Showing that you can expect strong leadership from a Catholic bishop, Nigerian Cardinal Anthony Okogie has ordered his priests to send away anyone not properly dessed for Mass. The article says he’s particularly concerned about women dressed in revealing clothes for fashions’ sake. He also asked the Catholic Women Organization to help him in the war against immodesty. I love this quote:
He therefore ordered the CWO to “say no to spaghetti sleeves, horrible slits, leggings, micro/mini skirts etc. Women should always cover their hair to church and use our Mother Mary as their role model.”
It’s interesting to see a bishop who’s not afraid of being politically incorrect or potentially offending someone, but who apparently retains enough moral authority to be straightforward and blunt in his assessment of what people need to do.
Any gum seen being chewed is requested to be spit into the hands of one of the Franciscans too! Now, would gum be considered a food to be fasted from for one hour?
I’ve actually seen people chewing gum as they go up to receive communion. It’s terrible. And, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a priest in a parish preach about the fast of one hour before receiving communion (I have at school, but then we’re “real Catholics” here…).
Bryan
They have the same rules at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Gee….it’s an awful lot to ask of people…I mean they at least got themselves to Mass…..
In some Catholic churches around here, parents bring bowls and cereal and milk for the kiddlies on Sunday morning…
I have too, Bryan. And of course, yes, it’s got a food component. It has sorbitol in it—a form of sugar. Also flavoring and other ingredients which are ingested. If a fast is the avoidance of food for one hour, it’s a violation of that. If a fast is the abstinence from the gratification of food to ready oneself to receive Christ, it’s a violation of that too.
Chewing gum before Holy Communion is disrespectful, in my view. And chewing it in Church is noisy, bad-mannered and disgusting. And chewing it in the Holy Communion line is just sad. When i see it on the way up, I can never look to see if they actually spit out the gum first. Pathetic.
I used to teach school. I have dragged more than one kid outside for this. Adults should be kicked in the pants for such idiotic delinquency.
About clothes, I think people should be covered and without body odor if they have the opportunity (such as in our culture) to bathe. Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case taht they’re covered up & clean.
Perhaps the dressiness or expense of clothing is far less important than the fact that people are covered up. No bare legs, butts, belly buttons, bosoms, etc.