CNA Staff October 25, 2024 / 5:20 p.m

The so-called Satanic Temple denied Thursday that it planned to use a consecrated host during a sacrilegious “Black Mass” planned for tonight.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta has since confirmed that “a representative of the Satanic Temple of Atlanta has now assured us that they do not have an ordained host and will not be using one at their event tonight.”

A direct mockery of the Catholic Mass, a so-called “black Mass,” has in the past sometimes involved the desecration of the Eucharist stolen from a Catholic church.

Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer of Atlanta said in a statement Friday that the archdiocese's legal representatives had contacted the venue and event organizers to “demand that if they had consecrated hosts in their possession, they return them and use them.” do not use in your black mass.” .”

“We were prepared to seek a court order if such a host was found to be in the hands of the satanic group. “The Satanic Temple of Atlanta responded through its attorney that it had no such consecrated host and no such consecrated host would be used in their Black Mass,” Hartmayer reported.

“While your letter continued to mock the Eucharist and our faith, it also demonstrated an understanding of how seriously we take this threat to our fundamental belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They called their event entertainment and defended their right to express their beliefs while mocking ours.”

The Satanic Temple is a provocative political organization based in Salem, Massachusetts that openly and unequivocally denies belief in God, Satan, or the supernatural. The group is known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces.

“The Satanic Temple Atlanta has not engaged in theft or illegal activity of any kind. In particular, we did not steal a consecrated host, nor do we promote illegal behavior,” the group said in an Oct. 24 Instagram post.

The group said its statement was a direct response to Hartmayer, who in an Oct. 8 memo called on all Catholics to counter the “Satanic Temple's attack on the faith” through prayers of reparation and repentance.

“The Satanic Temple does not believe in or advocate belief in the supernatural, nor is it the job of any other religious organization to define for us how our rituals must be performed to conform to their assumptions,” he continued Atlanta Satanic Temple continued in his Instagram post.

The group claimed that the so-called “black mass,” scheduled to take place Friday evening at a venue in Atlanta, is “intended as a theatrical performance for entertainment, religious exercise and strengthening of our community” and is intended as a “personal declaration of independence from superstition.”

Hartmayer said in his earlier memo that Catholics should respond to “this attack on our faith with prayer, penance and prayers of reparation.”

In his updated statement Oct. 25, the archbishop said the chancery office “has been inundated with calls, emails and messages of all kinds offering support” since news of the black Mass broke. He called on Catholics to respond to the planned event with “love, which is stronger than hate or violence.”

“Remember that they will know that we are Christians by our love. I continue to ask for prayers. I strongly condemn any threats, violence or dangerous behavior towards anyone involved in this event or the location where it is to take place. We have to respond the way Jesus would,” Hartmayer said.

“While there will always be those who mock and blaspheme our Lord in public places, we also know that he will be defended by all who love him.”

In recent years, the Satanic Temple has campaigned on abortion and lost the various lawsuits it filed against state pro-life laws in Missouri and Indiana. Last year it also announced the creation of an “After School Satan Club” at an elementary school in Connecticut.

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In 2014, a planned “black mass” at Harvard University sparked significant outrage among Catholics, as did another in Oklahoma City the same year.

This article has been updated.