Reply #55: There definitely is.... [View All]

[Dorian Gray]

but there are also cases where people are too ill or incapable of attending a public Mass. In those cases, the priest may perform a private Mass. (Priests are required to perform Mass daily, and many of them do it alone, as they are not Pastors of a church.)

It sounds like in this case the priest tried to accommodate the child and his issues at Mass.

And I totally understand where you are coming from here. It seems as though the church may be being unnecessarily restrictive about this child. But, at the same time, the church wants to ensure the safety of all the other children at the church. I don't know from the articles exactly what happened...

The priest may also be dealing with a lot of complaints from other parishoners. They may be unwarranted, but he may find that there is a disconnect about Mass, and the majority of the congregation is distracted by this child. If that is the case, it IS unfair. Mass is supposed to be truly a reverent time, and if the congregation is completely distracted by this child and complaining about it, then what recourse does the priest have other than trying to work with the family to make concessions that will work for everyone. And if the family refuses to comply....?

It's a weird (and obviously unusual) case. And it's possible that it's a case of a bunch of people unwilling to make allowances for an autistic child, and that would totally be unfair. But, if the child does actually pose any sort of threat to other children in the church, then I can understand the decision made by the church.