Crimson banners hang outside Memorial Church on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2012. Credit: Tim Sackton via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Posted on 05/08/2014 2:51:14 PM PDT by NYer
.- A Harvard student group’s plans to re-enact a satanic black mass on campus has prompted outrage from Catholics who say that the event is not educational, but sacrilegious, offensive and disrespectful.
“We call upon all believers and people of good will to join us in prayer for those who are involved in this event, that they may come to appreciate the gravity of their actions, and in asking Harvard to disassociate itself from this activity,” the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement released May 8.
Expressing “deep sadness and strong opposition” to the plan to stage the black mass on campus, the archdiocese announced a Holy Hour planned at 8 p.m. May 12 at St. Paul’s Church in Harvard Square.
“In a recent statement, Pope Francis warned of the danger of being naïve about or underestimating the power of Satan, whose evil is too often tragically present in our midst,” the archdiocese noted.
“For the good of the Catholic faithful and all people, the Church provides clear teaching concerning Satanic worship. This activity separates people from God and the human community, it is contrary to charity and goodness, and it places participants dangerously close to destructive works of evil.”
The archdiocesan statement came in response to an announcement that the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club would be hosting a reenactment of a black mass on campus May 12.
“The performance is designed to be educational and is preceded by a lecture that provides the history, context, and origin of the Black Mass,” the club said in a statement.
Connected to witchcraft and demonic worship, a black mass is a sacrilegious ceremony that invokes Satan and mocks the Catholic Mass. It involves the desecration of the Eucharist, generally by stealing a consecrated host from a Catholic Church and using it in a profane sexual ritual.
Initially, several media reports included confirmation from Priya Dua, a spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, which is staging the event, that a consecrated host would be used.
However, updates to the reports said that Dua later contacted them retracting her statement, saying that there had been a miscommunication and no consecrated host would be used.
The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club made similar denials, saying, “While a piece of bread is used in the reenactment, the performance unequivocally does not include a consecrated host.”
“Our purpose is not to denigrate any religion or faith, which would be repugnant to our educational purposes, but instead to learn and experience the history of different cultural practices,” the group continued. “This performance is part of a larger effort to explore religious facets that continue to influence contemporary culture.”
Harvard Extension School said in a May 7 statement that it “does not endorse the views or activities of any independent student organization. But we do support the rights of our students and faculty to speak and assemble freely.”
It added that the black mass is part of a series of events hosted by the Cultural Studies Club, which also includes “a Shinto tea ceremony, a Shaker exhibition, and a Buddhist presentation on meditation – as part of a student-led effort to explore different cultures.”
Father Roger Landry, a Harvard alum who serves as national chaplain for Catholic Voices USA, also issued strong words against the event, calling it “terribly ill-advised and totally insensitive.”
In a May 8 letter to President Drew G. Faust, the priest said that for “the first time in my life I’m really embarrassed to be associated with Harvard.”
“I'm sure there are many other alumni who are similarly ashamed,” he wrote.
Fr. Laundry went on to say that Harvard “simply would never allow itself or its properties to be associated with events that mock the religious beliefs, desecrate the sacred texts, or insult the spiritual sensitivities of Jews or Muslims.”
“Likewise,” he added, “it wouldn't allow its reputation or institution to be affiliated in any way with the activities or views of an 'independent student organization' that was reenacting the lynchings of African Americans or homophobic attacks or violence against women.”
The priest then likened the planned event to a séance aimed at communicating with the soul of Adolf Hitler or a re-enactment of a Koran burning. Both, he said, would be “terribly injurious” to each community and is something Harvard “would never associate itself with.”
“A ceremony invoking Satan, mocking the Catholic Mass and desecrating what Catholics believe to be the Body of Jesus Christ – or if, implausibly, an unconsecrated host will be used, something that is at least meant to symbolize the Eucharist – should be treated in the same way,” he emphasized.
Fr. Laundry told the school's president that he has “a special responsibility over Harvard’s reputation as well as occupy the most prominent position of all to demonstrate what Harvard stands for.”
“Please grasp that Harvard’s present acquiescence to allowing its campus to be the setting for this Satanic Mass and its up-until-now anemic response have already brought the university local, national and international derision.”
“There's still time,” he wrote, “to remedy this situation and clearly communicate that mockery and desecration of the religious rites, objects, and sensitivities of others have no place at Harvard.”
Thank you very much, my friend. Wish I could do that. I have no skill on a tablet.
“Apparently it’s not just a thing of “ages past”, as you still think you have the right to tell others what they can and can’t do. And if a handful of brats can affect your ability to practice you faith, that says more about your insecurity than anything they are doing to you.”
Dragging Aunt Sally about is not going to cut it.
“Finally, the real irony is the church invented Satanism from whole cloth to demonize pagans, and now you are incensed when people mimic it.”
I’ll just re-post that as one of the sillier ideas.
BTW, Satanists are not pagans. They are Satanists. Wiccans, anamists, and a whole host of other religions are pagan.
Satanists worship Satan.
For some reason, your name did not post.
See above.
“Finally, the real irony is the church invented Satanism from whole cloth to demonize pagans, and now you are incensed when people mimic it.”
And you know this, how?
I am curious about the sources you used to arrive at that conclusion.
Precisely. The church in the middle ages labeled witches and other pagans as "Satan worshippers" in order to discredit and persecute them. There is not one shred of evidence that anyone worshiped Satan prior to Christianity. The only evidence Satanism existed is from accusations by the Church itself.
Thanks for the info. I had the album, and it had some really good music on it; but after a while I just felt I had to get rid of it.
Just wondering, did Oz Ozborne ever get with another band that you know of? Or any of the others?
I meant to address my post to you as well 48. There is just no evidence of any practice of Satanism prior to the Church accusing pagans and heretics of practicing it.
With reference to the mention of Satanism being distinct from Wicca, Wicca was invented by Aleister Crowley's protege Gerald Gardner, who was an OTO initiate. It is the OTO's brand of Satanism rebranded to appeal to feminists who would not want to label themselves "Satanists," similar to the way the Communist Party created various fronts to appeal to people who would not want to join the CP.
PS: Donald Nugent = Christopher Nugent (Dr. Nugent has published under both names, I believe he used “Christopher” for that book).
Witchraft, such as it was, was allowed in the middle ages in England. The Church ignored it. Only if someone was accused of plotting to kill the king through demonic practices was it prosecuted. An example would be the false story put about that Richard the Third had Jane Shore arrested on witchcraft charges after she “withered” his arm. In reality, he had her arrested because she was a co-conspirator in a plot to murder him.
As it should scare anyone with sense. This stuff is not to be done. These fools don’t know what they are messing with.
I don’t doubt it is foul.
Don’t know the details; no interest in learning. I’d categorize it as “witchcraft” and especially poor thing for Jewish people to know about (think Saul).
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