Bishop Tobin of Rhode Island has banned Congressman Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion. The media is having a field day with this one. (The fact that the media is having a field day with this is very unfortunate because that means that they are not used to the Catholic Bishops exercising their authority to ban pro-choice politicians from the Communion Table. It is common knowledge that there are plenty of outspoken pro-choice Catholic politicians that should be banned from receiving Communion)
I have the utmost respect for Bishop Tobin and his decision against Congressman Kennedy. This action of the Church is not dissimilar to St. Paul's actions regarding the Church in Corinth where an openly sinful man was expelled from the community due to his actions 1 Cor 5:1-13. Congressman Kennedy has been put outside of the Grace received from the Lord's Supper. More than anything, this is an act of love of the Church.
The Church, by expelling him from the Eucharistic Table, is showing the world and all faithful Catholics the difference between right and wrong. Congressman Kennedy has a very poor view of Catholic Teaching regarding life. As a politician, he causes confusion (scandal) amongst the faithful because he is a publicly pro-choice Catholic. Some may get the impression that it is legitmate to be Catholic and Pro-Choice. Bishop Tobin has made it perfectly clear that this is not permisable.
My hope and prayer is that more Bishops would follow Bishop Tobin's lead and start sending clear messages to pro-choice Catholic politicians and the rest of the world, that to be pro-choice and Catholic is ridiculous. My prayer is also for my pro-choice Catholic brothers and sisters, that they would reconsider the teachings of Christ as it relates to the sanctity of life.
God bless...
4 comments:
The issue, as noted at the end of this article is that being a Catholic in public life has different responsibilities. The Congressman brought this to the public forum, not the Bishop. The bishop had sent him a private letter in 2007 which Mr Kennedy brought to light recently. This is not so much about the Bishop expelling someone, but pointing out what the congressman is doing to himself by ignoring the Truth.
Thanks for the comment here. I was not aware that the Bishop handled all of this privately. That really makes this a different story. Unfortunately, it puts Congressman Kennedy in an even worse light, if that is possible after his previous antics.
This goes way beyond being a Catholic. This applies to any Christ follower. My hope and prayer is that ANY leader in the church would follow Bishop Tobin's lead and start sending clear messages to pro-choice (fill in the blank with any christ following religion) politicians and the rest of the world, that to be pro-choice and a Christ follower is ridiculous. Hopefully you would want your non-Catholic brothers and sisters to consider the sanctity of life as well....
Again, if all you're thinking of is "Catholic" you're missing a huge group of people that need to hear this.
Deborah,
This goes way beyond being a Catholic. This applies to any Christ follower.
Amen!!!
My hope and prayer is that ANY leader in the church would follow Bishop Tobin's lead...that to be pro-choice and a Christ follower is ridiculous.
We are in a sad predicament. There are many Christian denominations, that approve of abortion. Because of this, I think that it is going to be difficult to get all self proclaimed Christian politicians to defend the sanctity of life in the womb.
Hopefully you would want your non-Catholic brothers and sisters to consider the sanctity of life as well....
Of course.
Again, if all you're thinking of is "Catholic" you're missing a huge group of people that need to hear this.
Generally speaking, I am thinking of Catholics and their Bishops. Catholicism is a sacramental faith. We experience God through the Sacraments. Bishops have the power to deny the sacraments to those Catholics who are publicly acting against the faith through promoting policies that are clearly against Catholic teachings. There are plenty of Catholic politicians who are promoting policies against the Catholic faith, but this is the first time that I have ever heard of a Bishop actually standing up against one - which I feel is their moral obligation. Because of this, I am thinking specifically of Catholics and their Bishops.
Non-Catholics is a different story. While there are many Christian politicians who promote pro-death policies, I don't know the actual belief system that they are a member of. I don't know what creeds they profess. Are they acting against the will of God? Definitely. But I can't be sure if they are acting against the will of their church.
So within the context of the Catholic Faith, I am proud of Bishop Tobin for defending the sanctity of life and showing his Dicoese the difference between right and wrong, and I hope and pray that Congressman Kennedy will realize the error of his position, repent, and start to represent the Catholic faith that he proclaims to be a member of.
God bless...
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