Clown Mass? Lie Site News Strikes Again!

A viral social media post fails to tell the real story, but what should we expect from LieSite News?

My friends, know when you’re being lied to, and stop repeating it. Check out this latest zinger from the infamous “LieSite:” News

The text in the image reads “Literal Clown Liturgy,” leading you to believe this is an infamous “Clown Mass.” I’ve already had four commenters post this image to attack Vatican II and the Ordinary Form Liturgy.

Let’s flip the script and stay faithful to the facts.

This was not a Mass, and it’d be a stretch even to call it para-liturgy. Was it ridiculous? Absolutely. But let’s analyze it for what it actually was, not for what it wasn’t.

The Reality

It was a prayer service organized by a Catholic lay “ecumenical” congress. It included Scripture readings, a “homily” (more like a pep talk where an actual homily would be), and “intercessions.” Except even the intercessions weren’t really intercessions. They replaced the traditional intercessions with a performative segment called Zeitungstheater (newspaper theater), with clowns reacting to the headlines. Definitely not intercessions.

Is it completely ridiculous? Yes. I’m not defending it. But what should we expect from Germany, the land where you can find BDSM booths at Catholic events? That makes this a Germany problem, not a Catholic Church or Vatican II problem. This isn’t a product of Vatican II. It’s the product of the distorted imaginations of Catholic organizers who, in my opinion, want to reinvent Catholicism by poisoning Catholic culture.

The Framing Problem

LSN deliberately worded this “Literal Clown Liturgy.” It was not a Mass. It’d be a stretch even to call it para-liturgy. So ask yourself: if the story is shocking enough on the facts, why did they have to frame it as Liturgy to make it appear even more shocking?

Was this a rhetorical assault against the Mass itself, suggesting (in my opinion) that this is yet another “clown mass” of Vatican II? You decide. But was this headline representative of the facts and the true story? I should say not.

You got that from me. Know who your friends are.

God be with you all.