A priest thought injecting a bit of innovation in the Mass would be good fun for everyone attending the celebration. However, as it turns out, his superiors thought otherwise.
A still unidentified priest in the Philippines was recently suspended for using a hoverboard at one point during the Mass. The suspension came after footage of the priest in question moving about on a hoverboard while singing a Christmas song to church goers went viral after it was posted on Facebook recently. The video had since earned nearly 14 million hits.
The event happened in a church in the Diocese of San Pablo in Luzon on Thursday, December 24, Rappler reported.
"The diocese said that 'before the final blessing of the Christmas Eve Mass, as a way of greeting his parishioners, the priest sang a Christmas song, while going around the nave standing on a hoverboard,'" the news source relayed.
"The diocese did not identify the priest in its statement," it added.
"That was wrong," the statement also read, as noted by CNN Philippines. "The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence... Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously introduce something to get the attention of the people."
As a result of the suspension, the priest will reportedly be out of the parish for a certain duration to reflect on what he did. The priest was said to have realized the error in what he did and had pledged not to repeat the incident.
It can be observed in the clip that the church goers appeared to enjoy his performance. Applause can be heard at one point in the video, as well as positive comments.
However, others who saw the footage weren't as pleased.
"Complete and total disrespect not only for the Lord but also for the salvation of all those poor souls," a Scott LaLonde commented on Facebook, as noted by the BBC. "To top it off he couldn't even sing."
"How can you meditate if you see this happening inside the church where holy mass is going on?" said Romy Vicente, a Filipino Catholic.
Others were quite supportive of the erring priest, offering comments in his defense.
The incident is particularly resonant in the nation at this point as the world's third largest Christian country is gearing up for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu in January next year.
"Seen to draw up to 15,000 pilgrims, the IEC is one of the biggest events in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis himself is sending an envoy to the IEC," Rappler noted, adding that the event focuses on issues about the Mass or the Holy Eucharist.
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