Rite of peace at Mass: it is not a greeting or a gesture of sympathy, explains expert

It addresses the problem derived from some “exaggerated expressions” of the rite of peace, which led Pope Benedict XVI to consult the Episcopal Conferences on the possibility of it being modified or eliminated from the Roman Missal.

Finally, it was decided to keep it in place, offering a series of “practical provisions to better express the content of the sign of peace and to moderate the excesses, which cause confusion in the liturgical assembly just before Communion.”

The letter emphasizes that “if the faithful do not understand and do not demonstrate to live, in their ritual gestures, the correct meaning of the rite of peace, the Christian concept of peace is weakened and their very fruitful participation in the peace is negatively affected.” Eucharist”.