...but I'm sure it's not.
In a recent interview with Raymond Arroyo, Cardinal Arinze stated in no uncertain terms that the Rainbow Sash protesters should not be given communion. Furthermore, the Cardinal pointed out that it is ridiculous to expect that politicians should be allowed to promote the murder of unborn children and then turn around on Sunday and say to the Priest, "I want to receive Jesus."
Cardinal Ratzinger said as much in June of 2004. I fail to see how so many members of the clergy can ignore clear interpretations of Catholic doctrine from such high authorities.
The answer is no. No communion for any of you. And in case some of you Senators and Congressmen forgot who you are, here's a list with your picture on it. If you see yourself on the list, do not go to communion. If you're not sure why you're on the list, you can find the reasons here.
Priests, Bishops and Arch Bishops, keep this list handy. Review the list prior to Mass. Post this list in the reception area of your office (similar to the FBI's most wanted list in the post office). Most importantly, if you see any of these Catholic impersonators (either politician or Rainbow Sash variety) approaching you in Church as if they wish to receive the Eucharist, please do not encourage their delusions by giving them holy communion.
I don't know what more Vatican officials can do to get their point across other than the threat of excommunication. I don't think that will happen but it's not like it hasn't happened before.
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6 comments:
This attitude is why I turned my back on the Catholic Church, as well as religious denominations in general. There is no room whatsoever for even moderately differing views, and church authorities are all too selective on what they disallow (John Kerry receiving communion or letting that girl with the deadly wheat allergy to have an alternate wafer) and what they allow (decades of unchecked and unpunished molestation on the part of pedophile priests). How can this attitude be tied to the teachings of Jesus?
I think the quote from Pope John Paul II that RC has chosen to introduce his blog is fitting to begin to answer your question, Ian. There is undoubtedly no one today who can better understand and articulate the Truth as our present Holy Father, and no better guide to turn to when searching for it. People today often believe that truth is relative; that we each have the authority to create our own "truth" or assemble one from existing ideas and attitudes which we find attractive. However, Jesus CLEARLY gave authority to Peter (the first pope) and the Catholic Church when He stated:
"And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." (A reference to the Sacrament of Confession) --Matt. 16: 18, 19.
It seems our culture has just about lost its sense of the SACRED, and it's belief in OBEDIENCE of any kind. We have elevated ourselves to experts in every sphere and forgotten that we would not be alive but for the grace of God.
So what you're saying is that the Pope can choose to ignore the problems, simply because he is the Pope? I'm not impressed anytime leadership thinks that anything they say goes because, well, God told me so. Much warfare and tyranny exists in the world because of such an abused mentality, including those regimes opposed by the Catholic Church.
But now that we've established the Jesus gave the papacy its power, how can that power be used to address my original question, in the context of the 21st century?
I won't argue that the child abuse scandals in the Catholic Church have not been handled well by the higher ranking members of the clergy, particularly some of the bishops. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. All priests must now endure suspiscion because of the acts of a few. Catholic theology itself (something entirely separate from the acts of the church's members or clergy) suffers from misplaced hostility towards pedophile priests. However, the greatest damage is of course the psycological trauma suffered by the victims themselves.
As much as we all regret the damage these priests have done, the only thing we can do now is recognize that there is a problem and take measures to keep it from happening again. In order to do that we need people like Cardinal Arinze who will not mince words or tolerate this kind of abuse.
As far as the homosexual issue goes, I think the church is very fair on the issue. All sex acts outside of marriage are condemned whether they be homosexual, heterosexual, with all of your friends or by yourself! It's not inherently wrong to have homosexual tendencies, it's your actions that cause the problem. Same with pre-marital sex or extra-marital sex. One might have a tendency towards these things but your actions are what counts.
Wheat allergy girl? I know only a little about this story. She can drink the blood of Christ and it's the same thing. Someone with an allergy to wheat and alcohol would be an interesting dilemma but I've never heard of such a thing.
With regard to the Pope, remember he is just a man. He doesn't receive superhuman managerial skills once he becomes Pope. Also remember that the issue isn't so much the Pope ignoring the problem as the leadership of the Catholic Church in America ignoring the Pope. I think you and I would agree on the fact that some members of the clergy may need a trip to the woodshed.
The Holy Father has already addressed and continues to address the issues of the new century in his extensive writings which are available to anyone who wishes to read them. His series of general audience addresses known as the "Theology of the Body" and Christopher West's Explanation of the Theology of the Body, teach us about the dignity of the human person and the meaning of sexuality, both of which are sadly misunderstood in our secular culture. There are numerous other addresses, encyclicals, etc. published which address many other issues.
What I was trying to say in my first post is that if you want to understand how the Church is addressing the complicated issues of our times, read and prayerfully study the Pope's encyclicals and other writings in light of the Gospel, and you will begin to see how the beauty and truth of the Faith lives on, even amid the storms.
Remember, even Peter denied Christ three times. The Catholic Church has never claimed to be made up of perfect people. We are all sinners, but the joy of being a Christian is knowing His unending MERCY. Jesus said he came to call sinners and that sick people need a doctor, not those who are well. For those who know Christ the future is not bleak and hopeless, but full of joy and promise, because no matter how bad we may be sometimes, He is always good!
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