Divided we fall. John Paul has pointed out something that I should keep in mind when I'm trying to protect the Church from heterodoxy.
Pope wants bishops to heal divisions in Church
"Pope John Paul II has told a number of bishops of the US that one of the most important tasks of a bishop is to address the 'worrisome phenomenon' of factions within the Church."
Another day, another spin of Earth, and another statement regarding withholding Communion. More and more foreign bishops are commenting on the political mess here.
Kerry Shouldn't Take Communion, Says Canadian Bishop
Cites "Defiant Dissent"; 2 Arizona Prelates Won't Hold Back the Eucharist
"CALGARY, Alberta, MAY 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- U.S. presidential hopeful John Kerry should voluntarily abstain from, or be denied, Communion 'by reason of his defiant dissent from fundamental Catholic teaching,' says a Canadian bishop."
Protecting the sanctity of the Eucharist is not just a political issue. On the other hand, I'd like to see a less lop-sided defense of Catholic teachings. If only I had a dollar for every time a liberal has said, "What about other unCatholic positions (i.e. aside from abortion) held by politicians?"
Cardinal Expects Many U.S. Prelates Wouldn't Restrict Holy Communion
In Interview With Italian Magazine
"ROME, MAY 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Theodore McCarrick speculates that many U.S. bishops would not like to see the Eucharist used as a sanction against pro-abortion politicians."
It seems no matter how hard I try to move on, this topic just keeps coming back.
The repercussions are too important and the exchanges too interesting to ignore.
US politicians
warn of of anti-Catholic hate revival
“48 Catholic members of Congress have signed a letter warning that the church risks
bringing ‘great harm’ on itself if bishops decide to deny Communion to
legislators who support abortion rights or take other public positions that are
odds with church doctrine.”
American
Life League Response to House Catholics’ Letter to Cardinal McCarrick: Political
Threats Don’t Change Objective Truth, You Can’t Be Catholic
Thu May 20, 1:12 PM ET
Contact: Joseph R. Giganti of of American Life League, 703-928-9695, jgiganti@all.org
“WASHINGTON, May 20 /U.S. Newswire/ — Judie Brown, president of American Life League,
issued the following response to the 48 Catholic members of the U.S. House who sent
a letter warning Theodore Cardinal McCarrick to the political repercussions of withholding
Communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians:”
When, Dear Lord, will Western catechesis improve? This report doesn't surprise me in the slightest, but now that's out, what will be done? Anything?
Report shows communication gap with Gen X faithful
"The proportion of Generation X Mass attenders who accept orthodox statements of Catholic beliefs and moral teachings is lower than that of Baby Boomers, according to an analysis published in the latest issue of the Australasian Catholic Record (ACR)."
This should be expanded to include other issues that affecting Catholic consciences,
such as fair justice, feeding hungry, caring for the sick, clothing the naked, etc.
Unless the Church gets tough on all the issues, we’ll look like an organization
of hypocrites.
I have a weird deja vu feeling right now, as if I blogged about this kind of thing
a looooong time ago. I tried looking back in the archives, but I couldn’t find a
match. *shrug*
Defiant
Catholic Voters Shouldn’t Receive Communion, Say 2 Bishops
Prelates in Colorado and Oregon Extend Warnings Beyond Politicians
“COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, MAY 14, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Michael Sheridan says
that Catholics should not receive Communion if they vote for politicians who defy
Church teaching by supporting abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia or stem-cell
research.”