A “black mass” was held at the Kansas State Capitol Building on Friday, attended by around twenty-five members of “Satanic Grotto.” Christians attended in both prayer and protest. 

The Details: The event resulted in the arrest of the satanic group’s leader after he punched a protester during an altercation and defied government orders not to protest inside the Capitol. A protester who tackled the leader for stomping on the Eucharist was apprehended as well. It is unconfirmed whether or not the Eucharist has been consecrated.

For Context: A black mass is a satanic ritual that aims to mock and parody the Catholic faith. It often includes satanic worship and desecration of the consecrated Eucharist used for Catholic masses, and it may also be used in principle to reject organized religion and integration of church and state. In early March, the Kansas House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution that addressed the ritual as “anti-Catholic bigotry.” Gov. Laura Kelly (D) denounced the ritual but did not ban it entirely, arguing that a ban would infringe on free speech.

How The Media Covered It: Media coverage of the mass was scarce across the political spectrum as of Friday evening. Most outlets that covered the story lead with the leader’s arrest rather than the mass itself, though few major outlets covered the story at all. Kansas Reflector (Lean Left bias) wrote that the event “pushed boundaries of free speech and the separation of church and state.” 

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