Thou shalt not kneel

A Southern California Catholic priest is telling his parishioners to stop kneeling at a certain point during the mass or get out of his church.

The Rev. Martin Tran, pastor at St. Mary`s by the Sea in Huntington Beach, Calif., has told his flock that kneeling 'is clearly rebellion, grave disobedience and mortal sin,' The Los Angeles Times reported.

At least 55 parishioners have received letters from church leaders urging them to get off their knees or quit St. Mary`s and the Diocese of Orange.

Since at least the seventh century, Catholics have been kneeling after the Agnus Dei, when the priest holds up the chalice and consecrated bread and says, 'Behold the lamb of God.'

Four years ago, the Vatican decided to allow bishops to decide whether their flocks should get on their knees.

Traditionalists see it as a posture of submission to and adoration of God, and modernists view kneeling as the vestige of a feudal past they would like to leave behind, the newspaper said.

Orange County parishioners are still allowed to kneel at other points in the mass, including the Eucharistic prayers.