Pope Goes to Mass Like Everybody Else

Vatican Insider reports that Pope Francis happened to go to Mass yesterday by sitting in the congregation and getting in line to receive Communion.

The occasion was the memorial of St. Pius X, which is August 21. Francis went to pray at the tomb of his predecessor in St. Peter’s. A Mass started at 7am, so he decided to stay for it. A certain Fr. Bonora, who works in the Vatican, began Mass, and looked up to see the pope among the 50 or so faithful. The pope “rose from the pew to exchange the embrace of peace and got in line to receive communion,” Vatican Insider reports.

Hmmm, if it hadn’t been in my schedule, I’d find it rather difficult to fit in an unscheduled second daily Mass. I suppose popes aren’t as busy as really busy monk-professors who blog.

Pope at Mass

 

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John's Abbey. He teaches liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant at St. John's University School of Theology-Seminary. He is widely published and frequently presents across the country on liturgy and music. He is the author of Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, and of Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. He does priestly ministry at the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters in St. Joseph.

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Comments

10 responses to “Pope Goes to Mass Like Everybody Else”

  1. Mike Ryan

    Good for Francis. But I can’t help thinking that, were St. Pius X still alive, Lamentabili would have 66 condemnations, not 65!

    Reply
  2. Karl Liam Saur

    Maybe he was moved to publicly celebrate the memorial of one is arguably the most revolutionary of his predecessors of the last century.

    Reply
  3. Jeffrey Maurer

    Maybe he prayed the rosary quietly during it, he’s just contrarian enough to have done so. Lol.

    Reply
  4. Teresa Berger

    I note the incredible gulf between comments 1 and 2! And admit at laughing out loud at comment 1.
    I also note that the Vatican website reports that the Pope had already “said” mass earlier in the day. In other words, his surprising “in modo laicorum” gesture was preceded by his priestly presiding at another mass.

    Reply
  5. Lynn Thomas

    Fr. Anthony: Absolute monarchs can arbitrarily decide that their schedules have room for whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it. 7 AM mass is easy. . .

    Reply
  6. Jim McKay

    Wait. “Fr. Bonora, who works in the Vatican, began Mass, and looked up to see the pope among the 50 or so faithful” in the first pew, on the center aisle, according to the photo.

    He didn’t notice him earlier? “Whose that guy in he white cassock who’s been hanging around for the last half hour?”

    That doesn’t take anything away from the remarkable gesture by the Pope, but aren’t priests a little more aware of their surroundings than that?

    Reply
  7. Shaughn Casey

    #6,

    I imagine he didn’t see Francis because, as the full picture reveals, he was celebrating Ad Orientem. Oops. 😉

    Reply
  8. Ed Nash

    If he was really a good Catholic, he would have been second row from the back. What a tremendous gesture of faithfulness that has the faithful confused.

    Reply
    1. Karl Liam Saur

      @Ed Nash:
      Yes, we all know that the front row is the penalty box in a Catholic church..

      Reply
  9. Dr. Cajetan Coelho

    Pope, Cardinal, bishop, priest – sitting with God’s holy people and praying – truly edifying.

    Reply

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