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Question Title Posted By Question Date
Orans position Claire Sunday, February 24, 2008

Question:

Hello,

I know this topic has been discussed before, re: orans position and hand-holding during the Our Father, but I was hoping you could answer the following...

I had written my Bishop about my concerns in that many people were adopting the hand-holding during the Our Father, and he mentioned that the Rubics does not forbid it. This bothered me, because elsewhere I had been reading that the lay people shouldn't be hand-holding during the Mass, when reciting the Our Father.

What is the Vatican's position on this? Has the Pope addressed this issue? If the Vatican has ruled whether it is acceptible or not, where can I find this information?

Much appreciation, and I await with anticipation your reply.

Thank you, and God Bless,
claire

Question Answered by Mr. Jacob Slavek

Dear Claire,

I would have to say that it's really bad logic to say that hand-holding and the people taking on the orans posture is okay because the neither GIRM nor rubrics forbid it.  The GIRM also doesn't forbid the chicken dance at Mass either, are we to believe then that it is now okay?  What Rome HAS said is that no priest has his place adding to the Liturgy any thing that is not already there in the liturgical texts. (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 22(3))

I don't believe that Rome has specifically addressed the orans abuse, however in 1997 a document was released that did very clearly prohibit any action on the part of the people that imitates gestures that are proper to the priest.  The raising of the hands does qualify as "proper to the priest" since in the rubrics it is the priest alone who is instructed to raise his hands.

The hand holding issue HAS been specifically addressed: and Rome has said, "It is not in the rubrics".

For the cite I will post the link to the question that I answered several years ago on this forum.  I'm also going to post a link to a very recent essay written on the subject by Bro. Ignatius Mary in our BBS forums.

http://www.saint-mike.org/apologetics/qa/Answers/Apol_Liturgy/l011031Basto.html

http://www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/bbs/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=667

Mr. Slavek
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