POPE Francis has once again appealed to Catholic priests whose homilies go beyond 10 minutes during mass that they should at no point ever go beyond 10 minutes.
In 2018 and early this year, the Head of the Catholic Church worldwide stressed that priests should not let their homilies go beyond eight minutes to avoid situations where people fall asleep.
On Wednesday this week, Pope Francis reiterated his point stating that priests who preach the word longer than 10 minutes are the reason people go outside during mass to smoke and come back.
“Often, homilies are so long, 20 or 30 minutes that people will go outside to smoke a cigarette and come back,” he said.
The Pontiff stated that if anything, a normal homily should only be less than eight minutes but for the sake of those who can’t manage, 10 minutes could do.
“Please, do not go longer than 10 minutes, ever. This is very important. Priests must ensure that they do not preach about themselves but the Gospel,” said Pope Francis.
He said preaching loses its power and starts to ramble after eight minutes.
The Pope explained that the goal of a homily is to help move the Word of God from the book to life noting that people who fall asleep after eight minutes are right to do so.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, December 6, 2024
