Is a pro-choice catholic in a state of grace and allowed to receive the Eucharist?

  • Thread starter Thread starter blaskoman
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

blaskoman

Guest
Should a catholic not adhere to catholic teaching on the current hot button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, contraception, etc, but personally has not committed such sins ( but believes others are not sinning), can such catholic receive Communion?
 
Any person in a state of grace can receive the Eucharist.

The question is, are they in a state of grace? That depends on what exactly you mean by “does not adhere” to Church teaching.
 
Should a catholic not adhere to catholic teaching on the current hot button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, contraception, etc, but personally has not committed such sins ( but believes others are not sinning), can such catholic receive Communion?
“I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words…” - this is exactly about what you are describing.
I f you are pro-choice, pro-gay marriage etc you can not receive Communion as you commit mortal sins in your thoughts and in your words by those beliefs, even if you, personally, did not commit them.
 
CCC
1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
  • by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
  • by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
  • by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
  • by protecting evil-doers.
1869 Thus sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence, and injustice to reign among them. Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness. “Structures of sin” are the expression and effect of personal sins. They lead their victims to do evil in their turn. In an analogous sense, they constitute a "social sin."144
 
Some very mainstream (non-extreme, non-scrupulous) Examinations of Conscience refer to obstinate refusal to conform one’s will with Church teaching on moral issues pertinent to every Catholic, and some of those Examens even distinguish between making a sincere & humble effort in that direction (despite lack of closure), versus making no or little attempt.

The Fifth Commandment is a very serious matter. However, no one else can know the degree of honesty & sincerity of any other Catholic, so it would be hard to answer such a generic question from the outside.

Let’s put it this way:
When I was not internally adhering to Church teaching in some very essential core (Life) matters, I considered myself not properly disposed to receive Communion. I wasn’t making much of an effort. Today, some teachings remain a tad difficult for me; however, I try to remain open-willed (as well as open-minded) to them. God reads our hearts, and knows the difference between obstinacy and humility, between Pride and confusion.

Here I’m referring to verbally and internally supporting positions opposed by the Church. Being “pro-choice” in terms of activity (as someone said above – counseling someone, persuading someone, agreeing with someone), is a more serious level than solitary intellectual disagreement.

Some Catholics say that intellectually they are “pro-choice,” because they have not come to terms with the full doctrine, but they have never publicized or acted on private dissent.

🙂
 
Should a catholic not adhere to catholic teaching on the current hot button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, contraception, etc, but personally has not committed such sins ( but believes others are not sinning), can such catholic receive Communion?
I believe this to be a perfect description of cafeteria Catholicism. I am not directing this at you, since you didn’t say this is your belief’s, but if a person believes in the Church’s definitive teaching on Holy Communion while disregarding definitive teachings on abortion, etc… they are like a child picking whatever they want at the cafeteria line. Abortion, same sex marriage, and contraception are not debatable as Catholic teaching.
 
Sorry, I know I was the last poster, but Holy Communion is to be united not only to Christ, but to His entire mystical body, the Church. We are to be of one faith with the Church in Holy Communion. If you are not of one faith that the Church clearly states openly and directly… abortion is intrinsically evil… then why would you even want to take Communion to be united to a Church that you are not united to in faith?
 
Agree with posts 6 and 7. Just want to reinforce that in case my post caused confusion.
 
I don’t see how one could enter into a state of grace while advocating such immoral things.
 
You cannot be in communion with Christ, if you are not in full communion with His church. If one does not believe in all of the teachings of His church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit, then one does not believe fully in Christ.

If a person does not believe in all of the teachings of the Church, then it makes praying the Nicene Creed at Mass a lie.

I would advise speaking to a priest.
 
I agree with everyone else saying they shouldn’t receive the Eucharist. But now what? It’s not easy to change someone’s mind on these matters. Should they even go to church at all? Is there such a thing as a cafeteria Catholic? Should they even call themselves Catholic if they can not believe these teachings?🤷
 
Should a catholic not adhere to catholic teaching on the current hot button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, contraception, etc, but personally has not committed such sins ( but believes others are not sinning), can such catholic receive Communion?
It is difficult to imagine anything worse than the assembly-line systematic murdering of tens of millions of defenseless innocent babies.
 
It is difficult to imagine anything worse than the assembly-line systematic murdering of tens of millions of defenseless innocent babies.
Hmmmmmmmmmm… Correct me if I am wrong, but is that not just what the Democrats claim is acceptable behavior? Is not Obama supported via funding from Planned Parenthood? Is it not ‘remote participation in sin’ to vote for such? 🤷
 
Should a catholic not adhere to catholic teaching on the current hot button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage, contraception, etc, but personally has not committed such sins ( but believes others are not sinning), can such catholic receive Communion?
If a Catholic rejects any Church teaching then that is a sin of grave matter and such a person should not receive Communion.
 
Pro-choice is a very ambiguous term. Maybe someone calls himself/herself pro-choice because of the belief that God gave us a free will and that women will have abortions whether we like it or not.

If someone does not believe that there should be a law against adultery, does that make them pro-adultery, guilty of adultery, and unfit for Communion?

Likewise, if a Catholic believes in capital punishment, does that make them guilty of putting a noose around someone’s neck and unfit for Communion?
 
If a Catholic rejects any Church teaching then that is a sin of grave matter and such a person should not receive Communion.
I completely agree. And judging by what Catholics find morally acceptable in todays culture, and with many of these Catholics downright embracing these sorts of things, you can’t help but conclude that there are a great deal of sacrileges taking place at almost every Mass. And that’s a very, very troubling thought indeed.

Peace, Mark
 
From the Cardinal Ratzinger link someone helpfully shared. This is important to know, because I sometimes hear people insist otherwise.

[N.B. A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.]
 
Pro-choice is a very ambiguous term. Maybe someone calls himself/herself pro-choice because of the belief that God gave us a free will and that women will have abortions whether we like it or not.

If someone does not believe that there should be a law against adultery, does that make them pro-adultery, guilty of adultery, and unfit for Communion?

Likewise, if a Catholic believes in capital punishment, does that make them guilty of putting a noose around someone’s neck and unfit for Communion?
Pro-choice is not ambiguous at all. It means a pro-choice person believes a woman has the right to murder her unborn child.
Catholicism and pro-choice are not compatible.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top