Pope urges clergy not to bore parishioners and to keep sermons to 8 minutes

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on June 12, 2024. Photo: Vatican Media

Pope Francis has appealed to Catholic priests to keep their sermons short, warning that they should be no longer than eight minutes, otherwise "people will fall asleep," writes the Catholic News Agency.

The pontiff made this statement while speaking in St. Peter's Square on June 12. According to the pope, the goal of a homily is to "help move the Word of God from the book to life."

"But the homily for this must be short: an image, a thought, a feeling. The homily should not go beyond eight minutes because after that time you lose attention and people fall asleep," he said.

This is not the first time the head of the Roman Catholic Church has emphasized the importance of short sermons. In 2018, he called on priests to "be brief" and ensure that their sermons are "no more than 10 minutes".

However, as noted by the publication, Pope Francis himself often exceeds this time limit in his homilies. On Maundy Thursday this year, his sermon lasted over 20 minutes.

As the UOJ previously reported, Pope Francis recently remarked that the most profitable investments today are in weapons and contraceptives.

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