The hoverboard was the “it” gift this year for some. It’s a two-wheeled electric scooter-like device that actually doesn’t hover, but does burst into flames, violently hurls users to the ground, and now, apparently, gets clerics suspended from ministry.
The Rev. Albert San Jose of the Diocese of San Pablo, south of Manila in the Philippines, ended a Christmas Eve Mass last week with what apparently was meant to be a treat for worshippers, serenading them with a Christmas song while using the hoverboard to glide up and down the aisles while some in the pews laughed and applauded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGI9yRRVQm8&feature=youtu.be
But the diocese wasn’t amused.
Church officials there released a statement Tuesday calling the stunt “wrong” and announcing that the priest had been suspended.
“The priest said that it was a wake up call for him; he acknowledged that his action was not right and promised that it will not happen again,” the statement said.
“He will be out of the parish and will spend some time to reflect on this past event. He would like to apologize for what happened,” it continued. The priest’s church is located in Binan city in Laguna province.
The statement called Mass “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 video of the priest using the hoverboard went viral, racking up nearly 14 million views on Facebook is less than a week.
