Work Head: Big Masses Bad

From Reuters, a noteworthy intervention at the Synod

The head of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei on Thursday criticised the holding of giant masses where many thousands of people worship together and receive communion.

Such large-scale open-air masses were one of the hallmarks of the papacy of John Paul, who died in April, and his successor Pope Benedict has already held several.

In an address to a synod of bishops meeting at the Vatican, Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez said such large-scale celebrations could sometimes be a detriment to the "sacred nature" of the mass.

According to an excerpt of his speech given out to reporters and a briefing by a spokesman, Echevarria said the Church should "re-think whether Eucharistic celebrations (masses) with an excessive number of concelebrants is opportune".

Concelebrants are priests who say the mass along with the main celebrant, usually the Pope.

Echevarria said that when there were so many priests saying it at the same time "it does not make the dignified carrying out of the mass possible".

Hmmmm... The only thing which made Marienfeld irreverent were the screaming seminarians. Everything else was beeeeautiful.

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