Priest Suspended Over Christmas Eve Hoverboard Stunt

'That was wrong'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 29, 2015 4:55 PM CST

A priest rolling around his church on a "hoverboard" while singing May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You on Christmas Eve earned a round of applause from his congregation and a quick suspension from his diocese, NBC News reports. It's unknown how the birthday boy felt about the whole thing. According to Sun Times, the unnamed priest's song-and-roll routine took place just before the end of mass at a church in the Philippines. Fortunately for those who couldn't be in attendance, the whole thing was caught on video. "That was wrong," Rappler quotes a statement from the Diocese of San Pablo as saying. “[Mass] is the Church’s highest form of worship. Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously introduce something to get the attention of the people.”

The priest's suspension was announced Tuesday, with the diocese stating that the priest is repentant and views the incident as a "wake-up call," Sun Times reports. "[He] will spend some time to reflect on this past event," reads the diocese's statement. "He would like to apologize for what happened.” A group advocating for a return to the traditional Latin mass used the priest's hoverboard jaunt as evidence of the further degradation of Catholic worship. "This calls for a reparation," the group posted on Facebook. According to NBC, so-called hoverboards were one of the most gifted items this Christmas. But Rappler reports they are facing a possible ban in the Philippines. (Even shoplifters are getting in on the trend.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X