Washington archdiocese warns pastors of demonstrations, disruptions at Catholic churches [CWN]

[CWN_News]

The Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has warned priests that an unidentified group of protesters has staged demonstrations outside local Catholic churches, and in at least two cases entered …

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[PaulfromIowa]

…He reports that the group has used bullhorns to shout anti-Catholic slogans and has passed out “fundamentalist literature.”

A very odd lack of specificity here.

 

[Miserissima]

A very odd lack of specificity here.

I think it’s…tactful to not call out a specific sect or church and
a) shaming them
b) openly reacting to them
c) giving them a platform,
d) ) irritating them or
e) giving them free press,

it’s an overall pretty wise decision.

 

[on_the_hill]

Honestly, I’m surprised this kind of thing isn’t a lot more common.

Many times I sit in church and wonder how it would happen…

 

[Hobbes42]

What like, Jehovah’s Witnesses or something? nutty baptists? Eh, anyway.

Why do some people feel the need to act in this way? it’s got me scratchin’ my thinkin’ cap.

 

[JimG]

My former parish was once picketed during a Sunday Mass by some Westboro Church members. (Apparently it was a slow day for funerals.) But they weren’t disruptive, and they were ignored. But I don’t think that’s what the Washington archdiocese has in mind.

 

[FollowChrist34]

This is kind of creepy.

 

[livingwordunity]

I knew it was only a matter of time before this would start becoming more of a trend in America. So I asked a question on this subject a little over a year ago on AAA. I wanted to know when the bishops were going to advise parishes on what to do in case this were to happen.

In September 2013 I said, “Just like how people train and prepare for emergencies I think it would be good if the bishops would come out with some kind of instruction for us on what to do when this happens so that we won’t be caught off guard by it.” And now, thankfully, we are finally seeing the bishops give some guidance on what should be done about it.

Here was my question:
What should the laity do if an activist disrupts Mass?

 

[Fred_E]

The Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has warned priests that an unidentified group of protesters has staged demonstrations outside local Catholic churches, and in at least two cases entered …

My wife and I were sitting in the pew the evening of October 26 in Albany, NY, when a man walked down the right aisle of the church and began shouting obscenities. Three of the more burly parishioners, one an off-duty policeman, assisted him in leaving the premises.

I then discovered a few days later that a very good friend of mine whose parish is the Archdiocese of Washington DC had experienced a nearly identical incident in his parish. The congregation responded by loudly reciting the Hail Mary.