Catholic Church embraces varied gestures for 'Our Father' prayer, CBCP says

MANILA, Philippines — The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has officially declared that churchgoers may choose their preferred gesture while reciting or singing the "Our Father" prayer during Mass. 

The statement comes in response to requests from several prelates for an official declaration regarding the appropriate gesture to be used while praying the "Our Father."

A CBCP liturgy body said on Friday that worshipers may use different gestures, such as raised hands, joined hands or holding each other's hands, during the recitation of the prayer.

“The faithful can recite or sing it with a gesture that can best help them to experience and express themselves as God’s children,” said Archbishop Victor Bendico, chairman of the CBC Episcopal Commission on Liturgy, in a circular released Friday. 

“For many of the faithful, it is in raising their hands in an orans posture that they can express the filial love and reverence contained in the prayer. Nothing in the Scriptures nor in the Christian tradition of worship forbids them from doing so,” he added.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula agreed with Bendico, saying that people should respect the decision of the faithful on the gestures they take.

“This should be done in harmony with the nature of the prayer and in deference to others who are present in the celebration,” Advincula said.

The Lord's Prayer, according to the cardinal, “is not only a prayer formula but a program of the Christian life founded on the Good News that Jesus proclaimed, lived, and died for.”

“This, therefore, demands from us conversion of life that makes the will of the Father the foundation of our life. The fruit of this is our love of our brothers and sisters,” he said.