Posted on 04/17/2003 1:05:24 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
ANY hope that Tony Blair had of enjoying a happy, Catholic Easter with his family will be crushed today by the Pope.
John Paul II is issuing a new encyclical that The Times has learnt will explicitly forbid Protestants like the Prime Minister taking Communion with Catholics such as Cherie Blair and their children.
The 83-year-old Pope has chosen Holy Week to stamp on what he sees as dangerously “liberal” interpretations of the Roman Catholic doctrine that only those “in full communion with Rome” can take part in the Eucharist.
Mr Blair, who remains a committed, if ecumenical, member of the Church of England, regularly attends Catholic Mass with his family. He also used to take Communion with them at the St Joan of Arc church in Islington.
But in 1996, he received a letter from Cardinal Basil Hume asking him to desist. In his reply, Mr Blair did not conceal his dismay at such theological conservatism. Saying that he merely wished to worship with his family but had not realised his behaviour was causing offence, he promised he would not do so again. The letter added: “I wonder what Jesus would have made of it?”
Since then Mr Blair, who admits he is strongly drawn to Catholicism, has more than once explored the limits of this doctrine. Britain has never had a Catholic prime minister and in 1998 he had to deny reports he had converted after being spotted going to Westminster Cathedral for Mass unaccompanied by his family. Suggestions that he had received the Eucharist on this occasion were never confirmed.
There have also been rumours that when Mr Blair is on holiday abroad he has taken Communion with his family.
The Pope´s fourteenth encyclical slams the door on the many Catholics and Protestants who currently take Communion together and represents a setback for Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is a firm advocate of ecumenism. When Mr Blair visited the Pope at the Vatican last month, he may have got a hint of what was to come. While his family went to take Communion with the Pope, the Prime Minister only received a blessing. The Pope also made it clear that he disagreed with Mr Blair about war in Iraq.
This is shared at the eucharist in comemoration of the Last Supper.
Jesus was reminding his Disciples that the sacrifice he was about to offer up was for all mankind. His passion and death, which we celebrate on this Good Friday allows all to reflect on this last act.
The Eucharist is the focal point of the Mass for Catholics. The parallels between that, and his offering up his body and blood on the cross cannot be overlooked, and are connected.
We celebrate this rememberence at every Mass, and makes us all ever mindful of his sacrifice for all!
The Catholic Church has told Tom Daschle he is unable to identify himself anymore as a Catholic until he changes many of his positions that are contrary to Catholic Doctrine.
It drives me nuts that some Catholic politicians use their faith, in name only. But I also understand we are human, venial critters, and that we need to keep improving ourselves in our faith.
Jesus hung out with the sinners, and worked towards their perfection.
However, may I suggest that you change your approach, because you come across as not just questioning, but as attacking, basic Catholic beliefs, and Catholics in general for "holding themselves above" other Christians. That will naturally bring out defensive behavior in others (and is why I rarely get involved in religious conversations on this forum). If your intent is to learn more about Catholicism you might want to contact a Catholic Church and ask about adult education classes. Most are geared toward those considering conversion, but if you spoke to the priest and explained that you are just interested in learning more about Catholicism because of your family, I'm sure they would be more than happy for you to attend.
Also, since I'm being so free with my (un-asked for) advice tonight...Go to church tomorrow, and watch the people there, listen to the Word. Try to appreciate the service without getting bogged down in the dogma. I think you will find more that you can agree with than you would expect.
O2
Non offense taken, my friend.
May you have a glorious day celebrating the Ressurection of our dear Lord.
HE HAS RISEN INDEED!
As far as your entreaty for "education," I have been through many educational sessions on your Church, including pre-Cana and baptism classes. My comment that the Catholic Church, in my opinion, focuses on dogma that separates it from other Christian faiths rather than the broad themes of Chrisitianity upon which all generally agree is informed by those experiences.
In reply to your advice - I say come to my Church, where all Christians are allowed to worship to the fullest and where the decision whether one is worthy to engage in the sacrament is made exactly as Paul described - by way of individual self-examination. It is interesting that no one on this thread has pointed to any "authority" for an institutional church hierarchy to judge who is worthy of the sacrament and who is not.
If John Paul really wants to be helpful to the Church, he will clean out the seminaries in the United States that for decades have been taken over by leftist apostates for radical causes such as gay clergy, church pacification, pro-abortion, and other causes that directly contradict traditional Catholic teachings. In the past few years after the pedophilia/sex scandels some lip service has been paid to these points, but not enough direct action to clean out the "pink palaces" which many seminaries have been known as because of the rampant gay sexual behavior encouraged by the leadership. In the last 3-4 decades extremist liberal thought has been allowed to almost destroy the credibility of the Catholic Church, and Rome has virtually ignored the problem.
And with all this going on, the Pope is centering his attention on restricting Prostestants from partaking in Communion. I don't think the Church has its priorities straight. (no pun intended, lol)
You seem to have a good grasp of the situation, yet you miss that the abuses in the Eucharist are symbolic of every liberal/progressive/radical cause. Only by restoring the Eucharist and the attendant things (like the liturgy) to the proper place can these items be addressed.
The Eucharist is the most important thing, and those who have been watering it down, abusing it and attempting to deprive the people of a Eucharistic culture are exactly the ones who need to reform or be removed.
Obviously, follow-through is required here, but you will always be able to tell the health of the Church by the Eucharist.
SD
Yes, you are correct.
If someone doesn't believe it is the body of Christ, why would they choose to go up, lie by saying "Amen" to the statement "The Body of Christ" (or similar), and take part in something they don't believe it?
It's bizarre.
Uh-huh. Why don't you go back to attacking Rick Santorum?
Self-righteous you-know-what.
Your hate is clouding your sight.
Non-Catholics are of course welcome at Mass. They just can't receive the Eucharist. Lots of people do this all the time!
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