Posted on 02/16/2005 5:40:24 PM PST by Coleus
Vatican Cardinal Ends Debate: No Communion for Pro-Abortion Politicians or Rainbow Sashers
Says "Are we going to change Divine Law, how God made us?"
VATICAN CITY, February 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, the top Vatican Cardinal in charge of the sacraments of the Catholic Church has made it plain in an on-camera interview with EWTN that pro-abortion politicians may not be admitted to Holy Communion.
A February 11 EWTN broadcast of the news program, World Over Live, with host Raymond Arroyo, featured an interview with Arinze, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The interview covered a wide range of topics, including female altar servers, Latin in the Mass, abortion and the rainbow sash movement.
Arroyo questioned the Vatican Cardinal saying: Last year, you were asked at a press conference whether a politician, a Catholic politician who supports abortion publicly should be permitted to the Communion rail, should be permitted to receive Communion publicly. What is your response to that?
Cardinal Arinze responded, The answer is clear. If a person says I am in favour of killing unborn babies whether they be four thousand or five thousand, I have been in favour of killing them. I will be in favour of killing them tomorrow and next week and next year. So, unborn babies, too bad for you. I am in favour that you should be killed, then the person turn around and say I want to receive Holy Communion. Do you need any Cardinal from the Vatican to answer that?
Laughing, Arroyo responded, It should be pretty transparent. To which the Cardinal concluded, Simple, ask the children for First Communion, they'll give you the answer.
Similarly, Cardinal Arinze ruled out Communion for homosexual activists.
Arroyo noted that while some US bishops have refused Communion to Rainbow Sash activists, others such as Archbishop Harry Flynn of Minneapolis - St. Paul have not. Flynn, after meeting with Cardinal Arinze in Rome recently, suggested that the Cardinal was open to allowing communion for Rainbow Sash activists.
Arroyo first confirmed the meeting with Archbishop Flynn took place. Did such a conversation take place between you and this archbishop?, asked Arroyo, to which Cardinal Arinze responded, Yes.
Arroyo followed with And were you open to allowing this group to receive Communion as he inferred in some of the newspapers.
The Vatican Cardinal responded, No, no. You see, let's get it clear. These rainbow sash people, are they really saying we are homosexuals, we intend to remain so and we want to receive Holy Communion. The question arises; take the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It says it is not condemning a person for having homosexual tendency. We don't condemn anybody for that. But a person stands condemned for acting on it.
On homosexuality the Cardinal was clear. The Catholic Church has never accepted homosexuality as normal. You read the scripture. It's very clear. What exactly are we examining? Are we going to change Divine Law, how God made us?
He made a distinction between active homosexuals and those with homosexual tendencies. Quite another matter if a person had just the tendencies and is making (an) effort to live the Divine Law, then that's fine. So, we respect persons but be clear on the truth, he said.
"Do you need any Cardinal from the Vatican to answer that?"-- are answers in the form of a question. This is a technique that avoids being quoted and perpetuates the ambiguity."ask the children for First Communion, they'll give you the answer.
"These rainbow sash people, are they really saying we are homosexuals, we intend to remain so and we want to receive Holy Communion"
As I said, when I asked the Cardinal some challenging questions a decade ago, he was very evasive. It seems that he has simply refined his evasion techniques.
I hope he is not the next Pope.
Even in this interview he said communion should be denied to politicians who express support for abortion, but he said it in such a way that leaves a huge loophole. Read his statement carefully and you will realize that no Catholic liberal politician would necessarily fall under his prohibition, for no Catholic liberal politician will admit or is ever likely to admit that he favors the death of the innocent inborn. Catholic liberal politicians invariably claim to personally disapprove of abortion, but lament that they cannot make that decision for others.
It sounds hypocritical, but that's exactly the position they take.
The Catholic Church does not take its cues based on the American political calender.
The Cardinal is evasive. He will not address the discipline problem the Church has had under JPII.
(I love JPII, but the next pope needs to focus on cleaning house.)
Evasion is not a straighforward approach. It's a diplomatic approach. This isn't the UN, it's the deposit of faith. Make him the Vatican representative to the UN, but not the Pope.
ProLife Ping!
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Nor can it be just a misplaced jocular tone. On other questions he had very clear answers. For example, in the same interview he gave a very detailed answer on the use of Latin in mass; it was very clear that he was making sure he was not misinterpreted and he spoke in declarative sentences.
I wonder if it is NOW clear with Archbishop Flynn.
Sorry- after the scandals that have occured in the Catholic church in recent years, I can no longer see them as pillars of virtue. Lost a ton of respect for them that can not be brought back.
Flynn and Pilla and McCarrick and Mahoney and the others, sadly, will continue their own way...because this is where they want to be. And there really isn't anybody on earth flexing authority at this time that can haul them into line.
But this isn't the first time in history that there have been rebellious bishops.
Still, it is sad.
Agreed. It is sad and TRAGIC.
Ping.
Cick the following and listen to Cardinal Arinze. He covers many topics and pulls no punches.
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/latestadditions/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=-6892288&fldSeriesName=The+World+Over
Au contraire, mon frere. The Church specifically sat on this issue because of the political election. It is pretty well known that the heirarchy cozies up to the democratic party.
This guy is a day late and a dollar short. WHy couldn't he have said this during the election?
Thanks! I stand corrected!
We're talking about the Vatican here, not some radical American Bishop.
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