What does the Church say regarding the lifting of hands during the Our Father?

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Bob_VanDyke

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A question was asked on 12/22 about this, but the it wasn’t really answered. The links posted were pretty vague on the issue. Our Diocese encourages the laity to raise their hands during the Lord’s Prayer. Is there an official position from the Magesterium about this practice?
 
Hi

The rubrics call for the priest to raise his hands. They do not call for the people to do so. I know that in one Archdiocese the people are told to raise their hands in order to get them to refrain from holding hands - which the rubrics do not call for also.

This is a plain as I can make it.

Actually, after going back and reading the answer from 12 / 22, I found this from Jimmy Akin which states the Church’s teaching on this quite emphatically:

Because of the special association praying with hands outstretched has with priestly office, some dissident elements in the Church have desired to get the laity into the habit of praying in this posture during Mass. This furthers the dissident agenda of continuing to blur the line between the laity and the clergy.

Fortunately, the recent Instruction on Collaboration (Nov. 13, 1997) drew the line on this issue and specifically mandated that “Neither may . . . non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the . . . priest celebrant” (ICP, Practical Provisions 6 §2).

This should do it.

Fr. Vincent Serapa, O.P.
 
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