Posted on 04/08/2004 11:24:10 AM PDT by presidio9
Photo ops are the saving grace of many political campaigns, but Bay State Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] gaffed one recent opportunity - flouting Catholic doctrine by taking communion at a non-Catholic church.
The Democratic presidential candidate invited the press to services at the AME Charles Street Church in Roxbury Sunday. But the photos showed Kerry taking communion.
That, Catholics say, is a catechism no-no.
``Catholics should not receive communion in a Protestant church,'' said Sister Mary Ann Walsh of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ``It's standard church teaching.''
Deal Hudson, publisher of the conservative Crisis Magazine, said, ``Kerry's attempts to woo the Catholic voter with such photo ops will ultimately turn off Catholics who value sincerity and honesty above superficial and vacuous symbolism.''
Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan said Kerry was merely participating in an ``ecumenical'' Christian service. ``He came at the invitation of the pastor, who invited all Christians to celebrate,'' Meehan said. ``Sen. Kerry is a Christian. He celebrated.''
Stephen Pope, a Boston College theology professor, said, ``As a matter of church law, Kerry broke the law of the church,'' but added that Kerry was in a ``no-win situation'' since taking or refusing communion would have offended someone.
Welcoming all who wish to worship is a central premise of Christianity.
Is there a particular passage in Scripture that you rely upon for this assertion?
As I said before, it is not my intention to engage in a thological discussion on the merits of Transubstantiation, just that one can not call himself a Catholic and think that is is ok to be receiving communion in a Protestant Chuch. Holy Communion is a very big part of Catholic worship. Possibly the biggest part. Why is this such a difficult concept for you to grasp?
Sounds like you could use a little historical instruction on your own church. Or is this somewhat imprecise "succession" one of those issues where the RCC performs contortions to work around difficult questions.
My point is simple - apparently too simple for the dogma-bound RCC. According to certain tenets of the Church, a believer in Christ who attends a church on the Sabbath and wants to open his/her heart and worship Christ according to the sacrament taught by Jesus is committing a "serious sin" by doing so - IF the Church happens to be one not designated as the "right" Church by a worldly authority.
Of course, this is the same Church that sold salvation in the form of trinkets passed off as sacred relics, but I guess it is still "inerrant", huh? Of course, if all those really WERE pieces of the true cross, the Cross must've been about 1500 ft. tall.
Sigh... DING DING DING! Gather round folks. Got your popcorn?
Okay. First. There's nothing sillier than a Protestant pontificating (pun intended) about Catholocism. Jack Chick may be the finest comedian these shores have produced, but you're a close second.
Secondly, if us back-werds Cat'licks are so off the reservation, how come that there Holy Spirit can't keep His story straight among those 20,000 or so Protestant versions of Christianity?
Thirdly (here we go YET AGAIN -- this punchline is getting old), infallibility lies in matter of papal opinion on morals and faith, not disciplines. Selling a trinket is not dogma.
Fourthly, being bound by the dogma of a Church handed down from St. Peter onward (go ahead and challenge it) seems a lot better than being bound to the "revelations" of someone who gets on TV with a wig and a microphone.
Kerry's spokesman Mr. Meehan conveniently neglected to tell the press that a catholic is under the pain of mortal sin to attend Sunday Mass save genuinely valid reasons such as serious illness.
Under the circumstances, Kerry had indeed committed a Mortal Sin knowingly.
Let's also remind Kerry and Mr. Meehan that under Catholic rules, one must go and receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter Season and, those guilty of Mortal Sins must first go to Confession (with firm amendment).
There is no way out for Kerry except repentence and turn away from killing babies.
He can run but he can't hide.
Is there any particular passage that supports transsubstantiation?
Pray for W and The Truth
That's MY point, bub. It is definitely not up to me. It's not up to John Kerry either. He is currently practicing his own religion, and it is not Catholicism.
I assume you do understand the words ... himself? God does not leave it to me to judge.
I concur. There is no need to be offensive to Protestants here. We can believe their communion to be symbolic and not like ours, but we don't have to say it's a mockery.
Kerry, on the other hand, we can say he was mocking his own alleged faith.
SD
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.