The Pope star, headlining at a gig near you: Catholic bishops under fire for 'cringe-making' guide to the Papal visit

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Daily Mail:
The Pope star, headlining at a gig near you: Catholic bishops under fire for ‘cringe-making’ guide to the Papal visit
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Catholic bishops have likened the Pope to the headline act at a series of gigs in a ‘cringe-worthy’ guide to his visit this week which insiders fear exposes the Church to ridicule.
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In a list of ‘useful terms’ in the official booklet, the three open-air Papal masses – the most solemn occasions of the historic trip – are referred to as ‘shows’ or ‘gigs’, terms normally associated with rock concerts.
The document also compares the clergy who organise services – known as liturgists – to ‘performers’ or ‘artists’.
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It refers to the ‘Holy Father’ and the bishops as ‘headline act(s)’ and says congregations are often termed ‘audiences’ or ‘crowds’.
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Injecting even more showbusiness style, the leaflet translates weighty terms such as ‘sanctuary’ into ‘stage’ and the distribution of Holy Communion into ‘giving out’.
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Religious words such as ‘spiritual’ and ‘uplifting’ become ‘enjoyable, fun, exciting’.
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The unusual glossary raises fresh questions over the handling of Pope Benedict XVI’s four-day visit, which starts on Thursday and has already been mired in controversy.
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The Church is distributing thousands of copies of the glossy, eight-page booklet produced by the Papal Visit Team, overseen by Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols. Its cover carries the official slogan of the visit – the first to Britain since 1982 – Heart Speaks Unto Heart.
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Heaven help us.
It’s like something I’d expect from stoned 0n organic pot new-agers.
 
Looks like much ado about nothing. It looks like its simply an attempt to help nonCatholics/nonChristians understand the proper terms/words to use.
 
NewEnglandPries said:
Looks like much ado about nothing. It looks like its simply an attempt to help nonCatholics/nonChristians understand the proper terms/words to use.
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That’s what I was thinking. I get what they were trying to achieve.
 
Lord have mercy.

“Return, faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:14-15)
 
NewEnglandPries said:
Looks like much ado about nothing. It looks like its simply an attempt to help nonCatholics/nonChristians understand the proper terms/words to use.
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THANK YOU.

Not only that, it’s sort of cute. Made me chuckle a bit.

It’s also an attempt to stir the pot. Imagine the media doing that!

If your offended by this, than your playing in right where the media wants you too! Lighten up.
 
“Sanctuary = Stage”

Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around. :mad:
 
This makes me fairly sick and is reducing what we hold the most sacred to a mockery.
 
Great Idea! They’re trying to explain Catholic terms to an audience that is basically unchurched in any religion and who would not understand the official terms even in relationship to another faith. Whoever was behind this was brilliant!
 
An adequate example of how to lower the sacred to glimpse the average mind - as opposed to raising the average mind to glimpse the sacred.
 
CathFaith1 said:
An adequate example of how to lower the sacred to glimpse the average mind - as opposed to raising the average mind to glimpse the sacred.
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The Pope isn’t going to be in the U.K. long enough to raise minds to glimpse the sacred, and these are not people hungry for the sublime. Few there are elitists who can appreciate the subtleties of Catholic worship practices.
 
Tigg said:
Well, let’s just say that since aggiornamento this brings the adaptation of the Church to the modern world to a new level.
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It would be an “adaptation” to the modern world if the Church refered to the sanctuary as a stage. Instead its pointing out to the unchurched that what looks like a stage to them is in fact a sacred space with a special name.
Apparently they’re trying to avoid having someone in the media refer the Pope as standing on a stage. Oh the horror! :rolleyes:
 
Words and terms are important. Altars are not tables. The Eucharist is not bread and wine. The Pope is not a headlining act he is the Vicar of Christ and will be celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offering the Son to the Father.

There is a huge problem with this. If you fail to see it you are naïve.

You do not change terms or dumb things down to try and make others understand. If you change the terms you are no longer relaying the meaning you are trying to convey. This was the mistake with the current liturgy and why there is a new translation of the missal coming out. What you do is educate you don’t compare the Mass and its celebration to a rock concert. This is a disgrace.
 
What an idiotic thing to do. But then, the organisers of this trip in the UK have not exactly impressed anyone with their attitude and ideas. This little glossary perfectly demonstrates the state of Catholicism in the UK. Dumbed down and superficial.
 
Rich_Olszewski said:
Great Idea! They’re trying to explain Catholic terms to an audience that is basically unchurched in any religion and who would not understand the official terms even in relationship to another faith. Whoever was behind this was brilliant!
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At least they ARE trying to relate to that “unchurched” audience. But I basically agree with you. And the way you expressed this is very funny. 😃
What’s next—Calling the body of Christ a “cookie?”:rolleyes:
 
Inhimthroughher said:
Words and terms are important. Altars are not tables. The Eucharist is not bread and wine. The Pope is not a headlining act he is the Vicar of Christ and will be celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offering the Son to the Father.

There is a huge problem with this. If you fail to see it you are naïve.
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The Church is explaining that its an altar not a table, that its eucharist not bread and wine. That is what that cheat sheet is for: explaining the Church’s terms.
You do not change terms or dumb things down to try and make others understand.
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The Church is not changing the terms. Where do you get that from?
What you do is educate you don’t compare the Mass and its celebration to a rock concert. This is a disgrace.
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And you don’t educate Greeks on the One True God by using the example of their pagan unkown god, oh wait, nevermind… :rolleyes:
 
The Church has finally realized that people would rather be entertained, and worship and adopt the values of the unelected entertainers, much like a drug addiction, and as such, is attempting to entertain people into coming back to Church functions. Not a bad play, imo. We Faithful don’t need to be re-evangelized, but others might. Let’s take one for the team and tolerate it for the sakes of the entertainment-addicted, potential once-was-lost-but-now-am-founds.
 
NewEnglandPries said:
The Church is explaining that its an altar not a table, that its eucharist not bread and wine. That is what that cheat sheet is for: explaining the Church’s terms.

The Church is not changing the terms. Where do you get that from?

And you don’t educate Greeks on the One True God by using the example of their pagan unkown god, oh wait, nevermind… :rolleyes:
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Where does it explain that an altar is for sacrifice? That the Pope is the Vicar of Christ? That the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ? That the Son is offered to the Father?
It does not explain the terms it equates them to terms that have no relation to them.

Altar=Table
If you don’t explain what an Altar is you are changing the concept of it to a table.

Using the idea of one god who is worshipped to explain the true God is one thing there is an understanding of worship there along with a deity. That is much different than equating the terms they are which have no relation to oneanother.

Come on father you should know this. I hope you are joking but if you are please let everybody know. It would be tragic for people to be scandalized by believing a priest actually thinks this is a good idea.
 
Inhimthroughher said:
Where does it explain that an altar is for sacrifice? That the Pope is the Vicar of Christ? That the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ? That the Son is offered to the Father?
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You’d rather that the Pope pass out copies of the Catechism rather than that the audience uses that “cheat sheet”??

His audience will not understand that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. Heck, even pious Evangelicals don’t believe that. So, it’s just as well that he refers to the Eucharist as the Bread and the Wine. Vicar of Christ? That might need explanation even to some Catholics who know him only as the Pope. The Son is offered to the Father? That requires deeper theological explanation. Altar as a place of sacrifice? Who sacrifices anything these days? It will have no meaning whatever to most people.

I understand that the zealous find it all scandalous, but he’s not going to visit Catholics or a Catholic country.

I think it’s as good as it’s going to get in light of whom he’s going to see and the timeframe he has to see them. IMHO.
 
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