Posted on 10/10/2014 6:21:31 AM PDT by marshmallow
Applying these principles, how should parishes deal with open homosexual couples who approach to receive Holy Communion and who seek leadership roles within the parish?
This way:
Now with regard to parishes, the situation is very similar because the parish is — I believe it was Saint John Paul II who once said — a ‘family of families.’ And so, if you have a parish member who is living in public sin in a homosexual relationship, well, the priest should try to stay close to that individual — or to both the individuals if they’re Catholic — and try to help them to leave the sinful relationship and to begin to lead a chaste life. The pastor [should] encourage them also to pray and to participate in Sunday Mass and other appropriate ways of trying to overcome grave sin in their lives.
Those people [who] are living in that way certainly cannot have any leadership role in the parish, because it would give the impression to parishioners that the way they are living is perfectly alright. Because, [when] we lead in a parish, in a certain way, we are giving witness to a coherent Catholic life. And people who are not coherent with their Catholic faith aren’t given leadership roles. They are not asked, for instance, to be a lector at the Holy Mass — or [to] assume some other leadership position — until they have rectified their situation and gone through a conversion of life and then are ready to give such leadership.
On the one hand, it certainly gives scandal to parishioners with regard to a very essential part of our life, our sexuality, [and] what it means. On the other hand, it's not good for the two people involved in the disordered relationship because it also gives them the idea that the Church somehow approves of what they're doing.
Am I the only one who finds it odd that Cardinal Burke of all people did not mention that openly homosexual couples should not be allowed to receive communion (especially in the part where he mentions that they should participate in Sunday Mass)?
He was not asked. Simple as that. But he also takes for granted that any active homosexual knows they are not to present themselves for communion. If he had been asked his answer would have been “they certainly can not receive Holy Communion” if they are practicing the homosexual lifestyle. Which would mean they are not in a state of grace. I’ve heard him give this answer many times. Burke should be pope.
Here’s an interesting link.
http://news.yahoo.com/cardinal-says-catholic-church-never-bless-gay-marriage-174900418.html
I completely disagree. Read the question again.
I don't doubt that. That;s exactly why I find his silence odd here (during the Synod).
I’ve heard him answer this a hundred times. No need to panic on Burke. He’s the real deal. Only wish more priests were like him. You don’t get more orthodox, more conservative than Cardinal Burke.
I guess what I’m trying to drive at is with the impending demotion and the fact that the Synod is about divorced and remarried receiving communion, that he might be holding back on purpose.
He was interviewed on The World Over Last night on EWTN, during the Synod, and didn’t mention losing his current job. He was asked about not being on the committee that selected new Cardinals and he said that was Francis’ call and he does what he’s told. He didn’t act like he was losing his current job any time soon. Raymond Arroyo had mentioned the Malta thing before in other shows, so I was waiting for him to personally ask Burke about the rumors but he didn’t. Usually Arroyo doesn’t hold anything back. You would think that if Burke is on the bad side of the Pope he would not be anywhere near the Synod on the family. He said he’s an active participate like everyone else. And like I said before he said he has not met any Cardinal that agrees with Kaspar. From the interview it’s easy to see he doesn’t care for Kaspar. He said this Kaspar nonsense about allowing communion for second marriages is nothing new, that’s it’s been around for years and the other Cardinals basically think he’s off his rocker.
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