Marty Barrack emailed me yesterday with an interesting question. I thought I would answer it here since it is not an uncommon question that I have received in the past. Here it is: “[…] a musical concert, not a
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addresses this question. This canon states: “In a sacred place only those things are to be permitted which serve to exercise or promote worship, piety and religion. Anything out of harmony with the holiness of the place is forbidden. The Ordinary may however, for individual cases, permit other uses, provided they are not contrary to the sacred character of the place.”
Okay, basically the Church sanctuary should only be used for sacred uses. Nevertheless, the Ordinary (meaning the Diocesan Bishop or his equivalent in law, the Vicar General, an Episcopal Vicar, or in the case of a religious house, the Major Superior) can permit other usages, provided it is not contrary to the sacred character of the place. These other uses should be the exception rather than the rule. The law doesn’t go into details about what is and is not contrary to the sacred character of the place; rather, the law relies on the common sense of the Ordinary. In other words, few would likely object to a classical music concert being performed in the Church sanctuary. On the other hand, a professional wrestling card, even if it is old school and thus within the bounds of decency, should probably be held in the Church hall.