It Appears Us Catholics That Want Altar BOYS Only Have Lost The War

John Allen has a piece up on the Altar Server Event at the Vatican

He starts out with this fun bit
According to an old Italian saying, only cani e americani move in Rome in August – dogs and Americans.

Ok that gave me a chuckle.

See Two notes on Rome rally of altar boys (and girls)

He makes this observation in his piece

.............First, for the first time this year, the female altar servers in attendance outnumbered the males. According to organizers, the balance was roughly 60-40 in favor of females. The official Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, pointed to the turnout as a symbol of “the massive entry in recent decades of girls and young women into a role once reserved exclusively to males.”

That’s striking given that in some quarters, the very idea of altar girls remains controversial.

The practice has been banned in a handful of dioceses around the world, usually by bishops or pastors who worry that it might seed confusion about church teaching on the reservation of priestly ordination to men. (In related fashion, some argue that because altar service functions as a kind of “feeder system” for vocations to the priesthood, it should be exclusively for boys.)

In 2003, the use of altar girls was briefly part of a draft Vatican document on liturgical “abuses,” though that document was softened after strong internal criticism.

In that context, the celebratory tone in Rome this week about altar girls would seem to signal clear Vatican support for the practice..........

OK let me say I just don't go bonkers when I see a Altar girl. I have mellowed. There are far more pressing matters to worry about in the Church Liturgical life and for me this is not in the top 3 (maybe its 5). So if I have to choose my battles this is not one of them.

I don't like it because I think there are great benefits to just Altar boys. However that being said I am tad dismayed that Rome appears to be OK with this practice now as some norm. I do hope that this is not taken as a ABSOLUTE mandate that a Priest must have Altar girls.

OK that's my rant. Heck if you like Altar girls that is fine. Just not my cup of Liturgical tea.

Something else in this article strikes me as it relates to the sexual abuse crisis but not in the way you might think. I might bring that up later today. STAY TUNED