Applause Within Mass
Date: December 7, 2025
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: Are there any rules/norms regarding applause during Mass? It's Mother's Day — applause. It's Father's Day — applause. It's Veterans Day — applause. It's someone's birthday — applause (usually includes singing Happy Birthday). It's someone's anniversary — applause. There are visitors — applause. The parish met its fund-raising goal — applause. We have a new altar server — applause. The school team won the big game — applause. Someone gives a sales pitch for some parish organization — applause. And on and on. You get the idea. The Mass becomes more of a self-centered variety show than worship. — R.P., Boise, Idaho
Answer: In general, it must be said that applause is to be discouraged during Mass.
While there is little as to official norms on the subject, several Popes have made this discouragement quite explicit. St. Pius X said that “It is not fitting that the servant should be applauded in his Master’s house.”
Later, St. John XXIII expressed a similar idea when visiting a Roman parish, asking the people not to shout and applaud in God's temple. St. John Paul II generated so much enthusiasm that he was often greeted with cheers and applause and was habitually applauded following the homily; nevertheless, he made several attempts to discourage it during Mass.
Benedict XVI, while still Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy, "Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment" (Page 198).
This principle of not applauding the merely human achievement or service of one of the liturgical actors (priest, choir, cantor or others) could be a good rule of thumb for deciding when applause is appropriate or not.
As Pope Benedict XVI, he started a practice, which has been maintained by Popes Francis and Leo XIV, of having a commentator make an announcement in several languages just before Mass begins requesting that the faithful refrain from applauding in order to live fully the liturgical mystery. In this way, such moments of applause have been mostly eliminated during papal Masses.
There does not seem to be much in the way of official norms at the episcopal level. For example, the Brazilian bishops’ conference, offered a series of norms promoting and guiding the Catholic Charismatic Renewal toward achieving its full potential as an integral portion of the wider Catholic community. Regarding liturgy (Nos. 38-44), it offered the following guidelines, which should not be seen as condemnation of aberrations and abuses.
The conference first recommends that the members of the Renewal receive an adequate liturgical formation. It reminds them that the liturgy is governed by precise rules and nothing external should be introduced (No. 40). No. 41 has precise indications:
"In the celebration of Holy Mass, the words of the institution must not be stressed in an inadequate fashion. Nor must the Eucharistic Prayer be interrupted by moments of praise for Christ's Eucharistic presence by means of applause, cheers, processions, hymns of Eucharistic praise or any other manifestations that exalt in this way the Real Presence and end up emptying out the various dimensions of the Eucharistic celebration."
In No. 42 the bishops indicate that music and gestures should be appropriate to the moment of the celebration and follow the liturgical norms. A clear distinction should be made between liturgical hymns and other religious songs that are reserved for prayer meetings. Hymns should preferably be chosen from an official repertoire of liturgical songs.
At the same time, the exclusion of applause is not an absolute rule. The Holy Father's homilies still occasionally conclude with applause or are even interrupted by enthusiastic ovations. This can also be found in the early Church where great sermons, such as those of a St. Augustine, were occasionally interspersed with appreciative accolades on the part of the people.
While there is no rubric that specifically calls for applause, there are some liturgical celebrations which have moments when applause could be permitted. For example, during the rite of ordination, there is a point at which the congregation is invited to give its approval to the candidate “according to local custom.” In some places this approval could be expressed by applause.
In general, however, the Roman liturgical tradition is usually sober in its external manifestations. This holds true even in those Catholic cultures that are exuberant in the demonstrations of popular piety such as the processions of Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula and southern Italy where applause, cheers and the like are regular features.
In Italy, applause is very common at the end of funerals as the coffin leaves the church. This is done as a sign of respect and love for the deceased who has reached the end of his or her earthly journey. This custom can be disconcerting for some other cultures more accustomed to funereal solemnity at such moments.
There are also some cultures where applause or handclapping is a spontaneous sign of respect and even veneration.
For example, some African peoples even clap their hands during the consecration, because this was the traditional gesture observed when their kings were present, and it seemed natural to carry it over to greet the presence of the King of kings. There are also some Asian Catholic cultures which express praise and gratitude toward the risen Lord with applause at the end of Mass.
Finally, a relatively recent phenomenon is the inclusion of music within the celebration which includes clapping by choir and/or congregation as part of the execution of the music itself. While still quite rare, there may well be a space for such music on certain occasions, provided that it fulfills the general rules for liturgical music of embodying holiness, goodness of form and universality, as well as being rooted in Scripture and the liturgy itself.
In conclusion, applause is generally discouraged during Mass, especially if directed more toward honoring individual achievements. However, there may be exceptions due to deep cultural differences or specific rites.
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