While I am always extremely hurt and saddened to see all forms of abuse by religious, I have of late been increasingly grateful for what does not happen in my own diocese. More and more the grass is greener on the inside of this diocese's fence. In my own experience, we have been very mercifully free from the horrendeous abuse know as "liturgical dance."
Coming to light is one Fr. Joachim Andrade in Brazil performing profane acts in immodest dress. This apparently happened only earlier this year (see photo above). It's hard to say which is more disturbing and scandalous: the priest displaying this blasphemey or the silence and allowance of the local bishop and clergy as it transpires. Apparently, it's been happening and ignored for some time. While the latest incident was a mere few months ago, it's been happening for years as evidenced by this 2009 video of Fr. Andrade strutting his pagan stuff:
I honestly cannot understand why this blatantly happens when it has been quite clear it should not be so! The Vatican Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship issued the still authoritive 1975 Dance in the Liturgy which stated:
Note that while the above forbids any liturgical use, the following excerpt fully excludes the participation by priests outside the liturgy as well!"...it [dance] cannot be introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever: that would be to inject into the liturgy one of the most desacralized and desacralizing elements; and so it would be equivalent to creating an atmosphere of profaneness which would easily recall to those present and to the participants in the celebration worldly places and situations." (emphasis mine.)
"If the proposal of the religious dance in the West is really to be made welcome, care will have to be taken that in its regard a place be found outside of the liturgy, in assembly areas which are not strictly liturgical. Moreover, the priest must always be excluded from the dance." (emphasis original, bold is mine.)
Most importantly, let's remember the priest is taking it upon himself to insert something into the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that is not part of the Roman Missal. If we go right to the church instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist) available on the Vatican website we read concerning priests plainly in Chapter I, 3 (paragraph 31):
They ought not to detract from the profound meaning of their own ministry by corrupting the liturgical celebration either through alteration or omission, or through arbitrary additions. For as St. Ambrose said, 'It is not in herself . . . but in us that the Church is injured. Let us take care so that our own failure may not cause injury to the Church'.What can be done?
Pray for the conversion of Fr. Andrade and other religious!
