The Diocese of San Pablo said on Wednesday the priest who received flak for riding a hoverboard during mass inside a church was ordered to take a leave of absence from the parish so that he could reflect about the incident.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the diocese also said that Fr. Albert San Jose of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish owned up to his mistake and apologized for his action.
“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,” the diocese wrote in a statement posted at the official website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
San Jose said that the incident was a “wake-up call” for him and promised that “it will not happen again.”
San Jose was caught on video, which went viral, riding a hoverboard while singing to the congregation before the final blessing of the Christmas Eve Mass.
As a way of greeting his parishioners, the priest sang a Christmas song, while going around the church.
“That was wrong,” the archdiocese said rejecting San Jose’s recent action.
The diocese said the Eucharist is the Church’s “highest form” of worship and that should not be involved of any action that would get the attention of the parishioners.
“The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence. It is the Memorial of the Lord’s Sacrifice. It is the source and summit of Christian life,” the diocese said.
“Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously introduce something to get the attention of the people,” it added.
