www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Queen Sofia of Spain attends Papal Mass

I was extremely disturbed to learn that Queen Sofia of Spain, ex-Greek Orthodox and for the last few decades Roman Catholic, refused to kneel to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion from the hands of the Pope.

As many of you know, the Holy Father has made it a policy that at Masses celebrated by him, the people who receive communion from him kneel on a small, moveable kneeler set before him. This has been going on for some time now. Never have I had the misfortune to see anyone refuse to kneel.

Moreover, the fact that Her Majesty refused to kneel was shocking to me. I suppose I felt that as a former member of a Church which places great value on the Liturgy and reverence in receiving the Body and Blood of Christ that she of all people would be among the most willing.

All of this is, I suppose, complicated by the fact that currently in the Roman Church it is not allowable to deny someone Holy Communion just because he or she decides to kneel or to remain standing. So technically she was within her rights as a Catholic, but since it is clear what the Holy Father desires, I found it pretty unbelievable.

On top of that, Her Majesty seems to have forgotten her mantilla (which I've seen her wear many times before, for specifically ecclesial functions, i.e. not just some Spanish cultural event where a mantilla would be expected for its cultural meanings somewhat apart from its religious symbolism).

Go here to see the picture: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/11/noblesse-ought-to-oblige/ and Father Z's commentary.

Anyway, to me this highlights not only a seriously defective judgment on Her Majesty's part, but again makes me wish the practice of receiving Holy Communion while standing be abolished, since the irony of this mess is that she was technically within her rights.

Of course I understand that standing to receive is the norm in the Byzantine Rite and in no way think that this posture is by its nature inferior to receiving while kneeling. But we all know what the traditional practice of the Roman Church has been for centuries upon centuries.

Additionally, apparently Her Majesty received in the hand, not on the tongue. Again, her right, but never done at Papal Masses where the communicant receives from the Holy Father.

I'd be interested to hear thoughts on the subject, especially in light of Her Majesty's Orthodox background.

I mean, who does she think she is - the Queen of England?! (Sorry, couldn't resist...)

Alexis

P.S. In all fairness to Her Majesty, and as some posters speculate (very charitably) over at Father Z's blog, we can only hope that Her Majesty was impeded by some ailment. But, in all honesty, I saw no sign of that at the Mass.

Without knowing all the facts, it appears that if Queen Sophia was asserting her Orthodoxy she should not have received Communion in the hand. Either she is very confused or has another agenda.

Paul,

I don't think she was asserting her Orthodoxy - she's not Orthodox and hasn't been in decades, and I've never heard of a desire on her behalf to act and believe as anything other than a Roman Catholic Christian. And as you said, such a posture and type of reception would not be reflective of Orthodoxy, anyway.

Alexis

And take a look at the Pope's face and the faces of the clerics behind her. Looks like everyone was pretty shocked...

Alexis

Guys,

As an Orthodox Christian, I would encourage everyone to kneel when receiving the Holy Communion.

Please she was not asserting anything!

Well done to His Holiness Pope Benedict!! That's a great policy that he should apply to EVERYONE having the Holy Communion.

I'm EXTREMELY disappointed, to say the least, at her behaviour. As Orthodox Christians, although we are divided, we acknowledge that THIS IS the TRUE Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Catholic Altar.

I think she should have been asked to kneel. We kneel in our Church (we should do at least!).

LOL...you are too funny!!!

As for the Queen, one would think, that of all the people who should know protocol and etiquette, it would be she! Even Princess Diana and other non-Catholics wear a mantilla on their heads when meeting the Pope...Hmmm....

For not receiving on the tongue, well, as Alexis says, it is permissable, so she was within her right.

As for not kneeling, let's remember that she is over 50, and that she could very well have some type of difficulty in her knees.

One never knows what ailments another is dealing with that prevent them from proper ecclesiastical reverences; especially when they are in her age group; and let's also not let appearances be deceiving--yes, she looks great, fit, healthy and slim...but that means nothing.

I have been taught (by an Orthodox archimandrite) that it is inappropriate to take photos during Holy Communion...

She just celebrated her 72nd birthday :-)
Although the protocol calls for kneeling when receiving from HH Pope Benedict XVI, I see no problem with her standing, for reasons of economia.

Personally, I wish she had received the Eucharist on the tongue.

Papal Masses are frequently televised. I didn't see this dedication Mass but from others I have seen it appears that many of the female faithful come forward without a head-covering to receive Holy Eucharist from His Holiness. To the extent this appears to show a lack of respect it's really unfortunate. She's worn head coverings at other Masses. Who knows what the reason for this may be...

Logos-Alexis,

You sound as if you were the Pope you would have held up the host and scolded the queen. Looks to me like she is making a very reverential bow and receiving her Lord in a way honored and sanctioned by her Church. Keep away from those awful blog spots, and be mindful that His disciples plucked grain on the Sabbath, and their Master dined with sinners and tax collectors.

Goody-goody gum-drops for Queen Sofia.

I'm astonished that anyone even gives a hoot about this subject. If the Queen of Spain wants to dance the fandango down the aisle, castanets a clacking', on her way to receive Communion, my reaction would be "how odd", and then I'd immediately forget it.

It ain't got nothin' to do with me & I find it hard to see that it has anything to do with anybody (other than the Queen, the Pope and the Lord Jesus Himself; and I bet it didn't fret Him none.)

We got more crucial stuff to be concerned about.

Relax, y'all. This post ain't no attack on nothin' nor nobody so please don't come flyin' back at me over it.

Well, I take a line of reasoning quite apart from that of the last two posters...

Utroque,

Thank you for the blog advice. I agree that sometimes some of the more popular "traditional" or traditionally-minded Catholic blogs can get a little nutty sometimes.

But, in this circumstance, (and this speaks to sielos' point), I think something like this is relevant, of great importance, and worthy of a blog post, at minimum. You see, sielos, I believe that it is the responsibility of every Catholic, of every Christian, to take note of how we are communicating. We are literally eating God's Flesh and drinking His Blood. It's the ultimate act of God-to-human intimacy in this life. And so when someone in such a prominent position as the Queen of Spain seemingly goes out of her way (I mean, it looked like quite the balancing act!) to receive Holy Communion in a manner inconsistent with the traditional practices of her ritual Church, the Pope's clear instructions and preferences, and just plain good manners, I don't see the problem with wanting to discuss it. It has real implications.

And I would hope that you would care if anyone, including Queen Sofia of Spain, "danced the fandango" down the aisle on his way to receiving Our Lord, if for nothing other than that this moment is intensely sacred in every respect, and given our Apostolic Christian belief that outward actions are reflective of inward realities, it's appropriate to expect, hope, and pray that everyone who receives is in a mindset suited to the sacrality of the experience.

No one's saying it's the end of the world. Only that it is legitimate to take interest and concern in it.

Alexis

You may be right. Paz con nosotros.

I think it is legitimate to discuss what happened. But I think the subject line of this thread is misleading. We don't know that "Queen Sofia of Spain Refuses to Kneel". As has been pointed out, it may be that she was unable to kneel for health reasons.

I think it is inappropriate to assume that Queen Sofía had any bad intention, when there is no evidence to support this theory. All we know is that she did not kneel. It would have been good if she had done so, but we do not know why she did not.

"Judge not, that you may not be judged" (Matthew 7:1).

Latin Catholic,

In hindsight I agree that the title of the thread is not the wisest choice. Perhaps "Queen Sofia of Spain Doesn't Kneel to Receive."

Alexis

Yes, that would be more factual.