The Vatican Condemned Halloween Last Year

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HCC said:
The Vatican condemned Halloween last year: content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/10/vatican-warns-parents-that-halloween-is-anti-christian/1

Are we not allowed to pass out candy to kids?
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I remember those articles. Apparently, according to the crack investigative journalists at major newspapers these days, some liturgist for the Spanish bishops’ conference = “The Vatican.”

Never, never trust news reports about things said by “The Vatican” or “The Church” without double-checking them yourself.
 
HCC said:
The Vatican condemned Halloween last year: content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/10/vatican-warns-parents-that-halloween-is-anti-christian/1

Are we not allowed to pass out candy to kids?
Click to expand...
You know that All Saints Day starts at vigil on Holloween, we celebrate the Martyrs. Their costumes could be such as to remember the saints.

Fr. Joan Maria Canals, CMF said: “Hallowe’en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.” … “be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death.”
 
My very orthodox priest has a wonderful homily about this. He says what is condemned is the glorification of death, like vampire and undead costumes. Its not saying we cannot celebrate, but let us celebrate life. The reason the Church celebrates All Saints and All Souls around Halloween is that the Church wants to celebrate Eternal Life for those who passed away.

It was never said we cannot wear costumes and give out or receive candy. Lets just not glorify death.

Go dressed as Ironman or something 😃
 
ConstantineTG said:
Go dressed as Ironman or something 😃
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Doesn’t seem to be much difference to me between dressing as a vampire and dressing as Ironman. Unless there actually are vampires.

Most anything can be harmful if taken to extremes. But I don’t see a celebration of the realm of the undead or death in the Charlie Brown Halloween Special.

I don’t think I’d mind my hypothetical kid dressing up as a “witch” even though I think that there is actual witchcraft and it’s a mortal sin. Because playing dress-up doesn’t have any meaning.

Maybe I’m way off base there. 🤷
 
Setting aside the celebrating death vs eternal life issue, the thing I struggle with most is the me, me, me attitude of this holiday (just like at Christmas and Easter) with the secularization of the holiday. The kids expect candy and want more every year. I have 3 young kids and do let them dress up - as animals or something I feel is ok. This year one is a monkey, one a bat and one an angel. We only let them go to so many houses so as to limit the amount they receive. Our parish does do a trick-or-treat at a local nursing home and there is talk about reviving the children’s Halloween party. Which I think is a neat idea, and one I’ve been considering doing, in order to bring more meaning to the day than just dressing up and getting candy.
 
Setting aside the celebrating death vs eternal life issue, the thing I struggle with most is the me, me, me attitude of this holiday (just like at Christmas and Easter) with the secularization of the holiday. The kids expect candy and want more every year. I have 3 young kids and do let them dress up - as animals or something I feel is ok. This year one is a monkey, one a bat and one an angel. We only let them go to so many houses so as to limit the amount they receive. Our parish does do a trick-or-treat at a local nursing home and there is talk about reviving the children’s Halloween party. Which I think is a neat idea, and one I’ve been considering doing, in order to bring more meaning to the day than just dressing up and getting candy.
 
It’s interesting to note what a parish focuses on: a Halloween event or All Saints & Soul’s days.
 
Interesting discussion. For me Halloween was just a kids’ holiday – it was a chance to learn how to use makeup to create scary characters like they do in the movies; it had nothing to do with celebrating death.

I like the Catholic viewpoint. I’m not Catholic (in RCIA) so this is new to me.
The reason the Church celebrates All Saints and All Souls around Halloween is that the Church wants to celebrate Eternal Life for those who passed away.
Click to expand...
that All Saints Day starts at vigil on Holloween, we celebrate the Martyrs. Their costumes could be such as to remember the saints.
Click to expand...
 
NMLove said:
Setting aside the celebrating death vs eternal life issue, the thing I struggle with most is the me, me, me attitude of this holiday (just like at Christmas and Easter) with the secularization of the holiday. The kids expect candy and want more every year. I have 3 young kids and do let them dress up - as animals or something I feel is ok. This year one is a monkey, one a bat and one an angel. We only let them go to so many houses so as to limit the amount they receive. Our parish does do a trick-or-treat at a local nursing home and there is talk about reviving the children’s Halloween party. Which I think is a neat idea, and one I’ve been considering doing, in order to bring more meaning to the day than just dressing up and getting candy.
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I don’t mind giving out candy to little kids, but I do mind is adults making Halloween such a big deal! Yes, a little decoration may be nice, but the way it seems to be celebrated now is in more of a pagan style.

I do think it’s a little much to be dressing up babies, and I refuse to give candy to teenagers. Parties I think are the best thing—miss things like bobbing for apples and stuff that we did in the fifties. I think kids could have a great time doing this and also receive a little candy with it.
 
But I don’t see a celebration of the realm of the undead or death in the Charlie Brown Halloween Special.
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Oh, disregard if you will the darksome evils lurking within Charles Schultz cartoons. We’ll see who has the last laugh when the Great Pumpkin appears this Hallowe’en.
 
utah_rose said:
I refuse to give candy to teenagers.
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With as few trick-or-treaters as come around my neighborhood, I give to any kid, regardless of age, who knocks on Halloween. And, even then, I still wind up having to take a lot of it to work for the breakroom. 🤷
 
Yeah, and I remember reading about others at the Vatican saying, If children wish to dress as pirates and ghouls as a game, there’s no harm in that, for this year a night. I believe it was in fact father Amorth who said that.

Jeez, people get all psyched up for nothing. WE ain’t evangelical protestants; We don’t need to worry about satan hanging around in our candy corn for pete’s sake. I for one plan on enjoying my haunted backyard decorating and costume making
 
I was at a friends house a few years ago, and he told me his 15 yo son was into Satanism. He said the boys mother had found a copy of the Satanic Bible in his room. Anyhow, a few minutes later, the boy comes in, and his father confronts him about it.

Guess what the boy said ?

“What’s the big deal ? You and mom dressed me up as the devil and dressed my sister up as a witch. So what is the problem ? If it wasn’t for that, I may never have gotten interested in it.”
 
i like to see the little ones come to the door every year and some of them say how hard they worked on their costumes with mom and dad. its kinda cute. 🙂 i don’t have an issue with halloween. kids get a chance to dress up, have fun, it only comes once a year. so let them have fun:) i don’t mind adults either dressing up and going out and having fun so long as it is scandal free. so long as they keep in mind not to cause an occasion for sin. if they respect that, then why can’t they have fun? as long as they are modestly dressed, why not have a bit of fun? invite some friends over, watch a show and listen to monster mash. halloween only comes once a year, and it can be fun for all. as long as we go to Mass for All Saints, respect our faith, there is no reason why we cannot have fun. put out the pumpkin, have fun carving it with your kids, if you have no kids, have fun carving it with your spouse! i think it is for all ages. evne seniors can have fun on halloween!
 
puzzleannie said:
usatoday last time I checked is not the Vatican, nor is this link the Vatican website, nor is the body quoted in the article the Vatican. non-issue.
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That’s right, Padre Juan Maria Canals Casas, of Madrid, is Secretary of the Committee on the Liturgy of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference who was quoted in the Vatican Newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.

Secretario Técnico :
http://www.conferenciaepiscopal.es/images/motivos/cuadro_gris.gif P. Juan Mª Canals Casas
conferenciaepiscopal.es/liturgia/default.htm
dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/autor?codigo=2137299

Samhain of the Celts (Druids) and Feralia of the Romans were about the same time as November 1. Since Pope Gregory III, IV, or VII (depending on the source) this has been on November 1 (before that it was May 13).

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html
 
puzzleannie said:
usatoday last time I checked is not the Vatican, nor is this link the Vatican website, nor is the body quoted in the article the Vatican. non-issue.
Click to expand...
Thats right, Padre Juan Mª Canals Casas, of Madrid, is a liturgical expert and the Technical Secretary of the *La Comisión Episcopal de Liturgia *de la Conferencia Episcopal Española who was quoted by the Vatican Newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.

conferenciaepiscopal.es/liturgia/default.htm

dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/autor?codigo=2137299

On All Saints Day:
catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html
 
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