Diocese gives nod for Kerry to receive Eucharist

The Boston Herald ^ | April 10, 2004 | Eric Convey

[delacoert]

Priests in the Archdiocese of Boston are allowed to serve Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] communion this Easter even though he bucks the church's stand against abortion.

The Rev. John Ardis, director of the Paulist Center, where Kerry and his wife worship locally, said an archdiocesan official telephoned Thursday to tell him Kerry ``was as welcome as any other Catholic to receive the eucharist.''

The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, a spokesman for Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, said in an interview yesterday, ``The archbishop has made no comment about Sen. Kerry and his Catholicism, nor does he plan on doing so in the near future.''

What's unclear is whether O'Malley privately urged Kerry to abstain from taking communion.

[delacoert]

This isn't the first article on this posted at FR - this is just the most definitive and recent. I am struggling with disappointment at the apparent negligence of some American bishops. It couldn't be any clearer that the Church's teaching on abortion is that it is intrinsically evil. The Church even goes so far as to teach that a Catholic who votes for a pro-choice candidate is guilty of a serious evil. By continuing to allow pro-abortion leaders like Kerry to receive the sacraments, aren't priests, bishops, etc. "guilty of serious evil"? I find it interesting to read about the Pope's recent instructions to American bishops in POPE URGES US BISHOPS TO SHOULDER DUTIES and contemplate the apparent moral ambiguity of the decision to allow Kerry to receive communion without challenge. If chastisement isn't called for in this case, then when is it?

[festus]

Well lets see did Kerry :

A. Make a $$ donation to the Diocese and/or gentleman who saids it OK to give him communion.

B. Threaten to disclose that he was sexually assaulted by the priests as a kid.

Either one is believable.

[RPTMS]

I wish the liberal Catholics would just join the Episcopal Church. They would probably be much happier there.

[TheSpottedOwl]

The Rev. John Ardis, director of the Paulist Center, where Kerry and his wife worship locally, said an archdiocesan official telephoned Thursday to tell him Kerry ``was as welcome as any other Catholic to receive the eucharist.''

I remember how upset my mom was that certain Kennedys were allowed to receive communion. This doesn't surprise me in the least.

[OpusatFR]

" Ardis, who received about 50 critical messages yesterday after word spread that he was willing to give Kerry communion, asked, ``How come it's so much easier to see other people's sins than to see our own?''

He took "communion" at a Protestant Church last week. We all saw that...

It isn't a matter of seeing another's sins. We go to confession. It is a matter of giving scandal and Kerry has done that in spades.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Did Kerry make a reference to the Church's 501(c)3 status, which it holds by the pleasure of the government of which Kerry is a power-wielding member?

[mikrofon]

The Rev. John Ardis, director of the Paulist Center, where Kerry and his wife worship locally, said an archdiocesan official telephoned Thursday to tell him Kerry ``was as welcome as any other Catholic to receive the eucharist.''

Normally, I 'm not one to quote chapter-and-verse, but this section of First Corinthians ironically came to mind:

"For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself."

Ultimately, Kerry will have to defend himself on his choice to take part in the Eucharist...

[Agnes Heep]

Frederick Douglass wrote that of all the masters who had owned him as a chattel slave, by far the most brutal and unfeeling were those who made strong professions of religiosity. There's a vast difference, obviously between a religious person and a Religious person. God save us from the latter.

[Joe Republc]

I don't know if Kerry has tried or will try to receive Communion in the St. Louis diocese. The new Archbishop there sounds to me like he won't allow it.

I'm no longer Catholic, but frankly, I'd love to see US bishops get into a very public tizzy over this... and have the bishops who stick to importance of pro-life win after intervention from the Vatican.

-- Joe

[NHResident]

What a disappointment. O'Malley was supposedly is the highly principled leader who is 'cleaning up' after Law and his homosexual fun house. It appears 'cleaning up' has a very limited meaning. Apparently Archbishop O'Malley's principles extend no further than the Kerry checkbook.

[secret garden]

Cheez Louise ping.

[Cicero]

Interesting. Notice that "Artis says," not that the bishop says. There are several possibilities. One is that someone in the chancery, not necessarily the bishop, gave the go-ahead.

Another is that they asked Artis to do it quietly but he decided to make trouble and go public, so as to pull the bishop in a liberal direction.

Another is that the chancery only said that they wouldn't punish the Paulists if they gave Kerry communion but said they would really rather they didn't. And so on.

The Paulists have long since gone around the bend. Artis is a dissident or a heretic, depending on what label you prefer. All we have here is what Convey says Artis said.

[Sun]

We should all contact Bishop O'Malley and Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of U.S. Catholic Conference, and tell them how disappointed we are.

Bishop Burke of St. Louis is one of the few bishops that I know of that walks the walk.

[MarkT]

I just went to the Boston Diocese web-site and there is no provision on any of their many pages (many dealt with giving money or seeking help for sex abuse victims) for giving them comments. It is a sad commentary that a dicoese so well known for violating cannon law (allowing the continuation of abuse by re-assignment) as well as U.S. law would continue in turning its head to obvious and public problems.

Apparently, violating Church beliefs on a public and continuing basis is no problem for the Boston coneheads. Years ago, in New Orleans, when certain so-called Catholics continuously and publicly falunted cannon law by discriminating against blacks, they were publicly excommunicated. The Boston Archdiocese clearly cares more about money than their own supposed cannon law.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

I am so sick of seeing Kerry chewing chewing communion, while mugging for the cameras.
Last week, Kerry looked like he was tearing apart a piece of tough meat, using both hands at the rail in the AME church.
Why can't he just slip in and quietly attend a church service,without treating it like a campaign rally ?
Kerry treats going to church,like it's a major Hollywood production-lights,camera, action !!!
And there's probably a few takes at the communion rail, until Kerry's people get the shot they like.
This guy is so pathetic and so hungry for the cameras, next he'll be summoning cameras into his bathroom-like LBJ.

[RonDog]

Indexing related threads - for future reference:

Diocese gives nod for Kerry to receive Eucharist
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Diocese gives nod for Kerry to receive Eucharist
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[Havisham]

Kerry can take communion only at this particular church. The bishop has obviously informed Kerry that if he attempts to take communion in any other church in Boston or elsewhere that a statement of censure of the offending priests and Kerry will go out. Further, I believe all the important Cardinals and Archbishops have warned him of this as well. Notice he changed his plans to attend mass in St. Louis. I predict he will be missing a lot of public mass during the campaign.

[BIGZ]

This is not the Catholic Church I was raised in nor the Catholic School I was educated in and attended for 12 years.

The Catholic Church today is a Socialistic group of perverted, weak minded, incompetent, self-serving, narcissists.

[RonDog]

Indexing related threads - for future reference:

Analysts: Religious Faith Less of a Factor for Kerry (Kerry to Receive Communion)
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[arthurus]

Some American Bishops are effectively apostate.