Soccer-playing 'Orange' Catholic priest suspended in The Netherlands

Saturday, July 17, 2010

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A Catholic priest in The Netherlands has been suspended by his bishop after celebrating an "Orange" Mass in the town of Odam. The priest and congregation had prayed for the success of the Dutch team that ultimately lost the World Cup to rival Spain during the Mass. The suspension was announced on July 15 . Bishop Jozef Punt of Haarlem said in a statement issuedy that Rev. Paul Vlaar’s packed service in the village north of Amsterdam “did not do justice to the sacred nature of the Eucharist.” The Netherlands lost to Spain 1 - 0.

Rev. Vlaar wore orange vestments and decorated the church with orange flags and gave an impassioned homily on teamwork and sports. During the Mass, At the rear of the nave of the ancient church, Rev. Vlaar received a soccer ball kicked by a parishioner from the area of the altar. Parishioners wore orange t-shirts and football jerseys and orange cowboy hats, while children had their faces painted with the Dutch tri-color and had their hair dyed orange. Bishop Punt claimed that the Mass had “caused outrage” in the Netherlands and elsewhere. He ordered Vlaar to enter “a period of reflection,” suspending him from priestly duties.

Obdam Parish vice chairman Win Bijman told the media tha the congregation was “shocked and disappointed” by the popular priest’s suspension. Rev. Vlaar was not available for comment on July 16. Said Bijman, “People do not understand it. Everybody supports Pastor Paul and we don’t see what was so bad that he should be temporarily suspended,” according to AP.

“Maybe we allowed ourselves to be swept along a little too much in the Orange euphoria,” he added, referring to the Dutch football team. “But it is part of Pastor Paul’s personality that he manages to harness that kind of enthusiasm to get people into church. The church here is full and in other places churches are empty.”

Speroforum editor Martin Barillas is a former US diplomat, who also worked as a democracy advocate and election observer in Latin America. He is also a freelance translator.

Filed under netherlands, catholic, sports, soccer, priesthood, eu, religion, christianity

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