ABSTRACT
The former manifestation can be demonstrated in rituals of contemporary social movements in Central Europe, particularly in Germany, the latter in the description of the Pope's trip to the United States in 1987. A frequently traveling Pope, especially one who celebrates masses in extravagant locations—for instance, on top of a mountain in the Alps—poses several problems for his followers and the followers of the Catholic Church's traditional ritualism. The social dimension of the charisma thus results from the collectively secured combination of the non-everyday, the unique, the authentic. But since communal soul and communal body, as representatives of a higher community, primarily refer to ritualized and, as a consequence, symbolic materials of action and presentation, the desired higher community can also easily be fobbed off with symbols and symbolic actions. Subordinates and people of lower social standing kiss hands, feet, clothing of those of higher standing, and so forth.
