Oh my...did I just see?

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gavin52

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I was watching a rebroadcast of our Holy Father’s funeral and I believe I just saw a deacon or altar boy “flip off” the television camera. Did anyone else notice this? This happened just before the reading of the Gospel. I hope this was an accident.
 
If you did see what you thought that you saw, hopefully it has some other meaning other than the one that we are thinking of.
 
I saw it too but I believe it was one of the bishops or archbishops. It looked too way out of place. I can’t definitively say it was accidental though I certainly hope it was. I also saw someone making the “horns” sign. Both are not natural positions for the human hand. What gives, I wonder?
 
Maybe some anti-Catholic had just asked him,“So, you guys pray to Mary, right?” They’ve been coming out of the woodwork on these forums, having no sense of decency, human or otherwise. Maybe they showed up and lurked at the funeral. If so, I’d be tempted to a little finger action (may God forgive me, but it’s the truth).
 
That “altar boy” or “deacon” seems to have been a Msgr., not sure though.
 
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JKirkLVNV:
Maybe some anti-Catholic had just asked him,“So, you guys pray to Mary, right?” They’ve been coming out of the woodwork on these forums, having no sense of decency, human or otherwise. Maybe they showed up and lurked at the funeral. If so, I’d be tempted to a little finger action (may God forgive me, but it’s the truth).
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me too…
 
PROBLEM: need public link to incident being reported (e.g., video, image capture, etc.).
PROBLEM: Calls for speculation on an incident that not all can witness.

ACTION: thread closed. Either pm me when a link is available (and I’ll reopen this thread) or start a new thread with the link or post an image capture.
 
Mt19:26 has uploaded a brief clip and a provided a link to the incident in question.
Mt19:26:
Here’s a link to the video clip showing the obscene gesture:

geocities.com/mt19_26/
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ACTION: Thread re-opened

NOTE: Since neither the identity nor the motivation of the individual involved are yet known, all are cautioned to proceed with charity aforethought.
 
That is very difficult to judge, as the admin noted. It is very easy to assume that we are dealing with a participant who simply may not have been thinking.
 
Based on the color of his cassock, the birdie-guy is a monsignor.

Maybe he was just inferring that Pope JPII was #1?
 
can’t open link, so I don’t know what you saw, but in general on the TV coverage, which I watched extensively, it would be hard to definitely say what anyone was doing at any one time, unless your TV and bifocals are better than mine. I did see a lot of people acting as if they don’t realize modern video cameras can zoom real close, displaying boredom, distraction, or just weariness and grief. As for the gesture known here in Texas as “hook 'em horns” perhaps the individual was expressing solidarity with a fellow Longhorns fan, or saying “I love you” in sign language to a deaf person.
 
I haven’t seen the incident you speak of. I’m not planning to search for it… I just want to share this possible insight…

In many countries the middle finger is used as the pointing finger. I have learned this from some international priests we have been blessed with in our diocese.

Perhaps the person in question was simply pointing to something.
 
Honestly, I think it could have just been the way he was holding his hand over the book…an honest, unfortunate mistake.

God Bless
Giannawannabe
 
I don’t the there is an obscene gesture involved. He’s holding a book of some sort. There are a gillion people watching and he’s probably trying not to drop it in front of all those people. It’s an awkward and unfortunate position for one to have one’s hand in, especially in front of a gillion TV viewers.
 
There was another thread on this very subject and the poster complained that he his thread had been deleted. I think that different cultures have different obscene hand signals. In other words, what might be offensive to us, isn’t that big a deal in other countries. I know that in some middle eastern countries showing the soles of your feet is tatamount to flipping someone the bird. In our culture it has absolutely no meaning. I would give the person involved the benefit of the doubt until more was known.

I have had trouble with my own children. When they were very young they all used their middle fingers to point.(We are talking two and three years old) It was a very hard habit to break them of. So, I am going to guess that if your culture doesn’t think the middle finger is a bad gesture, then it might be a comfortable position for your hand to assume. At least, if I judge by my own kids.
 
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Giannawannabe:
Honestly, I think it could have just been the way he was holding his hand over the book…an honest, unfortunate mistake.

God Bless
Giannawannabe
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I have to agree. It looked like he was just trying to hold onto a book to me.
 
I haven’t seen the “hook 'em horns” sign yet. What part of the Mass and who was that from?

I have closely reviewed the “finger” in slow motion replay. It does appear quite odd (actually where in the world that man came from is actually even stranger as it doesn’t appear he was anywhere to be found in the wide shot just previous). However, it mainly appears that he was just holding the bok and for some reason happenned to have that finger out. It is possible that having his hand flat against his chest would be a normal walking posture for him during liturgy and that the holding of the book just meant that he folded a coupl eof fingers down to better grasp it. As I looked things over, however, it seems to be more a matter of him trying to hold his vestment in place with the extended finger, perhaps to keep the wind from grabbing hold of it. Or maybe it was torn or something.
 
I saw the attachment. It looks like he was trying to hold on to the book while not allowing the white garment (I forget what its called) that is covering his red cassock from blowing around. I do not know if it was windy that day - but that is what it looks like to me.
 
The “horns” came somewhat after and it was one of the msgrs. or bishops holding his chasuble. It struck me as odd but then again look at all the grief President Bush got at his inaugural parade.
 
This is a tempest in a teapot. The person with the extended middle finger was obviously using his index finger to hold the book he is carrying.

And regarding the “horns” gesture, can someone look to see if the thumb is also extended? If so, that gesture (extended thumb, index, and little finger) means “I love you” in sign language.

'thann
 
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