Our Bishops Weigh In On Communion Controversy

KY Bishops Take Different Stances on Controversy

As some of you may know, we Maniacs live in the Archdiocese of Louisville. We are about an hour or so from Lexington. Bishop Gainer in Lexington has come down on the

“don’t receive” side of this debate. While he has not out and out said to deny pro-abort pols Communion, he has said that they shouldn’t receive.

The two pols mentioned in the article fall under Gainer’s authority and have basically told the Bishop to go screw himself in my opinion. Comments on their quotes will be below.

Louisville’s Archbishop Kelly on the other hand has come down on the “Leave it up to the communicant” side of the debate. For clarification to those who aren’t clear… That means you get to do what you want. Kelly has stated that it’s up to the communicant to examine their own conscience and determine their worthiness. On the one hand that is the ideal situation in an ideal world. However, someone who is obstinately pro-abort obviously has a mal-formed conscience and cannot be trusted to make the proper choice. If they could be trusted, they would be abstaining as some have decided to do.

Also wanted to point out that the person who wrote this is hopefully a non-Catholic. Since he seems to give the pro-abort pols more ink and uses the woefully bad terminology below, I am assuming he’s not one of us.

But Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac and state Sen. Ernesto Scorsone — both Catholics and abortion-rights advocates — said they plan to continue receiving the wine and wafer.

Wine and wafer? If that isn’t a direct attempt to deny the Body and Blood, I don’t know what is…

Gainer’s statement… This is pretty well in line with the procedure I advocated last week…

“A professing Catholic who has taken public stands against what the church teaches should disqualify himself or herself from receiving the Eucharist because they cannot receive in good faith,” Shaughnessy said, quoting the bishop. “Were there to be such a person under his pastoral care, (Gainer) would ask to meet them privately as a pastor and attempt to challenge them to change their public position before he would take any public action.”

Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac said…

“I plan to continue taking Communion and would love to receive it from a woman priest some day soon,” she said in a brief written statement.

Well, if that’s the case, I guess she is planning on joining the Episcopal Church sometime soon? She obviously either doesn’t care what the Church teaches dogma-wise or doesn’t know. I would bet it’s both to be honest.

The other pol quoted used the tired old line that pro-lifers (anti-abortion advocates which is double-speak because they must move the discussion away from what it is truly about… life) don’t have a monopoly on the faith. Maybe not, but I’d say we have a better grasp of it that he does. Especially considering he’s an open homosexual. He goes on to state he believe there are a lot of “good American Catholics” who believe in “choice” and that he does. Choice for whom? The baby doesn’t get a choice. As we state repeatedly in the Church… No one has a right to commit evil.

Scorsone won’t use the law to further the Catholic faith. Won’t use the law to further the Truth? Bold statement. The Bishop’s statements also won’t keep him from the Eucharist he says. Another bold statement. He has formally and publicly announced his disobedience and adherence to objective sin. If he won’t repent after another attempt by Bishop Gainer, then Canon 915 says he can be denied Communion.

Here’s a quote from the Owensboro Bishop…

In an interview, Owensboro Bishop John McRaith said he hasn’t told pro-choice politicians they should refrain from taking Communion. “I think that’s something that they really have to answer themselves,” he said. “They know what the church law is, so they have to answer for that. They know what is expected of them.”

That’s all fine and dandy, but it raises the issue of what to do if they persist in public and obstinate sin which is what is happening in these cases. Canon 915 provides the answer… Deny them!

To be fair to Kelly, he didn’t come out and say he would never deny. He did explicitly say that he would work to educate and persuade all politicians about the issue and what is right. Good. I actually applaud that. God knows the Bishops need to exercise the teaching aspect of their office more often. He also said he hopes to never have to deny Communion to someone. Then he goes on with the “It’s the responsibility of the communicant…” line.

There are several nice comments from the KY Right to Life group in there, but they are followed by the following section header:

‘Dangerous’ and wrong

Finally you get the best part. I quote in it’s entirety…

But state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a Catholic and pro-choice Louisville Democrat, wonders why politicians are being singled out.

“I guess my question to the bishops is: ‘Are the pedophile priests who are in prison receiving Communion?’ I’d like to know,” she said.

Marzian said it’s “dangerous” for religious leaders to tell politicians how to vote, and it’s wrong for them to withhold the sacraments to punish people. “I go to Communion when I want to go, and no bishop, no pope, they’re not going to keep me from my religion,” she added.

Pro-abort pols are being “singled out” because they manifestly persist in grave sin. And they do it publicly. They have a responsibility as Catholics to adhere to Church teaching, more so because they are public figures. The Bible warns us about bringing scandal to the Church.

Gotta love the shot at “pedophile priests” too… First of all the sex scandal is NOT predominantly a pedophile issue, but rather a homosexual issue. Second, if they have repented, confessed their sins, been absolved and done penance, I would hope they would be offered Communion. Any Catholic in a state of Grace is allowed to receive. Whatever sins they committed in the past, once confessed and forgiven, have no bearing on their standing to receive. The difference is that these pro-abort pols have not, and apparently refuse to, repented and conformed to Church teaching. By definition, they are not in good standing.

Second, no one is being told how to vote. I am so sick of that shibboleth. They are being told that if they vote a certain way and persist in that, they shouldn’t receive Communion.

Third, withholding the Body and Blood is NOT a punishment. It is actually a mercy on the person so that they do not receive in an unworthy manner thereby becoming guilty of the body and blood… It’s about keeping them from damning themselves and also keeping the Blesses Sacrament from being desecrated.

Finally… She goes to Communion when she wants to and no one is going to keep her from her religion? What exactly is her religion? It’s obviously not Catholicism since she doesn’t recognize the authority of the Bishops and the Pope. Nor does she recognize the constant teaching of the Church.

Pride is the issue. Pride in self and one’s ability to determine right and wrong apart from the Church. Their religion is self and there is no higher good than personal convenience. Their own that is. Wait until they are 80 and on life support. I hope for their sake that whatever children manage to survive to adulthood don’t decide that it’s more convenient for them to pull the plug rather than spend the inheritance on healthcare for the infirm.