Opinion: Peaced-out pope

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Pope Benedict XVI has caused a mini-schism among his flock with his ‘Back to the Future’ views about worship, which include a fondness for the Latin Mass and elaborate ‘retro’ vestments and a disdain for innovations that have made Catholic Sunday services indistinguishable from those in other churches.

But even some liberal Catholics who prefer ‘Kumbaya’ to Gregorian chant may side secretly with the pope on his latest counter-reformational idea. Benedict has floated moving the ‘Sign of Peace’ ceremony -- in which congregants shake hands, embrace and sometimes give each other the high five -- from immediately before Communion to an earlier point in the Mass.

The switch in time would be designed to promote ‘a more meditative climate’ of worship, according to the Vatican. Cardinal Francis Arinze, the pope’s soul mate in these matters, explained: ‘The meaning of this gesture is often not fully understood. It is thought to be a chance to shake hands with friends. Instead it is a way to tell those nearby that the peace of Christ, really present on the altar, is also with all men.’

There is a theological subtext to this change: The pope, like many conservatives, believes that post-Vatican II Catholics are more inclined to view the Mass as a meal rather than a sacrificial rite. That said, he is on to something. I have attended Mass at Episcopal churches where the ‘Sign of Peace’ drill takes place earlier in the service, after the recitation of the Creed, and was happy to have gotten it over with before the Eucharist proper began.

The really radical move would be to abolish the offering of the Sign of Peace, which in my experience is often a chaotic and confusing interlude. (Do you grab the paw of the person behind you or of the one in the pew ahead? Should children get a pat on the head? How about the people on the other side of the aisle? What if you’re germophobic and the worshipper next to you has dirty hands? Is it OK to abbreviate ‘Peace be with you’ to ‘Peace, man!’? Will God mind if you give your little brother a cootie handshake?)

This might seem an intra-Catholic issue. But, as with many religious controversies, it has implications in the wider world. We live in an age of hyper-informality in which ordinary people, not just Hollywood stars, kiss people they are meeting for the first time. (As the kids say, Eew!) It’s unlikely that the pope’s campaign will have a ripple effect on cocktail parties, but it’s worth a try.