What has happened to the Jesuits?
I found this on Gloria TV and also found this little 'smiley' that sums up my reaction (and the reaction of one viewer of Gloria, to the above clip). This guy is, believe it or not, a Catholic priest. He could at least keep his flippin' cassock on! Great Indian dancer, great body, shame about the vocation...
Does that fall within the limits of 'inculturation' or not?! To be fair, he is not obliged to abandon his national traditions when becoming a priest
ReplyDeleteI don't know, hence I think its better if he keeps his clothes on!
ReplyDeleteOoh, lovely boy; lovely make-up. I just knew it had to Germany (he'd go down a storm in Brighton) even before I hit the play button.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if you want to pull that's as good a way of doing it.
I lasted 30 seconds whilst suppressing the urge to part with my brunch (thanks for the smiley warning).
Simply couldn't take any more of the sickening narcissism of a very sad person.
Bleah.
PS We've long known what's happened to the Jesuits. Time for another Suppression?
The Jesuits went into freefall after the Reformation....the dancing priest should have been around then :) Heh, Heh.
ReplyDeleteHe would fit in well with the Warwick Street masses!
ReplyDeleteRichard.
Richard - why would he fit in well at the soho masses? There aren't any asian or indian or any other kind of dances and customs incorportaed into these masses.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be equating people with other cultural backgrounds with gay people. On what basis do you make that assertion? There seems to be some kind of perception that only white europeans can be truly catholic, with any one else not fitting into this category labelled as heretics.
Should priests always wear a cassock? I don't think so. What about when they go swimming, go to the gym or jogging or do other sporting activities. It seems to me that priests are required to wear appropriate dress for the activity they are undertaking. National costume would seem appropiate when doing cultural dances. It's not as if he's indecent, his private parts are very well covered. Dances of these kinds have been seen many times in St Peters square. It's no big deal unless you're trying to impose a colonialist european attitude upon the worldwide catholic church which is meant to be universal. upon
ReplyDeleteHe's a priest, for goodness sake. His vows require him to subsume himself into God for the sake of his and others' souls.
ReplyDeleteIt's zilch about white colonialism. It's about how you manifest your life as a servant of God, not about the vanity of showing yourself off publicly.
He could, instead, have chosen to celebrate Mass.
But if equivalence of religion is your bag then don't be a Catholic priest, be a dancer.
And if you're a dancer you get to do your thing at Westminster Cathedral (next Wednesday).
Richard and Georgem - so what you're basically saying is that people from other ethnic backgrounds are effiminate and therefore gay, Wow, I think you need to go on compulsory diversity training.
ReplyDeleteNope. You've missed the point entirely.
ReplyDeleteSo let me spell it out again. The man is a Catholic priest. He has taken solemn vows to serve God as a Catholic priest. His vows have bound him to uphold and preach the Christian faith; not Hindu, not Muslim, not Buddhist, not Judaism.
Saint Alphonsa of Kudamaloor, Palai, Saint Josephine Bakhita, the Martyrs of Uganda: there are thousands of faithful Asian and African priests, nuns and lay Catholics who toil in God's name 24/7 without fanfare, without public display, and many today still lose their lives because of it.
Indeed, there are priests and nuns from those two continents serving as missionaries in the UK. They are fine exemplars of God's work - and thank God for them. I suppose they should go on diversity training because they tend to be rather conservative in their faith. Tell me, if you will, which other religions espouse equivalence of belief? None.
If this man wants to dance in private and wear stage make-up, fine. But if he wants to do it in public let him be a dancer, not a Catholic priest. If he wants to be a Catholic priest he should try preaching the Christian Gospel, helping the sick, the poor, the dispossessed, the persecuted.
Because that's what he signed up for.
With that sort of precision of movement he would be able to celebrate an Extraordinary Form Mass perfectly well I should think. (fully vested with alb, cincture, chasubule and maniple over his cassock). Cobblers should stick to their lasts and priests to their vocations. If they want to do this kind of thing it should be incongnito, in private and with no cameras present. And probably confessed afterwards.
ReplyDeleteSurprised.Would that I could say that I am. Don't you read America Magazine? Fr. Clooney, or Fr. Looney as I refer to him?
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when priests stop believing in the Real Presence and the Sacraments. The Jesuits' days are numbered...
''This is what happens when priests stop believing in the Real Presence and the Sacraments. The Jesuits' days are numbered...''
ReplyDeleteThis priest hasn't stopped believing in the Real Presence or the sacraments. There's nothing to suggest that.
I suspect lot of the comments and attitudes about this priest are formed through racism.
There are many ways to praise God and can include using your voice to speak or sing,using your body in a respectful dance,or playing various instruments.
ReplyDeleteFather Sanju is obviously from India, not a Western country, and he carefully explains that he is praising God using dance.
Do you think God would tell Fr. Sanju that He doesn't accept his praise, that it doesn't meet someone else's expectations. We can better serve God and love Him in Fr. Sanju by not criticizing and condemning him. What does that say about us?
It says that he praises God in the manner of a Hindu, rather than in the manner of a Catholic. This is rather important because he is not just a Catholic. He is a Catholic priest.
ReplyDeleteYou have to understand where this man is coming from. He obviously has a passion for dance and the main dance form he has seen is Bharatanatyam. As long as he is not worshipping any pagan gods, I think this falls within the limits of inculturation. In the past pagan practices like burning incense sticks made their way into Christian worship, but they were cleansed of their pagan meaning. Likewise this could apply to Fr George's dance.
ReplyDeleteIt's wrong to expect Christianity to be a western straitjacket.
I've seen Saju George perform. He is more connected with God than most priests I've experienced at mass. Whatever monies he raises through his dancing goes to help support Kàlai Kàviri, a school that helps the untouchables caste in India learn the art of dance and music, elevating them from poverty.
ReplyDeleteThe rigid Catholics criticizing him here seem to have lost the true vision of Christ's Charity for others.