From the Associated Press yesterday:
By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer Ray Henry, Associated Press Writer 43 mins ago
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman’s support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday. . . .
“While I greatly respect the Catholic Church and its leaders, like many Rhode Islanders, the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic,” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Tobin, agreeing to a sitdown. “I embrace my faith which acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.”
Their meeting fell apart. While Tobin called it a mutual decision, Kennedy accused Tobin of failing to abide by an agreement to stop discussing the congressman’s faith publicly.
Tobin followed up with a biting public letter published in a diocesan newspaper.
“Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an ‘imperfect humanity.’ Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your Communion with the Church,” Tobin wrote. . . .
The bishop did what he had to do as a bishop in requesting Rep. Kennedy to not receive the Eucharist. Interestingly enough, he has first tried to handle it in a more pastoral manner. If you read the actual story, you will find out that the bishop neither announced it publicly nor did he even formally notify his priests. It was Rep. Kennedy that made the announcement. I am very happy that the bishop did it this way.
In Saint Matthew 18:15 it says, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” We, of course, tend to want immediate and public condemnation. But, that is not what either Scripture or Holy Tradition says. A bishop or priest is first enjoined to try to gain the sinner back by more private means. Saint John Chrysostom often seems to be trying to find ways to forgive someone.
And, this is as it should be. Let me go farther and say that it is our sinful nature that desires immediate punishment and/or revenge. Our immediate thought should be how to restore the sinner. The book of Hosea includes some of the most passionate appeals by God for Israel to repent so that He may take her back. Even after God has let Israel slide into a rather horrible position, His pain in seeing Israel in that position is obvious. So should we be, even when we are forced to discipline someone in the Church. We should feel the same pain as God told Hosea that He felt when he was forced to discipline Israel.
The issue is now going public, but even before this, the bishop had already publicly spoken against Rep. Kennedy’s position. I am, however, very glad that the bishop resisted the calls for immediate public punishment or immediate excommunication. I do not know how this will be handled in the future now that Rep. Kennedy has gone public. But, I am glad to see that the bishop has been handling it so far in the manner approved by both Scripture and Tradition. He has first spoken privately to Rep. Kennedy and imposed a pastoral discipline with the hope that this person might turn and do what is right.
Frankly, if I ever fall into grievous sin, I would hope that my bishop would first contact me in such a private manner and make available to me both the discipline of the Church and the grace of Our God which offers forgiveness.
Suppose, Father, you were in the position that, Bishop Thomas Tobin was. Would you forbid, Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, at your church?
Richard: I know you asked Fr. Ernesto, but in answering for myself, I would answer in the affirmative (assuming, of course, that Kennedy was Orthodox, since no Orthodox priest should be communing him now, anyway!).Why? It's because we cannot commune those who are living in gross, unrepentant public sin, both for their own spiritual wellbeing (it is gravely dangerous to receive communion unworthily! see 1 Cor. 11:27-30) and also so as not to scandalize the people of God (because allowing it to continue would make a mockery of our faith, suggesting that public sin has no effect on one's communion with the Church).The Scripture is pretty clear that certain kinds of behaviors put one outside the communion of the Church and that repentance is needed before coming back. Withholding Holy Communion from a particular communicant who happens to be a politician doesn't politicize the Eucharist — indeed, it is the *politician* who politicized his break in communion with the Church by publicly supporting evil.Membership in the Church is predicated upon a lot more than simply making contributions and showing up to church on holidays. It means trying to live a life according (among other things) to the Church's moral teaching. It's one thing to fall into sin and get back up again. It's another to fall into sin and then publicly and boldly refuse to get back up again. Such a person does not *want* to be forgiven, and so he breaks his own communion by being unrepentant. Withholding the Eucharist is simply a recognition of what has already been accomplished by that person.
Apoyo totalmente la actitud y la decisión del Obispo Tobin. Apartemos la religión: hablan del libre albedrío, de tener elección en el hecho de ser madres o no serlo y no se dan cuenta de que deciden sobre la vida de otro ser humano al que no le dan la oportunidad de decir: NO! yo NO quiero morir!Ahora ¿qué dice la biblia? : NO MATARÁS!… tan simple como eso.Y como el Obispo tiene libre albedrío y tambien puede decidir sobre lo que quiere o no quiere hacer, decidió negarle la comunión. Sea o no sea asunto de la iglesia, es un asunto que atenta contra la humanidad.El aborto es nuestro Hitler contemporáneo.No convirtamos los hospitales en campos de concentración, ni seamos piedra de tropiezo para los profesionales médicos, convirtiéndolos en verdugos.
Richard, I would do the same as Bishop Tobin and tell Rep. Kennedy that he should not try to take communion. As with Bishop Tobin, I would inform him in writing so that there would be no doubt later as to what I had said. And, finally, I would do as Bishop Tobin did. The first step would be private, not public. That is what Our Lord laid out in Scripture. The public step is not until the third step.
Father Andrew, I agree with your analysis.
Pulga, no sólo eres poeta, veo que también eres una buena escritora con un sentido por la humanidad bien fuerte.
I am not Roman Catholic, or Orthodox, but I do appreciate the difficult situation the church leaders find themselves in these situations.
““While I greatly respect the Catholic Church and its leaders, like many Rhode Islanders, the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic,” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Tobin, agreeing to a sitdown. “I embrace my faith which acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.”
But part of belonging to the Catholic Church is the recognition that it (the church) decides who is in good standing, not each individual. Scripture and Tradition are held as the ultimate authority, not each person’s choices. Picking and choosing which teachings to adhere to is not part of the deal.
This is a good example of where American democracy and individualism is held above theology.