(re Kerry & Kennedy) Boston Bishop O'Malley Says "It Is Not Our Policy To Deny Communion"

Catholic citizens dot org ^ | 10-3-2003 | Barb Kralis

[doug from upland]

Canon Law 915: For those who persist in manifest grave sin, no Communion
============================

Archbishop Sean O'Malley made the following statement on July 29, 2003, from his Archdiocese's Public Release Office, "a Catholic politician who holds a public, pro-choice position should not be receiving Communion...." However, he added (incredibly!): "The Church presumes that each person is receiving in good faith. It is not our policy to deny Communion. It is up to the individual." (The presumption is obviously faulty.)

Therefore, on July 30, 2003, Archbishop O'Malley, at his Mass of Installation as Archbishop of Boston, permitted pro-abortion Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy to receive Holy Communion sacrilegiously.

If Archbishop O'Malley's statement and action in regard to Kerry and Kennedy is morally correct, this would mean that priests in the Boston Archdiocese, and everywhere else for that matter, should give Holy Communion without question to anyone approaching the Altar. This would mean that it is O.K. for all bishops and priests to give Holy Communion to people publicly professing beliefs contrary to the doctrines of the Catholic Church or publicly living lives at serious variance with the teachings of the Church. This would include homosexual couples approaching the Eucharist arm and arm, the divorced and "remarried" without benefit of annulment, directors of Planned Parenthood, Mafia figures, drug lords, et al.

O'Malley's statement is an evasion, and he has a responsibility to hold these pro-abortion politicians accountable to Canon Law. If his statement isn't backed up by canonical penalties, can he really expect Kerry and Kennedy to take him seriously? As we know, they didn't.

Canon Law is law; it's not a suggestion. Canon Law 915 states: "those who...obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Communion." For a Catholic to vote for pro-abortion legislation is a "manifest grave sin," and it is something Kerry and Kennedy have been doing for years, unabashedly.

According to Canon Law, a bishop has not only the right but the duty to stop a grave sinner from committing sacrilege and scandal. Canon 1369 tells bishops: "A person is to be punished with a just penalty, who...gravely harms public morals...." It is obvious that Kennedy and Kerry have "gravely harmed public morals" by repeatedly and publicly defying Church doctrine on abortion.

The Church has an innate and proper right to coerce offending members by means of penal sanctions (canon 1311). Diocesan bishops as well as the Pope possess legislative power, and the Code of Canon Law (canons 1315 and 1318) expressly recognizes their right to enact laws for their dioceses.

In August 2000, Mexican Norberto Cardinal Rivera responded to Mexico City's push to liberalize abortion laws by stating that, "anyone who promotes or practices abortion, including legislators and governors, will be automatically excommunicated by the Church."

In 2001, the Archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani, instructed his pastors to deny communion to politicians who refuse to abandon their pro-abortion views. The instruction read: "the pastor who has a parishioner in this condition can deny him Holy Communion in public, after warning him in private."

Calgary Bishop Fred Henry, refusing to recant his earlier warning that Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's official political decisions were risking his eternal salvation, told reporters on August 2, 2003, that he would likely refuse the Prime Minister Holy Communion: "As a Catholic, if he can't listen to the pope and he can't listen to the bishops, then we have a problem with the Catholicity of this man. We have a serious problem. You can't go around calling yourself a good Catholic and act in a contrary manner. Acts have consequences. If the Prime Minister were to come to Calgary and line up for Communion in the ranks at the cathedral and I were the celebrant, I would probably refuse him...."

Archbishop O'Malley is not off to a good start. He created a "false sense of Communion" and caused scandal to those who have authentic love for the Church. O'Malley was in charge as the main Celebrant of the Mass of Installation. As Archbishop, he is called to "govern" and "correct." He did not.

[doug from upland]

When will a bishop or archibishop in Massachusetts finally have the moral courage to speak out about this issue?

[Jeff Chandler]

Whaat, and risk not being invited to all the best parties?

[doug from upland]

Kerry, Kennedy, Daschel, et al have a choice --- if you want to be an abortion supporter, stop pretending to be Catholic.

[JohnnyZ]

You are apparently ignorant of Archbishop Sean's excellent record, historically and since being appointed to the Boston archdiocese. He has dealt well with the remnants of the abuse issue, has insisted Catholics must not vote for pro-abort politicians, and is leading the campaign against gay marriage.

Regarding the abortion/communion issue, the Catholic bishops are in the process of developing a uniform policy to deal with it. I would like to see refusal of the Eucharist as well, but your dismissal of O'Malley is premature and immature.

You had to reach back to an article from October to trash the good bish, accusing him of lacking "moral courage". I think that says something about you, not him.

[doug from upland]

I made a comment about one issue in my church --- receiving Holy Communion. Bishops everywhere need to stand up to the abortion politicians and say no. I found this article while researching Kerry and Catholicism. It was not intended to smear the Archbishop.

Don't put words in my mouth. If you avoid posting a supposed quotation in quotation marks with a person's name after it as you did a few days ago, I will take you more seriously. I suspect we are on the same side. Without your diatribe, perhaps we could be friends on this forum.

[ventana]

bump. V's wife.

[ppaul]

Champion of Big Government