A satanic mass scheduled to take place at Harvard University on Monday has angered Catholics who believe the event's participants are putting themselves "dangerously close to destructive works of evil," WCVB-TV reported.
The mass, organized by the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club, is part of a series of events that explore different cultural and religious traditions.
In a statement, club members said "the performance is part of a larger effort to explore the religious facets that continue to influence contemporary culture."
"Our purpose is not to denigrate any religion or faith, which would be repugnant to our educational purposes, but instead to learn and experience the history of different cultural practices."
While the mass has certainly received a lot of attention, the Harvard Extension School expressed their support for the club and "the rights of our students and faculty to speak and assemble freely."
However, the Boston Archdiocese is still not pleased with the event and claims it mocks the Catholic mass.
"For the good of the Catholic faithful and all people, the church provides clear teaching concerning satanic worship," the archdiocese said. "This activity separates people from God and the human community, it is contrary to charity and goodness, and it places participants dangerously close to destructive works of evil."
Rev. Michael Drea, senior chaplain at the Harvard Catholic Center, decried the satanic mass.
"The black mass is a contradiction to the Catholic faith and is rooted in hatred and bigotry," he told The Boston Herald. "The university shouldn't tolerate something like this under the guise of academic integrity."
Even the university's president is opposing the event.
"It is deeply regrettable that the organizers of this event, well aware of the offense they are causing so many others, have chosen to proceed with a form of expression that is so flagrantly disrespectful and inflammatory," Harvard University President Drew Faust said.
