Priest refuses Communion to someone

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I told my wife that any priest that knows Nancy Pelosi’s voting record would be obligated to refuse to give her the Eucharist if she went up for communion. My wife said she think’s that’s wrong. I told her that if the priest knows that a person is of mortal sin he is not to administer the Sacrament. My wife said he doesn’t know for sure. What if Nancy Pelosi went to confession right before mass? My wife said the priest would have to ask every single person in line for communion if they are in a state of grace. Anyone know of any articles on when a priest has refused to administer the Sacrament of communion to someone? Thanks.
 
Any public sin like Pelosi and the rest of the “Catholic” pro abortion politicians needs to be redressed in public. As Father Corapi said, any politician that claims to be Catholic and votes for abortion ex-communicates themselves from the Church.

When answering his own question about whether he would refuse them communion he said he didn’t know…he said first of all it should be addressed before it even gets to the point of them being in the Commuinion line but he would have to hope he didn’t recognize them.
 
Lampo said:
I told my wife that any priest that knows Nancy Pelosi’s voting record would be obligated to refuse to give her the Eucharist if she went up for communion. My wife said she think’s that’s wrong. I told her that if the priest knows that a person is of mortal sin he is not to administer the Sacrament. My wife said he doesn’t know for sure. What if Nancy Pelosi went to confession right before mass? My wife said the priest would have to ask every single person in line for communion if they are in a state of grace. Anyone know of any articles on when a priest has refused to administer the Sacrament of communion to someone? Thanks.
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Your wife is sort of correct. If someone with an immoral public record approaches in public for Holy communion they must be given Holy Communion, that time. The priest would be obligated to speak with them after Mass and inform them that if they approach again he will not give them Communion. Until the priest is satisfied that no public scandal will result.
 
It isn’t just a matter of the person being in Mortal Sin, the Sacrament is also to be refused when it causes public scandal

(‘scandal’ as a specific moral theological term, namely any action that might lead others to sin)

In this case, the reception of Communion by Nancy Pelosi would be a public statement that her voting record is something that might be tolerated by the Church.

It is not, and as her record is publically know, the priest would be well within his rights to ask to her publically renounce her support of abortion prior to any reception of the Eucharist.

The relavent Canon also speaks to that point
Can. 915 Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion.
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Manifest grave sin, as in Publically known grave sin.

Lampo, if the case your wife mentioned, that Pelosi would have gone to confession prior, that means that she would now have contrition and sorrow for her support for abortion and would be willing to publically attest to her new found support for the rights of the unborn, correct.
 
Simply going to confession does not make it okay.

If there is no firm purpose of commitment its a fraud. You cant just change your heart on abortion from week to week, using confession to recieve the Eucharist like its some kind of loophole out of the doghouse she ought to be in for her public display of defiance. Its not as if she can honestly say she is sorry she feels this way about abortion and she will rectify her stand on it.
She has not changed her tune about abortion so she ought to find another Church that approves of her support of murder.
 
Going to Confession is not enough. Have we forgotten the part about Sin no more? If we Confess on Saturday and then Recieve on Sunday, then Proceed to Sin again on Monday, are we really sorry for our Sins?
I think the Priest has a point to deny in this situation.
 
Anyone know of any articles on when a priest has refused to administer the Sacrament of communion to someone? Thanks-Lampo

Yes one of the spark issues (not a primary issue) of the schism was an eastern bishop refusing communion to a government official.

…Ignatius was the rightful bishop without any question; he had reigned peaceably for eleven years. Then he refused Communion to a man guilty of open incest (857). But that man was the regent Bardas, so the Government professed to depose Ignatius and intruded Photius into his see… . newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm

Also Lampo it is important to remember the standard which the Priest should use is to error toward confession, and find extremely clear schism prior to changing the action. I do not know this woman or her public statements but just voting against certain congressional bills is easily misunderstood. So simply sighting a vote is not sufficient. After reading the bills and reviewing the “net affect of the bills” there may be clear knowledge.
 
Many years ago, back in the '80s I guess, a very good priest took action. He announced to his congregation what the Church and Bible said about living together outside of marriage with sexual relationship and adultry. He told them he was aware and knew who were in these relationships. That if they came forward for Communion he would not give it to them. Guess what, there were a lot of folks that quite coming up for Eucharist. But, more important, there were a lot of folks that came to Confession, changed their situations, and their lives.

Truth hurts sometimes, but truth heals!
 
OOps- its a double post! Got so worked up I hit the button twice, sorry.😦
 
kim3260 said:
Going to Confession is not enough. Have we forgotten the part about Sin no more? If we Confess on Saturday and then Recieve on Sunday, then Proceed to Sin again on Monday, are we really sorry for our Sins?
I think the Priest has a point to deny in this situation.
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Hi,
Well then he would probably have to deny everyone all the time.😦 Then there would be no more communion. All humans sin everyday. Some we dont even know we do. We probably sin after church on sunday.:eek:
 
When someone is sitting on TV annoucing to the world their sin I think its pretty safe to say that is prideful sin. No shame in it at all. Wallowing in it if you will. Big smile on the face while doing it. Lets stay on track here and remember the average joe was not illustrated as the example in the OP.
 
Damascus said:
Okay everyone here is Ms. Pelosi and her pure kind heart speaking about our beloved Mother Church.

ANATHAMA. She is so openly defiant it is sickning.

usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-04-29-pelosi-communion_x.htm

Yes, this is an older article. Go to her web page and see her stand on abortion. She is despicable.
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If she publicly doesn’t agree with the Church on so many things, why does she even want to be associated with it? It’s sort of like a black man wanting to join the Klan, or a radical feminist being in the Miss America pagent. I would think Ms. Pelosi would just rather distance herself from the Church. It can’t be important for her pro-abortion constituency to see her being actively Catholic, and it can only anger any Catholics who might consider supporting her.
 
I’m an ex-evangelical Protestant who came into the Catholic Church in 2004.

I think??? that Protestants would have more respect for the Catholic Church if the priests denied Communion to those who publicly support abortion. Speaking from experience, I know that a lot of Protestants despise the Catholic Church because of Ted Kennedy especially. The impression is that the Catholic Church has no power.

I realize that the Church doesn’t exist to impress Protestants, so my opinion is probably pretty lame and naive. But I honestly think that many Protestants would at least respect the Catholic Church a little more if the Church took a firm stand.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church has taken a firm stand against abortion since the very beginning, and that doesn’t cause many Protestants to respect the Church. So like I said, my opinion is probably lame and wishful thinking.

I’m concerned that Ms. Pelosi and others like her would no longer have Jesus in their lives if they were denied Communion. But someone else mentioned that there are lots of Protestant churches that publicly support abortion. Why doesn’t she leave the Catholic Church and attend a church that is more in keeping with what she believes? I would, if I was her. It’s not like she’s likely to change the Catholic Church. Just stop making waves and go somewhere else. I suggest the Episcopal Church or the Evangelical Lutheran Church, both of which support much of what Ms. Pelosi supports, and both offer a Communion which is at least proclaimed as the Blood and Body of Our Lord. (It isn’t, but pretending doesn’t seem to bother Ms. Pelosi and others of her ilk.)
 
Cat said:
I think??? that Protestants would have more respect for the Catholic Church if the priests denied Communion to those who publicly support abortion. Speaking from experience, I know that a lot of Protestants despise the Catholic Church because of Ted Kennedy especially. The impression is that the Catholic Church has no power.

I realize that the Church doesn’t exist to impress Protestants, so my opinion is probably pretty lame and naive. But I honestly think that many Protestants would at least respect the Catholic Church a little more if the Church took a firm stand.
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Cat, you make some great points. But yes, this issue is not about gaining the respect of other churches, it’s about respect for the Eucharist, and also trying to charitably assume the best of people unless they demonstrate otherwise. In my small experience, Protestant churches have more of a culture of obligation between the members to not stray from the path…it’s more public and sometimes dealt with in public. This doesn’t seem to be a common practice in Catholic parishes.
Cat said:
I’m concerned that Ms. Pelosi and others like her would no longer have Jesus in their lives if they were denied Communion.
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Possibly, but that would be because she turned away from Christ, not because he was denied to her in the Eucharist. Lots of us know from personal experience, you can’t do things that go against God and just keep him in your life by recieving Eucharist in a state of mortal sin. It only widens the gap.

I agree politicians with such public statements against Church beliefs should be denied Communion, but I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of the priest who had to make that decision.
 
CatholicMetis said:
Any public sin like Pelosi and the rest of the “Catholic” pro abortion politicians needs to be redressed in public. As Father Corapi said, any politician that claims to be Catholic and votes for abortion ex-communicates themselves from the Church.

When answering his own question about whether he would refuse them communion he said he didn’t know…he said first of all it should be addressed before it even gets to the point of them being in the Commuinion line but he would have to hope he didn’t recognize them.
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This should go for Catholicism and the rest of Christianity!
Anyone who supports abortion should be denied the Eucharist, period, point blank. No exceptions.
WP
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
Well then he would probably have to deny everyone all the time.😦 Then there would be no more communion. All humans sin everyday. Some we dont even know we do. We probably sin after church on sunday.:eek:
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Of course we all sin, many times over. But there are certains sins that are so abhorrant, and to which the Church as assigned mortal sin status that it is a public display against the Church when these politicians, not just Mrs. Pelosi, continue to put their political doctrines above of the Catholic Church. I agree with the poster who said that other churches would respect us more if we stuck to our guns, so to speak. The public disdain for Christ’s Church is harmful and should not just be passed over by the hierarchy.
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
Well then he would probably have to deny everyone all the time.😦 Then there would be no more communion. All humans sin everyday. Some we dont even know we do. We probably sin after church on sunday.:eek:
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The key here, which is address in the Canon I posted, is that the sin needs to be manifest, or publically known, for the Eucharist to be denied.

But yes, anyone who commits a grave sin and brags about it on public television SHOULD be denied Communion.
 
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