Students' plan to perform satanic black mass ritual at Harvard angers Catholic church

• The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club is planning to hold a black mass
• The club says the event will be a 'historical reenactment' with 'historical context and background'
• It will be preceded by a lecture on the origins of the black mass
• The Catholic church has voiced strong opposition to the planned event
• The reservation-only event will be held Monday night at the Queen’s Head Pub at Harvard’s Memorial Hall

By Reuters

Published: 21:32 GMT, 9 May 2014 | Updated: 22:31 GMT, 9 May 2014

A Harvard University student group plans to hold a re-enactment of a satanic ritual on the school's historic campus, drawing criticism from local Roman Catholic officials, who expressed 'deep sadness and strong opposition' to the plan.

The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club said in a statement posted online that it plans to host 'a historical re-enactment of a black mass ceremony that has a narrator providing historical context and background.'

It said the event was intended to be educational and would be preceded by a lecture on the history and origins of the black mass, a ritual that parodies the Catholic mass, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed.

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