What?! The Church’s public relations team has embarrassed itself and the Church again? What a shock. I say that because…IT’S NOT A SHOCK AT ALL.
The incompetence of so many in the Church is evidence that the Church is under the protection of the Holy Spirit. There hasn’t been this kind of incompetence since Shemp was told to give the monkey wrench to Larry who happened to be standing right above Moe. This one takes the cake though. The Church’s papal visit team put out a pamphlet attempting to explain the terms used in the Mass. It is painfully ridiculous.
The Telegraph writes:
Today’s Mail…highlights an excruciatingly embarrassing pamphlet produced by the papal visit team which compares the Mass to a “gig”, the Pope to a “headline act” and liturgists to “performers”. Supposedly this appalling, babyish leaflet is intended to inform non-Catholic staff about what is happening at papal events, but really it just patronises them, and leaves the Church looking silly. It baffles me how anyone could have thought publishing this was a good idea: it makes the Church, or its public relations department, look weird and disconnected from real life.
Here’s a picture of the pamphlet being handed out:
One – It talks down to the press by talking to them like they’re concussed four year olds. Two -It belittles the Mass and the Pope.
A facepalm is the only rational reaction.
HT Pewsitter
September 13, 2010 at 3:49 pm
lol
September 13, 2010 at 4:06 pm
It's not funny, but very worrying, that an official pamphlet explains Blessed Sacrament, Holy Communion as bread and wine.
So the Bishops of England and Wales have officially dissociated themselves from Transubstantiation and the Real Presence. Is this what the English and Welsh Catholic Martyrs died for?
September 13, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Holy Cow! Is this an attempt at humor by the writers of the pamplet? Is so, EPIC FAIL! Not funny at all.
September 13, 2010 at 4:09 pm
"If so" not "Is so". I really do need to proof read before posting 🙁
September 13, 2010 at 4:15 pm
It can only be assumed that someone is trying to sabotage this visit. Not even nominal Catholics could be so woefully stupid.
September 13, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Ah, the flip side of having Bel Giorgio and his ilk as ornaments around the papal apartments! You may get a Nike hat, Serengeti sunglasses and a Cartier watch… but then you have to put up with all of the other annoying accoutrements of exuberant and careless youth.
"Enjoyable, fun, exciting." Not.
September 13, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Please tell me this is really from The Onion.
Lie if you have to.
September 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm
OK Dave. It's all make believe. Go back to sleep. Shhhh. And dream of the days before Vatican II 😉
September 13, 2010 at 5:48 pm
God loves stupid people, He's made so many and takes such good care of them.
September 13, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Anyone here been to England lately? Perhaps the non-Catholics and non-Christians there do need a basic simple reference. Has anyone seen the Anglican Church lately?
September 13, 2010 at 6:32 pm
If the Vatican wanted a dignified visit they should have entrusted it to the LMS, or even FiF! Instead, they entrusted it to the hirelings… er, sorry, "Bishops." What did they expect?
September 13, 2010 at 6:36 pm
My reaction to this was a feeling of nausea.
Susan Peterson
September 13, 2010 at 6:43 pm
That picture is awesome.
Second, I was in England this summer and went to an awesome little church in Oxfordshire, in the Birmingham diocese. I can only imagine that the Catholics we met and their priest are extermely embarrassed by this.
September 13, 2010 at 10:51 pm
The saddest part is, such a pamphlet may be necessary for non-Catholic staff. People really, really don't know much about religion at all anymore. I mean, any religion. Someone wouldn't come to my Maronite Church because they thought it was a mosque.
We have a twelve foot cross out front with a sign, "Jesus Christ is risen; indeed he is risen!"
September 14, 2010 at 4:43 am
Dude. What's the prob?
September 14, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Why the surprise? This is what the Church has become. In most parishes the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been reduced to a "show" or a "gig". Mass is "offered" without reverence, piety, no formality whatsoever. The liturgical books, such as they are, are ignored, or altered at the whim of the priest, "nun" or liturgist. The Church is in a state of chaos in almost every aspect. The bishops and cardinals can continue to pretend that the liturgical renewal of Vatican II is wonderful but the truth is that the fruits of this renewal is a Catholic faithful who are basically really bad protestansts. The average church going Catholic lay person has no clue what is going on at Mass. They go up and receive communion probably not in a state of grace because they no longer believe in sin. The "Novus Ordo" has been a total disaster for the Church and the sooner everyone wakes up this truth things are just going to continue to slid further and further into the gutter. The Church has become an object of ridicule and with reason. For much too long, silly and sinful men who should never have been ordained in the first place are destroying the church. Am I the only person who thinks it strange that the majority of Catholic priests HATE a reverent, traditional, truly Catholic Mass? They seem to prefer some kind of quasi protestant service. The more silly and profane the better it seems. That strikes me has very odd. The Church did not began and end with Vatican II. The Holy Father knows he is surronded by incompetent and disloyal men. There is not much he can do to change things it's going to take a miracle. The Church is falling apart and what do the bishops of England do for a Papal visit? Do they encourage fasting, penance, Eucharistic adoration? NO, they comission a rap song as the official welcome for the visit of the Vicar of Christ to England. That alone shows what a total and complete wreck the bishops are. God help our Church.
September 14, 2010 at 8:45 pm
In England the Cathoic church for the most part just provides comic relief for culturally elite secular whatevers, and now we have this from within our own ranks.
Dear God in Heaven…I am so sorry about what these morons are doing to You and Your Church.
September 14, 2010 at 8:57 pm
My first impression is that it looks like something that should be given out to CATHOLICS – some are so woefully ignorant of the Faith that they could use something like this.
Of course, I wouldn't want the Archdiocese of LA to do so – they'd state that the terms on the right side were the correct ones.
September 16, 2010 at 1:59 am
Yeesh.
September 16, 2010 at 2:13 am
Boy would I love to have a good sit down talk with the Imam who wrote that!