The liturgical commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has explicitly stated that Catholic believers are free to hold or raise their hands during the Lord’s prayer, as “both gestures are considered liturgically accepted” to accompany the prayer during Mass.

In its Circular No. 2023-03, the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Liturgy (ECL) said there is no particular gesture that is forbidden or prescribed when praying the Lord’s Prayer (or “Our Father”).

This official decision is made in response to requests from some prelates for a formal statement on the proper gesture when reciting or singing the Lord’s Prayer during mass.

“We are, therefore, exhorted to exercise sincere respect for each other in the gesture we express during the prayer,” Archbishop Victor Bendico, chairman of the CBCP-ECL, said in a circular released Friday.

“For many of the faithful, it is in raising their hands in an orans posture that they can express the filial love and reverence contained in the prayer. Nothing in the Scriptures nor in the Christian tradition of worship forbids them from doing so,” he added.

The prelate said this because, according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), it “neither forbids nor prescribes” raising hands or holding hands while praying the Lord’s Prayer during Mass.

“And since the GIRM is silent on the matter, either forbidding or prescribing it runs counter to the intent of the Instruction,” he said.

“The faithful can recite or sing it with a gesture that can best help them to experience and express themselves as God’s children,” said Bendico, who also serves as the archbishop of Capiz.

In a separate statement, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula agreed with the CBCP-ECL and said that people should respect the faithful’s choice of the gestures they take while praying.

“Let us respect the decision of the faithful on the gestures they take, whether raised or joined hands or holding each other’s hands,” Advincula said.

“This should be done in harmony with the nature of the prayer and in deference to others who are present in the celebration,” he said.