Posted on 03/16/2011 12:33:25 PM PDT by NYer
DETROIT, Michgan, March 15, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canon lawyer and Vatican legal consultant Edward Peters has countered one cardinal’s argument that publicly pro-abortion politicians should be granted communion because Jesus Christ gave Holy Communion to Judas Iscariot.
Cardinal Roger Mahoney, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, made the comparison in an interview with Los Angeles Times reporter Tim Rutten published March 9.
Mahoney said that politicians shouldn’t be punished if they “aren’t able to act” on their Catholic principles and claimed, in Rutten’s words, that “canon law ... puts the responsibility for worthy receipt of the sacrament on the person approaching the Communion rail rather than on the priest.”
“You know, throughout the Gospels, Jesus never appeals to punitive measures to change anyone’s life,” Mahoney told Rutten. “A person who runs for elective office is still a Catholic and obliged to bring his or her moral principles to public policy. But being an elected legislator is a different role with its own responsibilities, and if they aren’t able to act on those principles, the church can’t say, ‘You didn’t make it happen, so you’re guilty of something.’ We can’t do that.”
Posting on his In the Light of the Law blog Friday, Peters included comment on Mahoney’s statements in a broader response to those attacking his earlier assertion that section 915 of the Code of Canon Law clearly prohibits prominent public sinners, such as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, from receiving Communion. Cuomo is publicly pro-abortion and a divorcee living with his girlfriend.
Peters said that, in fact, by administering Communion to Judas, Jesus would have been “acting in anticipatory obedience to the 1983 Code” because the Communion prohibition applies only to public sinners, and not to those whose sins are still hidden, such as in the case of Judas’s betrayal.
“As important as the prevention of sacrilege is in the operation of Canon 915, it is not the only basis for the canon; rather, the prevention of scandal is also a key consideration, but scandal arises only from public behavior seriously at odds with Church teaching and order,” wrote Peters.
Peters’ comments had received widespread criticism, including from the Albany diocese where Cuomo is a parishioner. The diocese issued a statement calling it “unfair and imprudent to make a pastoral judgment about a particular situation without knowing all the facts.”
Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter had also slammed Peters, saying that the problem is “not, as Peters suggests, with the canons,” but that Peters has “a misplaced understanding of the role of [his] legal craft in the life of the Church and society.”
In his latest post, Peters emphasized that while canon lawyers “have no more authority over the application of canon law in the Church than attorneys in a law firm,” they have “ready access to the detailed resources that are necessary to set out, accurately and clearly, exactly what the Church’s legal system says (if anything) about this topic or that” and thus should do so in order to help those in the Church charged with upholding the law.
Cuomo himself has declined to comment on the issue, saying only that, “I choose to keep my religion and my religious practices private.”
Catholic ping!
Translation: I am a pagan claiming to be Catholic because there are so many Catholics (or maybe pagans claiming to be Catholic) in New York. I cannot admit I am a pagan any more than my father Mario could or my Uncle Teddy could because I want to be re-elected not rejected.
Well, he also gave judas a very prominent place among his disciples, so I guess the church ought to do that, too. In fact, Christ’s example clearly teaches that fully 1/12 of the apostles were traitors. A diversity commission must be appointed to ensure the church has kept Jesus’ standard in appointing traitors.
Wow, that is some bad theology, Christ said it would have been better if Judas had not been born, and Paul taught about taking the Communion Cup unworthily, I could not imagine a more unworthy recipient that Judas when he had betraying Christ in his heart.
Bad theology is ONLY what we have come to expect from Mahoney. FEB 28 he was OUT of LA Archdiocese. It wasn’t a day too soon.
Bad theology is ONLY what we have come to expect from Mahoney. FEB 28 he was OUT of LA Archdiocese. It wasn’t a day too soon.
Actually, it is pretty sound. Consider the theological implications of a priest denying “a select” group of people the Eucharist at mass. That would be de facto violation of the secrecy of confession.
There is a huge difference between personal sins that no one is aware of and the sins that are printed in the tabloids. Because the ones in print are public, a public response is required.
BOY I am so glad that Roger Mahoney is no longer head of LA Cathoic church OH BOY he got out just in time
BOY I am so glad that Roger Mahoney is no longer head of LA Cathoic church OH BOY he got out just in time
No he didn't. If one views the synoptic Gospels in light of the book of John it becomes clear that Judas left the other 12 in the upper room before Jesus engaged in the "this is my body" ritual. "and then it was night"
Mahoney probably hasn’t read his Bible in years.
I find that only John’s Gospel explicitly records that Judas departed, but John does not record the initiation of the Blessed Sacrament. The other three Gospel writers describe the “this is my body” ritual, but make no mention of Judas’ departure, either prior to or after same.
????????
Just what was Judas Iscariot’s position on abortion?
Mahoney is, at best, a sophist, at worse a heretic. Or just plain dumb. Hasn’t he read the Bible?
At the time of the Last Supper, whether he left early or not, Judas had not yet committed the act of betrayal. Right up until he met Jesus in Gethsemane, he had the opportunity to do it or not.
God does not act like the police in Minority Report.
Both Matthew and Mark have the incident where Jesus identifies his betrayer as the “one who dips his bread in the dish with him” occuring before the last supper ritual. (Luke is unclear). John makes it clear that Judas left “immediately” after this incident. Thus, assuming Matthew and Mark are telling the story in chronological order, Judas did not receive last supper/first communion. Granted, you can never be 100% certain a bible event is being relayed in chronological order but here the narrative appears to follow a linear timeline and that is the more reasonable position to take. It’s certainly more reasonable than the Cardinal’s position, which I don’t think scripture supports at all.
LOL! Exactly!
So does that mean that Cuomo is the equivalent of Judas? Many bishops also betray Christ with a kiss.
Thanks for pointing out. All very interesting. I do not know if you know Mother Angelica had a big problem with this Cardinal in the Past. Thanks for sharing.
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