Question:
Answer:
Yes, the sign of peace is optional, based on the discretion of the priest celebrant at Mass, whose directive should be followed by the faithful gathered. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states that the priest celebrant asks the congregation to exchange the sign of peace “when appropriate” (GIRM 154). When the GIRM describes a Mass with a deacon (181), it repeats this language by stating the deacon asks the congregation to exchange the sign of peace “if it is appropriate.”
It is therefore at the discretion of the priest celebrant whether it is appropriate at a particular Mass to exchange the sign of peace. If a member of the faithful gathered for Mass has health concerns and thus doesn’t want to shake hands to convey Christ’s peace to a nearby brother or sister in Christ, he should still comply with the directive of the priest celebrant (or deacon) by turning and wishing Christ’s peace to those near him through a simple and sincere oral greeting (see John 14:27).