Bishops and the Press

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Some bishops are giving ambiguous or misleading comments when responding to the press. For example: On Giving Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians.
…In his interview with Face the Nation’s Norah O’Donnell, Chicago archbishop Blase Cupich was asked to comment on the following issue: “When you say we cannot politicize the communion rail, you would give communion to politicians, for instance, who support abortion rights.”
…
Archbishop Cupich answered O’Donnell’s question in the following manner, which I believe to be an unintentional misstatement on his part:

“I would not use the Eucharist or as they call it the communion rail as the place to have those discussions or a way in which people would be either [sic] excluded from the life of the church. The Eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. It’s also a time of forgiveness of sins. So my hope would be that that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth”…
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This can easily be interpreted as counter to what the Aparecida Document— of which Cardinal Bergoglio was a primary author and was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and reaffirmed by Pope Francis—teaches concerning the matter at hand:
We hope that legislators [and] heads of government … will defend and protect [the dignity of human life] from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia; that is their responsibility…. We must adhere to “eucharistic coherence,” that is, be conscious that they cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals.
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The primary duty of a bishop is to teach the people; not to make headlines.They need to be more cautious in making off-the-cuff statements to the press, and much quicker to issue clarifications when those statements are misinterpreted.

Dorothy Sayers pointed out that in any story there are three stories:
  1. The thought of the author.
  2. The actual words he uses to express that thought.
  3. The message the hearer receives from those words.
    The first is important for the scholar doing research, but the third is critical to the teacher. His talents are valuable only insofar as they impact the thinking of his pupil.
 
bisco1 said:
i thought forgiveness of sins took place in the confessional.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church**1394 **As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.231 By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him:
Since Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial of his death at the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted to us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the strength of this love by which Christ willed to die for us, we, by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may be able to consider the world as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as crucified to the world. . . . Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God.232​
 
thank you! would being pro abortion be a venial sin that could be washed away with every reception of the eucharist, even if you fully and completely believe in a woman’s right to choose and vote that way at every possible opportunity?
 
bisco1 said:
thank you! would being pro abortion be a venial sin that could be washed away with every reception of the eucharist, even if you fully and completely believe in a woman’s right to choose and vote that way at every possible opportunity?
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It is grave matter to support abortion. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, November 24, 2002:… John Paul II, continuing the constant teaching of the Church, has reiterated many times that those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a «grave and clear obligation to oppose» any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them.[19] As John Paul II has taught in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae regarding the situation in which it is not possible to overturn or completely repeal a law allowing abortion which is already in force or coming up for a vote, «an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality».[20]
Code: 
 In this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience  does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which  contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html
 
so, archbishop cupich is saying, my words: that although this sin will not be washed away, and even though they are receiving unworthily’, perhaps the eucharist will help to enlighten them?
 
bisco1 said:
so, archbishop cupich is saying, my words: that although this sin will not be washed away, and even though they are receiving unworthily’, perhaps the eucharist will help to enlighten them?
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No, he was quoted as saying “So my hope would be that that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth.”.

A person receiving unworthily would not receive an increase in sanctifying grace and there would no forgiveness of venial sin. However, receiving unworthily means being in a state of mortal sin, and we cannot judge that state. However, there has been a sacramental discipline of exclusion based upon the appearance of sin (it is called scandal). For example the Catholics living together as husband and wife that were married or* remarried* without the approval of the Church, while Catholic, are as a norm not admitted to Communion.
 
but your leaving out the sentence before it which provides context.
 
bisco1 said:
but your leaving out the sentence before it which provides context.
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That is: “It’s also a time of forgiveness of sins.”

The comment on that before was that it is forgiveness of venial sins.
 
okay, two sentences.🙂 the eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. it’s also a time of forgiveness of sins. so my hope would be that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth…
 
bisco1 said:
okay, two sentences.🙂 the eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. it’s also a time of forgiveness of sins. so my hope would be that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth…
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Just as the bread and wine have a conversion, so do the faithful in reception of Communion, because the increase of sanctifying grace and the forgiveness of our venial sins makes us stronger in living a Christlike life: resisting temptations to sin and strengthening us to achieve good works, to the glory of God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church1375 It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion.

2000 Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification.
The Byzantine Catholic liturgy explicitly states: That for those who partake of them they may bring about a spirit of vigilance, the remission of sins, the communion of your Holy Spirit, the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, and confidence in you, not judgment or condemnation.
 
that’s why they let pols receive communion, they’re hoping for conversion. i wonder if it’s ever worked?
 
As I hve pointed out elsewhere, the rules are on the books and not exactly brand new, and for 30 years the majority of bishops, if not almost all of them, have not been publicly invoking the law on politicians to whom it could reasonably directed.

And Rome has known this, and has yet to keel haul any bishop for failure to do so, That would appear to look very similar to tacit approval.
 
bisco1 said:
that’s why they let pols receive communion, they’re hoping for conversion. i wonder if it’s ever worked?
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A minister of Communion cannot determine that all the proper conditions are met, in the Communion line.

The CIC Canon law pertaining to the Polish National Catholic Church is:844.3. Catholic ministers may licitly administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the oriental churches which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church, if they ask on their own for the sacraments and are properly disposed. This holds also for members of other churches, which in the judgment of the Apostolic See are in the same condition as the oriental churches as far as these sacraments are concerned.
Also see CCEO c.671.
 
otjm said:
As I hve pointed out elsewhere, the rules are on the books and not exactly brand new, and for 30 years the majority of bishops, if not almost all of them, have not been publicly invoking the law on politicians to whom it could reasonably directed.

And Rome has known this, and has yet to keel haul any bishop for failure to do so, That would appear to look very similar to tacit approval.
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That’s unfortunate, because Canon #915 is quite clear on the matter. Manifest is manifest, unless it means something different in Latin. I have yet to check this out, though.
 
Vico said:
A minister of Communion cannot determine that all the proper conditions are met, in the Communion line.

The CIC Canon law pertaining to the Polish National Catholic Church is:844.3. Catholic ministers may licitly administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the oriental churches which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church, if they ask on their own for the sacraments and are properly disposed. This holds also for members of other churches, which in the judgment of the Apostolic See are in the same condition as the oriental churches as far as these sacraments are concerned.
Also see CCEO c.671.
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agreed, but this has nothing to do with the quote in question.
 
ProVobis said:
That’s unfortunate, because Canon #915 is quite clear on the matter. Manifest is manifest, unless it means something different in Latin. I have yet to check this out, though.
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While you are checking it out, look at the post by (name removed by moderator); there is a link to an article which may explain a bit of what is, or is not, going on.
 
In practice, especially in Chicago, this may not work so well. Any such meetings will no doubt be all over the news and the congregations may protest in favor of the politician or whoever happens to be affected. And not necessarily about communion either as one gay music director got fired recently. Communion was probably the least of his concerns.
 
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