Seriously? “No gesture is prescribed for the lay faithful in the Roman Missal; nor the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, therefore the extending or holding of hands by the faithful should not be performed.” So in other words, the Roman Missal doesn’t say anything about it therefore it should not happen.
Is this really what the priests and bishops think is important right now?
What else does he need to tell you? To stop picking your nose, during Mass?
It IS important, because it affects the nature of the prayer, because it affects the mental inclination of those performing it.
Same thing with kneeling, genuflecting, etc. As C.S. Lewis said, we are souls, but we have bodies, and our physical situation (including our posture) does affect our souls.
we agree
When I lived in Germany, the people there followed the dictum:
“What is not explicitly allowed is forbidden.”
Here in the USA, our dictum has generally been:
“What is not explicitly forbidden is allowed.”
Holding hands started in AA meetings in the 60s and it caught on in protestant services. It then of course was mimicked by lax Catholics. Just more protestant poison that needs to be eliminated in the Catholic Church.
I’m afraid it is. Don’t expect anything much on Planned Parenthood or gay marriage, however, except a reminder to be nice and hold hands.