“Thou shall not use hoverboard while giving mass on Christmas Eve.” No, there is no such command in the Bible. But that hasn’t deterred church authorities in Philippines from suspending an enterprising priest who thought it would be a good idea to stand and move around on a hoverboard while giving mass on the Christmas eve.
“It is 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”, said Diocese of San Pablo in their official statement, suspending the priest.
The diocese also stated that the priest, whose name has not been revealed yet, has acknowledged his mistake and promised that it won’t be repeated in future. “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 said.
As technologies like drones and hoverboards get more commonplace, the number of such incidents — or we call them sins — are only expected to increase. Although in some cases, as Mike Tyson found out recently when he almost broke his daughters hoverboard, people may also find it cute, India Today reported.
While the church is giving tough times to the priest, some people on Facebook have come forward in support of the priest. “I am sure the priest meant no disrespect. He was, no doubt, trying to be ‘relevant’ and establish a bond with the young. It was an error in judgment” read a post.
Some have also tried a hilarious approach to the incident, with one post reading as “because the Bible clearly states, thou shall not ride the hoverboard in Church.”
A community page is also seen on Facebook named “if a priest wants to ride a hoverboard in mass then he should be able to.” The about section of the page reads “It’s the Diocese of San Pablo that should be reflecting upon its actions.”
The video shows priest gliding on the hoverboard while singing prayer songs. The church attendees are seen enjoying the scene, with some even clicking photos and making videos.