"Soon-to-be archbishop in Argentina publicly scolded altar boys for kneeling to receive Communion"

"A prelate in Argentina appointed as an archbishop by Pope Leo XIV previously scolded altar boys during Mass because they insisted on kneeling to receive Holy Communion. The bishop also reportedly denied the Blessed Sacrament to children who knelt for their First Holy Communion.

Bishop Raúl Martín of Santa Rosa, who Leo XIV named last Wednesday to lead the Archdiocese of Paraná, has faced criticism for attacking traditional Catholic devotion and reverent liturgical practices.

Martín, 67, was appointed by Pope Francis, a fellow Argentine, to the Diocese of Santa Rosa in 2013, after having been consecrated by Francis as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires in 2006.

Pope Leo XIV’s new appointment of Martín, 'in itself discreet, has nevertheless sparked a strong reaction among the faithful who remember Martín’s tenure in La Pampa,' Catholic news outlet InfoVaticana reported. 'Not because of his missionary zeal or his pastoral charisma, but because of a long list of grievances and humiliations inflicted on ordinary Catholics – priests and laypeople – who simply wanted to live their faith with reverence and freedom.'

InfoVaticana added, 'For years, serious episodes have been documented in Santa Rosa: altar boys publicly reprimanded for kneeling, children denied First Communion for wanting to receive it kneeling, choirs forbidden to sing in Latin, and priests transferred or marginalized for not conforming...

'Local faithful reported that Martín even visited parishes expressly to ensure that no one received Communion kneeling. As if the enemy were piety.'

Indeed, in a video recorded by a parishioner and published by traditional Catholic group Adelante la Fe in 2018, Martín can be seen rebuking altar boys at a Santa Rosa parish who knelt to receive the Holy Eucharist.

'You saw that the altar servers knelt during Communion. In the city, I have asked all the priests that in all the communities those who assist at Mass not receive Communion on their knees,' he told the congregation.

'This is the disposition of the bishop, therefore, it is required in the diocese,' Martín said. 'The bishop is the liturgist of the diocese and can decide within the diocese what is appropriate for his people.'"