Bishop Tod Brown is at it again. He's still telling parishionersat St. Mary's by the Sea in Huntington Beach, California--through the pastor to whom he's giving full support-- that kneeling during the Mass is a mortal sin. The diocese and the pastor have decreed that the faithful must stand during the Eucharistic Canon, yet the Roman Missal says we are to kneel during those parts. One of the adaptations approved use in the US says:
43.3 - People should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer. The faithful kneel at the Ecce Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.
It doesn't say that the faithful kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer unless the bishop says otherwise. The option is only given for the Agnus Dei. So why are they persecuting these people?
Kneeling as liturgical abuse
Update: It's a bit of a stretch to say that Bishop Brown called kneeling a mortal sin. Those were the words of Fr. Tran, while Brown has said he gives his full backing to Tran. I'd say it's an implicit endorsement of Tran's comments, but it's not explicit.
Meanwhile, what's up with the following from the LA Times article? See what I mean after the jump.
