NJ archbishop sets rules for barring Catholics from Communion

[gilliam]

ROME (RNS) Even as Pope Francis and Catholic leaders from around the world debate ways to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, Newark Archbishop John Myers has given his priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to Catholics who, for example, support gay marriage or whose own marriage is not valid in the eyes of the church.

In the two-page memo, Myers also orders parishes and Catholic institutions not to host people or organizations that disagree with church teachings.

He says Catholics, “especially ministers and others who represent the Church, should not participate in or be present at religious events or events intended to endorse or support those who reject or ignore Church teaching and Canon Law.”

The new rules could raise eyebrows given that Francis is currently leading a high-level Vatican summit, called a synod, where he and some 270 bishops are debating whether to let divorced and remarried Catholics receive Communion, and how to be more welcoming to cohabiting and gay couples whose lives don’t conform to Catholic teaching.

The guidelines could also up the ante for the coming election season, when Catholic candidates who support abortion rights or gay rights are sometimes challenged by conservatives over whether they should receive Communion.

religionnews.com/2015/10/13/new-jersey-archbishop-sets-rules-barring-catholics-communion/

Document at link

 

[zz912]

From the letter:

“Catholics,” he continues, “must be in a marriage recognized as valid by the Church to receive Holy Communion or the other sacraments. Non-Catholics and any Catholic who publicly rejects Church teaching or discipline, either by public statements or by joining or supporting organizations which do so, are not to receive the Sacraments.”

A good argument could be made that Democrats fall under this category.

 

[phil19034]

finally, some good news from New Jersey

 

[Ender]

ROME (RNS) Even as Pope Francis and Catholic leaders from around the world debate ways to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, Newark Archbishop John Myers has given his priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to Catholics who, for example, support gay marriage or whose own marriage is not valid in the eyes of the church.

The new rules could raise eyebrows …

What ought to raise eyebrows is that these are not new rules, and they are not the invention of the archbishop. All he has done is insist that the existing rules be followed. Apparently the spectacle of a Catholic bishop unapologetically supporting the doctrines of the Catholic church upsets some people.

Ender

 

[Seamus_L]

Amen

 

[sarah_j]

Clarity!
Alleluiah !

 

[DaveBj]

What ought to raise eyebrows is that these are not new rules, and they are not the invention of the archbishop. All he has done is insist that the existing rules be followed. Apparently the spectacle of a Catholic bishop unapologetically supporting the doctrines of the Catholic church upsets some people.

Ender

Not me. May his tribe increase.

 

[1990Domer]

I’m loving this. I hope +Chaput follows suit!

 

[dmar198]

ROME (RNS) Even as Pope Francis and Catholic leaders from around the world debate ways to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, Newark Archbishop John Myers has given his priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to Catholics who, for example, support gay marriage or whose own marriage is not valid in the eyes of the church.

In the two-page memo, Myers also orders parishes and Catholic institutions not to host people or organizations that disagree with church teachings.

He says Catholics, “especially ministers and others who represent the Church, should not participate in or be present at religious events or events intended to endorse or support those who reject or ignore Church teaching and Canon Law.”

The new rules could raise eyebrows given that Francis is currently leading a high-level Vatican summit, called a synod, where he and some 270 bishops are debating whether to let divorced and remarried Catholics receive Communion, and how to be more welcoming to cohabiting and gay couples whose lives don’t conform to Catholic teaching.

The guidelines could also up the ante for the coming election season, when Catholic candidates who support abortion rights or gay rights are sometimes challenged by conservatives over whether they should receive Communion.

religionnews.com/2015/10/13/new-jersey-archbishop-sets-rules-barring-catholics-communion/

Document at link

The article could be improved by avoiding the suggestion that the Archbishop of Newark is at odds with Pope Francis and the rest of the Church.

Currently, the article makes it sound like the Archbishop of Newark is being restrictive while the Pope and the Synod are trying to be more open. In reality, there is no conflict between the openness talked about by Pope Francis and the attitude shown by the Archbishop of Newark.

In fact, Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed that the purpose of the synod is not to give Communion to the divorced and remarried or to change Church teaching. The Pope himself has rejected Communion for the divorced and remarried, several times.

The article could be improved by taking these things into consideration.

 

[Thomas_White]

From the letter:

A good argument could be made that Democrats fall under this category.

A better argument would concern the teachings of the papal encyclical Laudato Si.

 

[gracepoole]

Even as Pope Francis and Catholic leaders from around the world debate ways to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, Newark Archbishop John Myers has given his priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to Catholics who, for example, support gay marriage or whose own marriage is not valid in the eyes of the church.

How exactly would a priest know if a parishioner supports gay marriage? And of course, no one in a state of mortal sin should be receiving. How exactly does a priest know if one is in such a position?

 

[johnnyc176]

From the letter:

A good argument could be made that Democrats fall under this category.

it would be a good argument being that the platform of the Democratic party is pretty much laying waste to the five Catholic non negotiables.

 

[gracepoole]

it would be a good argument being that the platform of the Democratic party is pretty much laying waste to the five Catholic non negotiables.

The non-negotiables – that were identified as such by Deal Hudson, not the pontiff.

 

[Thomas_White]

How exactly would a priest know if a parishioner supports gay marriage? And of course, no one in a state of mortal sin should be receiving. How exactly does a priest know if one is in such a position?

Not to mention Humanae Vitae. It would seem it must devolve once again to what is presumed objectively known, and that is that a remarried Catholic who has not obtained annullment is ipso facto in the state of mortal sin.

 

[LongingSoul]

How exactly would a priest know if a parishioner supports gay marriage? And of course, no one in a state of mortal sin should be receiving. How exactly does a priest know if one is in such a position?

I think that reporting that you’ve quoted is actually an overreach. The document details the conditions that preclude Holy Communion but asks people only to be ‘honest to themselves and to the Church Community’. There seems to be no instruction to Priests to make the judgement.

I’m not really sure why this document is seen as a ‘victory’ though. It is just restating the current Church teaching probably to quash any misunderstandings that people might have gotten due to the sensationalist reporting of the synod.

The accompanying letter says ‘The principles may be applied more broadly in the future’ which I assume means there could possibly be some alterations to current practice out of the synod discussions.

 

[johnnyc176]

Unless he’s psychic, I wonder how he and the priests will know if someone supports same-sex marriage?
Will he tell the priests to specifically ask people? Or…do you think those who support it will offer this information freely or simply not go up for communion ever again and say nothing?

I guess he’s aware that perhaps half–maybe more–of the Catholics in NJ will need to bow out.
According to a poll a few years ago, almost fifty percent of Catholics in NJ support same-sex marriage.

A 2009 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of NJ Catholics showed:
–48 percent support gay marriage
–40 percent oppose it
– 12 percent are undecided.

(Protestants held the opposite view–34 percent supporting, 55 percent opposing, and 11percent undecided)

And an updated 2013 New York Times/CBS News poll showed that 62-percent of US Catholics were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. (In that poll…Catholics approved same-sex marriage at a higher rate than Americans in general at 53 percent)…

I know these polls make people feel good thinking that their political ideology is in the majority and think numbers means truth. I’m sure someone can come up with other numbers that may prove opposite but either way it really doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the teachings of Jesus and His Church, the Catholic Church.

The truth is the truth even if no one believes it and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.

If you read the Bread of Life discourse in John 6 you will see that many disciples left Jesus because they could not accept a teaching. Jesus did not change the teaching.

 

[SuperLuigi]

=DaddyGirl;13358315]Unless he’s psychic, I wonder how he and the priests will know if someone supports same-sex marriage?
Will he tell the priests to specifically ask people? Or…do you think those who support it will offer this information freely or simply not go up for communion ever again and say nothing?

I guess he’s aware that perhaps half–maybe more–of the Catholics in NJ will need to bow out.
According to a poll a few years ago, almost fifty percent of Catholics in NJ support same-sex marriage.

A 2009 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of NJ Catholics showed:
–48 percent support gay marriage
–40 percent oppose it
– 12 percent are undecided.

(Protestants held the opposite view–34 percent supporting, 55 percent opposing, and 11percent undecided)

And an updated 2013 New York Times/CBS News poll showed that 62-percent of US Catholics were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. (In that poll…Catholics approved same-sex marriage at a higher rate than Americans in general at 53 percent).

The Catholic Church isn’t a popularity contest. If these Catholics want to make gay “marriage” their golden calf, well, inadvisable to say the least, but that’s what we get in a culture obsessed with feelings----except, of course, when it comes to Islam.

Then again, he may not even be in his position long enough to enforce these rules.
He turns 75 next year and must submit his resignation to the pope then, right?

And…because several priests, nuns, and canon lawyers have urged the Vatican to investigate him using the new tribunal set up re negligent bishops, saying he sheltered abusive priests.
A case against him was announced in July by Father Jim Connell, Sister Maureen Turlish, former priest and Co-founder/President of Road to Recovery, Dr. Robert Hoatson, Catholic schoolteacher Linda Bruns, Helen Rainsforth (a victim’s mother) and Samuel Rivera (a sexual abuse victim).

“When Pope Francis last month announced the new tribunal, instantly — within 24 hours — we were saying, ‘Myers has to be one,’” said the Rev. James Connell, a canon lawyer and retired priest from Milwaukee…

“…the archbishop came under heavy criticism in 2013 after it was reported that now defrocked priest Michael Fugee, who had been accused of groping a teenage boy, attended youth retreats and heard confessions from minors despite an agreement with prosecutors and an archdiocesan official barring him from contact with minors.
In Peoria, Larry and Helen Rainforth, whose son Lance was among 13 people who received settlements from that diocese over abuse by former priest Norman Goodman, said Myers threatened people who came forward with libel lawsuits and excommunication.”

(kansascity.com/living/religion/article29594776.html#storylink=cpy)

So…while Archibishop Myers is giving priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to parishioners, one wonders if he, himself, should be abstaining.

This has nothing do with the subject at hand and just a secular-progressive attack on the archbishop to diminish his position so so-called gay “marriage” can win, even though the Court has already “ruled” on it.

Just goes to show that there is nor ever will be marriage “equality”.

 

[SuperLuigi]

The non-negotiables – that were identified as such by Deal Hudson, not the pontiff.

Meaning what? That it’s okay to support so-called gay “marriage”, euthanasia, polygamy and abortion in order to look and gain worldly rewards?

 

[Tim_D]

A good argument could be made that Democrats fall under this category.

Stop making politics out of everything. There are plenty of people on the right side of the aisle who are on the wrong side of the issues. It isn’t about the little letter behind the person’s name; it is about living a moral and righteous life and following the teachings of Christ and the Church.

 

[gracepoole]

Meaning what? That it’s okay to support so-called gay “marriage”, euthanasia, polygamy and abortion in order to look and gain worldly rewards?

No more than it’s okay to cherry-pick five non-negotiables that happen to align with the Republican platform. Torture, for example, is a non-negotiable according to the CCC but strangely, Hudson didn’t include it in his list…