Catholic Ragemonkey

All the News that is not News

Well, it isn't news to us who strive to remain in full communion (thanks, Fr. H for the reminder). I received this news report for ZENIT via email. A tip of the biretta to Marie Steine for sending it my way. Ah, I love the smell of episcopal dope slaps.

U.S. Cardinal: Lay Ministers Should Be in Sync With Church

CHICAGO, JUNE 10, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Catholic lay ministers who
disagree with the Church's teachings should not be allowed to assist in
distributing Communion, according to a letter reportedly sent by Cardinal
Francis George to pastors in his archdiocese.

"If a minister should manifest his/her disagreement with Church
teaching, he/she should not continue in active ministry until such time that
the minister is reconciled to the Church's teaching," wrote Cardinal
George, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Though this has been the policy of the archdiocese all along, Cardinal
George said earlier this month he was writing in response to questions
posed to the Church and in the media recently, the newspaper said.

In Arizona, meanwhile, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix said that
Catholic politicians who unambiguously support abortion "rights" should not
receive Communion, the Arizona Republic reported today.

But he declined to say he would deny Communion to politicians who do
not follow Church teaching on abortion, the newspaper said.

Asked what he would do if John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic
candidate for president who is a Catholic and pro-abortion, came to him for
Communion, the leader of the Phoenix Diocese told the newspaper: "If he
asked about it, I would tell him he should not receive Communion."

Just as a side note, I think it is really interesting how much Olmstead has stressed that the pro-choice candidate must himself choose to refrain from receiving Holy Communion. Could it be that His Excellency is trying *GASP* to form people's consciences. Run for cover, folks. It's the Apocalypse...(just kidding...I really don't know when that will be...really...stop asking...)