MASS HEARD BY WIRELESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 April 1932, Page 9

MASS HEARD BY WIRELESS

PRONOUNCED TO BE INVALID.

ROME, February 26.

The question whether Mass heard by wireless would be valid has been put to a number of authorities of the Roman Catholic Church. All of them declared that it would not be.

Though toe recognised 1 that a broadcast Mass would have special value in the case of. persons who were too ill to attend church, they maintained their objection in regard to its validity. » / . , Cardinal Ascalesi, Archbishop of Naples, stated that Mass could not be valid if heard more than ten paces away from a church, excepting when there was a great and unbroken concourse of people and the celebration could be seen or heard by all. Father Gianfranceschi, t the Director of tlie Vatican Wireless station, agreed with the other authorities that the hearing of Mass without the physical presence of the faithful was not valid. Ho said, however, that, In view of the unceasing development of the science of broadcasting, the question might one day be taken up by the Pope. It is Supposed that he had the question of television in mind. The Church, he added, had always taken advantage of modern inventions when they' could be used for spreading-thd faith. Mgr. Carinci, of the Congregation of Rites, went further and- said that the congregation, when aSked whether confession could be heard by .telephone, had answered in the negative "because the elements of personal presence and secrecy were absent.