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Hello BPPIX,Though ‘Americanism’ might stem (directly or indirectly) from modernism and liberalism, H.H. Pope Leo XIII seemed to condemn ‘Americanism’ to some extant in the Encyclical “Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae”
I urge you to draw your own conclusions from the aforementioned Encyclical.
~ Pius :knight1:
Kneeling is a fairly recent development in Church History and 400 years old. Standing is a perfectly acceptble posture of respect, particularly taking in acount the circumstances.Also, at the Vigil, I can’t believe the number of people that stood there as the consecration was taking place. Even worse, some people were walking around and talking as it was going on!It was frankly disrespectful of our Lord!
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In the Eastern Churches there is no kneeling during the Easter season. It is an ancient tradition. So, in and of itself, standing during the consecration is not disrespectful.Also, at the Vigil, I can’t believe the number of people that stood there as the consecration was taking place.
The “Americanism” referred to really seems to be liberalism which was jump-started during the French Revolution. It spread like a virus through Europe and hit the US in the 1960’s where it has been wreaking havoc ever since. However, each country does have it’s own brand of liberalism and things which are tolerated at Mass more readily in one country are not in another. To paint with a bit of a broad brush here, I think Europe has become much more comfortable with the modernisation of the churches where, perhaps, America’s puritain heritage may have delayed that somewhat?
At least in the USA a presidential candidate has to at least pretend to have faith. In Europe publicly talking about your faith will ensure your nonelection…I think that americanism is a rather narrow claim as there are plenty of europeans who fail the Lord as well on a regular basis, but americans take the cake for this country being the most corrupt in the present day. Not so much for political changes but a total societal shift that puts anyone who worships God below the rest of those in the “intellectual collective” of society. The whole puritan/protestant movement that created america has bred a hostile enviornment for Catholics since americas first day. This country has been anti catholic since its inception and in spite of that the Church grew and flourished. I have lost all faith in america as a country and the vast majority (not all of course) of people, but I still have faith in the Catholic Church and if anything will save america from its downward spiral into oblivion it will be the Catholic Church at the behest of our Good Lord and Savior.