When the Church took up the question of altar girls under John Paul II in 2003 it was part of an investigation into liturgical abuses. Nothing came of it, however, except to say that the Vatican left it up to the individual bishop to allow it or ban it. There are so many reasons why females ought not to have any role in the sanctuary at Mass that it astounds me such an abuse is allowed, even encouraged. 60% of these altar servers converging in Rome were girls. Girls like to sing and dance. So, they did — in Saint Peter’s square — with the altar boys. And these poor, clueless youngsters are proud to be Catholic and proud of our Holy Father. They are the future of the Church in Europe. Their folly is the silly fruit of decades of liturgical chaos. Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.
CNA and EWTN News: The pilgrimage that brought altar boys and girls to Rome en masse this week concluded on a high note at Wednesday’s general audience. Bringing tens of thousands of young people together in what appeared to be a small scale World Youth Day, the event showed the true colors of Church and the communion of its youth. Read more here. I suggest reading John Allen’s article on the subject in the National Catholic Reporter here.
