice. I have attended and seen some protestant services (regretebly) where I could make similar accusations of cult-like atmosphere , but for different reasons of course. That is just something for you to consider.
 
Pokedaughter said:
Then came a time when the people in attendance held hands and raised them up during song. He would not hold our hands and he did not raise them up either.
(…)
There are so many rules it is overwhelming. I somehow think sometimes these rules hide the love of Christ. Just a thought.
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Actually, strictly speaking, nobody should have been holding hands at all. In the US, the do at the Our Father, but you’ll find that this has only become practised by Americans and countries overly influenced by the US. In Europe, holding hands at the Our Father is not the norm. The rules regarding the liturgy actually do not prescribe holding hands – the rules only tell us to lift them.

As for why the boy didn’t hold hands, perhaps it was just because he knew the actual rules and followed them. I also don’t hold hands with the people next to me, unless if they raise their hand next to mine, and out of politeness, I don’t refuse.

The wonderful thing about the Our Father, of course, is that it’s a prayer in which all Christians, and even perhaps non-Christian believers in God, can partake. The Our Father is not something that should separate Christians, as it did in your story; rather, it is a beautiful unifying feature instituted by God Himself.

But, you are right that the rules can be obstructive sometimes. The real problem is that we have so many rules but most Catholics don’t know why we havs those rules.

One example is when we have the feast of the birth of Saint John the Baptist. It’s done six months away from Christmas. Churchgoers generally have no idea why; even the most devout don’t know that this date was chosen for a reason.

As Christmas is on the Winter Solstace, the period six months later would be the Summer Solstace, right? After the Winter Solstace, days get longer; after the Summer Solstace, days get shorter. The feast of John the Baptist is put after the Summer Solstace to relate to the passage in the Bible where he says “So that You may increase and I may decrease.” The feast of the birth of Jesus increases the days; the feast of the birth of the Baptist decreases the days. It’s a wonderful meditation, and it has great meaning once you know it.

But of course, most people don’t know it. That’s the problem. The problem isn’t the rules or the rulemakers; the problem is that the people don’t know why the rules are how they are. Even if a Catholic wanted to find out the reasoning behind the rules, he or she would have a hard time figuring out where to look.

There’s a good book by John Allen called All the Pope’s Men. It covers some Vatican rules and explains them for an American public. Maybe you might want to take a look at it some time. In one part, he mentions how a recent Vatican document reminded Catholics that only ordained clergy may wear vestments at Mass. An American would look at it and be, like, “That’s just the Vatican trying to assert power again.” But the real reasoning behind it is that happens in places in Africa; it’s a problem because non-clerics wear vestments and then are confused for real clergy, and you can imagine that must cause a lot of problems.

So, the rules are all there for reasons, very good reasons. They are very Christocentric and are not meant to hinder faith at all. It’s just that they aren’t easy to figure out. If there is a need for reform, it isn’t in reforming the rules – it’s in reforming how people understand it. I for one think there should be a greater effort to get the message out and around, but God knows the Church tries. The Pope speaks every Wednesday, and those messages usually give historical explanations for things, but the problem is that the regular person either doesn’t listen or doesn’t have the chance to hear it.
 
There is a difference between a Christian attending a non Christian service, and a non Catholic Christian attending a Catholic Mass. My daughter was recently married to a wonderful cradle Catholic. My daughter and I are the only two Catholics in our family. My daughter and son-in-law created a wonderful program and printed it out–it included the texts of the Readings as well as the Order of the Mass, so that any non Catholic would know when to stand, sit, kneel, etc… Most Protestants we know understand that as Catholics we love Jesus just as they do, and they, in turn, show their love for us and for Jesus by being respectful of our rubrics. 😃
 
Pokedaughter said:
I am new to this forum and have been learning and examining the Catholic Religion for the past few months because our family has made friends with a young man who has grown up in the Catholic faith. That said, I thought I might let you in on the “other side” of what it is like to attend Catholic Mass as a non-Catholic who has grown up on the protestant church and devotes my daily life to prayer and participation in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My 15 year old daughter and I attended mass with this young man last fall on All Saint’s Day. His mother stated he “had to go” so he obediently did as his mother said. She however was not available to take him to Mass so I volunteered to take him. He was dating my daughter at the time and had invited her to go as well. We went to Mass together and all was well until it came time for the Holy Eucharist. He of course went forward to take the Eucharist and appropriately instructed my daughter to stay in the pew. (I already knew not to take the Eucharist because I attended Mass on Wed. nights with a friend during college.) Then came a time when the people in attendance held hands and raised them up during song. He would not hold our hands and he did not raise them up either. By now my daughter is feeling extremely rejected and confused. The Priest then led the people in a Rosary prayer and my daughter said she would have run out crying had I not been there. I say these things so you who have grown up Catholic can understand how odd Mass can seem to first timers. My daughter said it seemed like everyone was in a trance and that they were reciting things like robots. She said the service was cult-like and she was very scared. I just feel the Catholic faithful need to have more grace when it comes to people who have never been to Catholic Mass. There are so many rules it is overwhelming. I somehow think sometimes these rules hide the love of Christ. Just a thought.
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Hello! 🙂

I just wanted to drop a note to you that this indeed works both ways. My husband’s family is Methodist and when we were dating, I attended many services with their family as well. As a cradle Catholic, I had my own impressions that made quite a mark. Please do know that I attended services at three different churches with them over the years in three different areas of our state.
  • I was quite upset that there appeared to me very little reverence for the house of the Lord. I could not believe how loud people were before, during and after the service
  • I was always greeted (nice) but on many different occasions was introduced during the service and was asked to stand up in front of everyone. Once I was introduced as my future husband’s brother by an 80 year old nearly-deaf minister (I had short hair at the time).
  • I found that at each service, the thrust seemed to be to get toward the fellowship, coffee and cookies following the service
  • I was surprised at the lack of importance placed on communion. I can think of no reason other than for worship to be contrary to Catholics/Orthodox as much as possible.
  • I did not feel the presence of the Lord in the building, but always the presence of a lot of people dressed up and anxious to socialize.
  • One church had back pews roped off so that people could only sit toward the front. The sound system functioned well and I thought God was omnipresent…:rolleyes:
    These are just my personal impressions and let me say that I was so OVERLY ‘welcomed’ to all of the services, I just wanted to disappear. My personal favorite was when my (future) husband went to services after being away from the church for some time and the minister asked him to stand and made a point that it had been quite some time since he had last seen him.
Peace be with you.
 
Thank you for your responses. And yes the hand holding did occur during the beautiful singing of Our Father which is probably the most worshipful time for me personally and yet my daughter and I both felt complete rejection when everyone was holding hands and yes, raising them as a congregation, and we were refused the opportunity to worship our Father with His church. That is so not what Jesus and the love of God is about. I did not feel this way when I went to Mass in college. It seems that the Catholic followers in this day and age, especially in my community, are very exclusionary socially and spiritually when it comes to people not of the same faith. I did/do not feel rejected by the ministers of the Catholic faith, only the lay people of the Catholic faith. If that makes any sense. And I did tell my daughter what to expect but she was still very frightened by everything. I just wish it was more simple to love each other and welcome each other and except one another. And that goes for all faiths. Christ welcomed all, He dined with the lowest of citizens, and He never made anyone feel rejected. We are a sad people to cover His love with a bunch of man made rules. I know He is ashamed of us. We should be “open doors” for others to come to know Him and live in His freedom of abundant joy. To be able to sit at the feet of our Lord and radiate the warmth of His glory to all. Oh well, this will not change. It can only happen in the hearts of us as individuals. I pray God’s blessings on all of you who pass by this thread. I pray God’s peace and protection on you. And I pray God’s truth will light the paths of your hearts, minds, and lives. Blessings friends. And love to you all. : )
 
Like i said, you shouldn’t feel upset about not being able to hold hands during the Our Father considering that action is a liturgical abuse and is contradictory to the theology of the Mass. We do not beleive our rules are man made, but guided by the Holy Ghost. Its a little insulting to have our rituals ridiculed as mere man made rules.
 
I am sorry that I have offended you. That was not my intent.
 
In Pokedaugher’s defense, perhaps the problem wasn’t so much that the Catholic who was with her would not hold her and her daughters hands, but that everybody else was participating in it and they felt it was a personal rejection. A non-Catholic doesn’t necessarily know that hand-holding isn’t appropriate, especially if the rest of the congregation is participating.
 
Pokedaughter said:
Thank you for your responses. And yes the hand holding did occur during the beautiful singing of Our Father which is probably the most worshipful time for me personally and yet my daughter and I both felt complete rejection when everyone was holding hands and yes, raising them as a congregation, and we were refused the opportunity to worship our Father with His church. That is so not what Jesus and the love of God is about. I did not feel this way when I went to Mass in college. It seems that the Catholic followers in this day and age, especially in my community, are very exclusionary socially and spiritually when it comes to people not of the same faith. I did/do not feel rejected by the ministers of the Catholic faith, only the lay people of the Catholic faith. If that makes any sense. And I did tell my daughter what to expect but she was still very frightened by everything. I just wish it was more simple to love each other and welcome each other and except one another. And that goes for all faiths. Christ welcomed all, He dined with the lowest of citizens, and He never made anyone feel rejected. We are a sad people to cover His love with a bunch of man made rules. I know He is ashamed of us. We should be “open doors” for others to come to know Him and live in His freedom of abundant joy. To be able to sit at the feet of our Lord and radiate the warmth of His glory to all. Oh well, this will not change. It can only happen in the hearts of us as individuals. I pray God’s blessings on all of you who pass by this thread. I pray God’s peace and protection on you. And I pray God’s truth will light the paths of your hearts, minds, and lives. Blessings friends. And love to you all. : )
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Thank you for your posts. It’s awesome to read your perspective, and gives me something to be aware of at Mass. You’re right. We need to be aware of all who are attending Mass, and make them feel like part of the Body of Christ, even if they’re not Catholic. We all love and follow Jesus. I pray that He blesses you abundantly.
 
I agree that we need to be more tolerant and accommodating of non-Catholics in our midst. They ARE our “separated” brothers and sisters through Baptism. Look in The Music Issue at the Methodist hymn “The Churches One Foundation”. There is nothing there that we do not share with our Methodist brethren,
and incidentally, as a Methodist, I grew up believing that Christ was truly present in the Eucharist, though I have a much fuller understanding of that grace now.

I disagree totally with the idea that the boy friend should not have held hands during with his guests during the Our Father. This, like baptism is not a Catholic “private possession”. this is one point at which we are united-- rejoice in it!
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As to the objection to anyone holding hands, I admit when I first attended mass (before I joined the church), I felt it a bit of an intrusion to “my” prayer. Then I was called to active duty and was in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia, with a group of East coast Catholics, that did not generally share this practice. I was so alone, so in need of a human touch, I tried desperately to sit/stand next to one of the few that would hold my hand and pray with me, OUR Father. I had missed the point when I thought it an intrusion into my private prayer to God (a common Protestant error, I believe). I also now realize that most Catholic prayers are in the first person plural–eg. alone we pray over our food, “Bless US and these…”

After I returned home, I noticed that often times in mass some “little elderly lady or man” would almost jump across a pew in order to hold hands during our prayer. I realized that this was probably the only human touch they had had all week. Give them this gift.

The parish I am in now has both English and Spanish masses. On certain special days we have a bilingual mass. I was almost brought to tears by the closeness of holding hands with a person praying in Spanish while I was praying in English-- it was truly OUR prayer. So if this is a custom of the American church, and you find it offensive, I suggest in love, that you sit in an empty pew to be alone with God, and cut off from the community.

For you cradle Catholics, remember that “communion” and “community” come from the same root. We should not change our liturgy for visitors but we should try to help them feel welcome into our community of faith. When I realize that I have a non-Catholic next to me in mass, I hand them a missal or music book and point out where we are. I keep track of them, and when we make one of those confusing big jumps in the missal, I trade with them again. I have never failed to receive a grateful “thanks” after mass. Sometimes, I have received some sincere questions, and had a chance to witness for the faith.

Pax te cum, to my fellow Catholics. Peace brother, to any non-Catholic readers.
 
JA_Hansen said:
I agree that we need to be more tolerant and accommodating of non-Catholics in our midst. They ARE our “separated” brothers and sisters through Baptism. Look in The Music Issue at the Methodist hymn “The Churches One Foundation”. There is nothing there that we do not share with our Methodist brethren,
and incidentally, as a Methodist, I grew up believing that Christ was truly present in the Eucharist, though I have a much fuller understanding of that grace now.

I disagree totally with the idea that the boy friend should not have held hands during with his guests during the Our Father. This, like baptism is not a Catholic “private possession”. this is one point at which we are united-- rejoice in it!
.
As to the objection to anyone holding hands, I admit when I first attended mass (before I joined the church), I felt it a bit of an intrusion to “my” prayer. Then I was called to active duty and was in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia, with a group of East coast Catholics, that did not generally share this practice. I was so alone, so in need of a human touch, I tried desperately to sit/stand next to one of the few that would hold my hand and pray with me, OUR Father. I had missed the point when I thought it an intrusion into my private prayer to God (a common Protestant error, I believe). I also now realize that most Catholic prayers are in the first person plural–eg. alone we pray over our food, “Bless US and these…”

After I returned home, I noticed that often times in mass some “little elderly lady or man” would almost jump across a pew in order to hold hands during our prayer. I realized that this was probably the only human touch they had had all week. Give them this gift.
The parish I am in now has both English and Spanish masses. On certain special days we have a bilingual mass. I was almost brought to tears by the closeness of holding hands with a person praying in Spanish while I was praying in English-- it was truly OUR prayer. So if this is a custom of the American church, and you find it offensive, I suggest in love, that you sit in an empty pew to be alone with God, and cut off from the community.

For you cradle Catholics, remember that “communion” and “community” come from the same root. We should not change our liturgy for visitors but we should try to help them feel welcome into our community of faith. When I realize that I have a non-Catholic next to me in mass, I hand them a missal or music book and point out where we are. I keep track of them, and when we make one of those confusing big jumps in the missal, I trade with them again. I have never failed to receive a grateful “thanks” after mass. Sometimes, I have received some sincere questions, and had a chance to witness for the faith.

Pax te cum, to my fellow Catholics. Peace brother, to any non-Catholic readers.
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This is a beautiful comment, but lots of luck with it around some of the posters on the this Board who would rather see love neglected for the sake of a rubric. If they would read the Gospels, they would see that Jesus broke many “rules” of the Jewish faith to show love and healing to people.

I posted this in another thread, and I’ll post it here, too. There is a wonderful passage of Scripture in which Jesus says that “whatever you’ve done to the least of these my brethren, you have done to me.” I think a lot of Christians will be very surprised at their judgement when they tell Jesus how vigorously they defended the Church, and Jesus tells them, “But with your legalism and rigid adherence to rules and rubrics, you hurt people, and when you hurt those people, you hurt ME.”

I personally don’t like to hold hands during the Our Father because I was taught in RCIA that it is incorrect. Also, I believe that the more appropriate time to demonstrate love to people is before and after the Mass, and of course, during the Sign of Peace during the Mass. I try very hard to be friendly and welcoming to the people around me before Mass so that when I close my eyes and bow my head right before the Our Father, they won’t feel rejected.

But if someone were to take my hand, I certainly wouldn’t pull it away. I would trust that the Lord would bring good out the situation where the “rules” are being broken.
 
Cat said:
I personally don’t like to hold hands during the Our Father because I was taught in RCIA that it is incorrect. Also, I believe that the more appropriate time to demonstrate love to people is before and after the Mass, and of course, during the Sign of Peace during the Mass. I try very hard to be friendly and welcoming to the people around me before Mass so that when I close my eyes and bow my head right before the Our Father, they won’t feel rejected.

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Agreed. There has been a traditional push in our parish the last few years…It seems as though many of us more non-progressive types are multiplying at my parish. Hand holding used to be widespread now it is expremely minimal.

When I visit a church that I know there is alot of hand holding going on I simply bow my head and close my eyes…that way i don’t even know if the person next to me is extending their hand or not. And at the kiss of peaces I am OVERTLY friendly just in case someone is “offended” in the blind.
 
I wonder if there is a rubric saying that you can’t touch a non-Catholic during the sign of peace? I appreciate CAT comments, but RCIA aside, “catholic” means “universal” which I think implies inclusive. That way precedes RCIA, even precedes CCD.

Personally, when someone “withdraws” from me during communal prayer, I am reluctant to “play” at friendliness during the Peace.
 
Thank you JA for your service in the military. You definitely have spiritual insights from serving that most of us will never understand because you have literally been “in the Desert” alone with God.
Regarding hand holding: As you recall **during the Last Supper **John 13:23 states: “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” John was a snuggler! And Jesus was a snuggler too! Don’t you know that was such a precious time of intimacy for our Lord with his beloved? There is so much healing in the gift of human touch. The touch of the Master’s hand. Here Jesus is just hours away from Calvary and John gets the privilege to cuddle with The Messiah! It would be awesome if we loved on each other like that. To take the hand of our brother and sister and walk with them through their journey to the Cross. To hold each other up and support one another as we die to self and walk in the freedom of a relationship with Our Father in Heaven through Jesus. To literally be the Body of Christ: The Tabernacle of God’s presence with and for one another. Peace and Blessings to you all. 🙂
 
This thread has gone off topic. There are many existing threads on the topic of holding hands during the Our Father. Please take that discussion to one of them. Thank you, all.
 
Jean_Anthony said:
This thread has gone off topic. There are many existing threads on the topic of holding hands during the Our Father. Please take that discussion to one of them. Thank you, all.
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Thanks for stepping in. Of the 17 responses to my original post, only one attempted to produce an answer to my questions.

So back to topic at hand, has anyone witnessed customs that deal with these things?

Segregation is viewed as a bad idea, and understandably so. As Kell pointed out, only Catholics are obliged to obey the ritual. I would think that the Orthodox Churches would willingly join in, because of the mutual recognition of validity. Plus, Orthodox folks are invited to receive Communion as well.

Anyway, if atheists, non-Christians or those anti-Catholic types attended, they would not kneel or stand. Aside from the obvious distractions that would be caused by having people sticking out like that, having to kneel behind a seated person would obstruct your view of it all. For that – for the benefit of the Catholic and the Orthodox participants – perhaps it isn’t so bad to segregate non-believers. I know it isn’t very diplomatic, but if we had to make the choice between being diplomatic while damaging the integrity of the Mass or being frank and straightfoward so that the faithful can benefit most from worship experience, I think I’d go with the latter. God comes first.

And lastly, when we Catholics (have to) attend services in a non-Christian place, like the example I gave about me having to go to a Buddhist temple, how do we deal with it?

I’m thinking the only solution to such cases would be to sit in the back of the area, so that my non-participation in the service would go unnoticed. But, as I understand it, though the Church previously encouraged staying in the back, the post-Conciliar Church hasn’t emphasised it. Even then, there very well may be circumstances where you simply can’t sit in the back and out of the way. In my case, I’m in politics, and if I were obliged to go to a Buddhist temple, the expectation would be for my companions and me to sit near the front.

So, if I had to sit with the rest of them, I would be very conspicuous as I just sit down withoit joining in. People would know it’s because I am faithful to my Catholic identity, and it would only put the Church into a negative light.

How can we deal with these situations tactfully while still preserving ourselves? What customs have you all noticed that can help us deal with it? And, again, what can be done when non-Catholics attend our Mass and it provides both a distraction and an obstruction of view?
 
Ok. So back on topic then…😉 Are non-Catholics not allowed to touch a Catholic after they have taken the Holy Eucharist during “Our Father” because the Catholic would be made unclean if they made human contact with a non-Catholic?
 
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