www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Bishop Refuses Communion to politicians

Western Bishop R. L. Burke will not allow priests in his diocese to distribute communion to pro-abortion politicians. Hurray Bishop Burke! Why has this taken so long? A number of Catholic bishops scrambled to condemn the US-Iraq War, yet abortion was never mentioned.

Bishop Raymond Burke is an outstanding religious leader who doesn't mince words. He takes a very firm stand against abortion, and homosexuality, and is also a strong supporter of the Latin Mass.

Justinian- not fair. The strongest condemnation of the war in Iraq that I have heard of was by Romanian Catholic Bishop John Michael Botean, who specifically equated killing in an unjust war with abortion...
But God bless Bishop Burke! At last, a bishop who is not testically challenged! What diocese is he from?

Daniel,

I believe he was formerly a bishop in Minnesota (or Wisconsin or Michigan? - - - one of them), but he is now being elevated to the Archbishopric of St. Louis, Missouri. So, he's now Archbishop-elect of St. Louis. By the way, the Cathedral of St. Louis (named for King Louis XIV, I believe), which is the cathedral of the archbishop, is absolutely amazing.

You can check out the cathedral at: http://www.cathedralstl.org/

Logos Teen

Ave daniel n:

I stand corrected! My Nov., 2003 HORIZONS OF THE EPARCHY OF PARMA issue, page 2 says exactly that.

Pax tecum,
Scott

daniel n:

Bishop Burke is from the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Further, our local priests and laity need to be the guardians of the chalice!

Pax,
Scott

Christ is baptized! In the Jordan!

Dear Teen,

The Archdiocese of St. Louis and its cathedral basilica (which, you are correct, is amazing in its Byzantinity<G>) is dedicated to Saint Louis IX, King of France and confessor, not Louis XIV.

(Prof.) J. Michael Thompson
(native of St. Louis, MO)
Byzantine Catholic Seminary
Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks, Professor Thompson. I knew it was one of them.

Too many Looies*!

Logos Teen

*Sorry, I'm not going to try to pluralize a French proper noun that ends with an "s" when the "s" isn't even pronounced.

Bishop Burke is the current ordinary of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Great man! The only thing that troubles me about the Diocese of LaCrosse is that is one of the Diocese not in compliance with the new guidlines dealing with the clergy and youth.

Dear Friends,

Three cheers for the bishop for his stand against those who mock our faith and yet approach our altars as if still part of our Communion.

By the way, speaking of St. Louis IX the Crusader, I would like to learn more about him. This is because he is one of my patrons being my middle name is "Lewis" (after my Armenin great grandfather Lewis Peringian). Does anyone know of any good books or documentarys about him? Thanks for any assistance and for the link to this stricking Cathedral dedicated to him.

Trusting in Christ's Light,
Wm. DerGhazarian
Looys Kreesdosee
www.geocities.com/derghazar [geocities.com]

p.s. I've read that St. Louis was a good freind of Byzantium and the East. Any thoughts on this?

In the Roman Office the daily reading for the feast of St Louis is from a letter to his son in which he instructs him that if a legal dispute is brought before him involving a rich man and a poor man to always presume the poor man is right unless evidence demands otherwise; I always thought that was very wise...

Ghazar

Try the book "St Louis IX Most Christian King of France" by Margaret Wade Labarge (1968) You might have to get it from a library though, as I'am not sure if it's still in print.

Slava Isusu Christu!

Brothers and sisters - please help me to understand this matter...

I accept and respect the role of the bishop as protector of the Holy Eucharist. I am having difficulty, however, accepting his right to refuse the Eucharist to an individual, any individual, lacking his ability to know what is truly in that individual's heart of hearts - what the true current relationship is between that individual and our Heavenly Father.

It seems to me as though the bishop is placing his priests in a position wherein they are forced to make on-the-spot judgments regarding the current state of grace of the souls who approach to receive the Eucharist. The priest cannot know, with absolute certainty, the current disposition of an individual's soul, regardless of what may be publicly known or professed about that individual.

If the individual himself chooses to receive the Eucharist while in a state that should preclude his doing so, then that matter, I believe, is between he and God. To expect the priest, given his human frailties, shortcomings and limitations, to act as judge for things that can be judged by God alone is, I believe, both wrong and potentially dangerous.

Please help me to see it otherwise if I am, in fact, misunderstanding the situation.

Thank you!

Pilgrim,

Politicians and other public figures are in a somewhat different position than most of us - their actions and statements are a matter of public record.

A statement or action that is in total opposition to Church teaching - such as support for abortion - which is a matter of public record - remains "on the books" until it is also publically recanted. Conversion of heart is a good thing, but if the sin was public, the public must see the repentance as well.

The Bishop is well within his rights to deny Communion to notorious public sinners - which include people who have repeatedly and publically flouted Church teachings.

Hope this helps - and pray for the conversion of sinners (ME!!!!)

Sharon
(in Ohio, where we just executed someone this morning. *sigh*)

Dear Pilgrim,

Yes, indeed, that is a very touchy situation!

Normally, no priest may refuse communion to someone UNLESS it can be shown that that person is a public sinner or heretic, known to the parish and community, or else has cut himself off from the Church by taking a public stand against Christian teaching.

Thus, someone wearing a pro-abortion button would be refused Communion. And there are now "Catholic" politicians who are in favour of abortion.

As St Thomas More once said, as recorded in Robert Bolt's play (it's the only play I ever participated in, and I played More, so please bear with me ):

Wolsey: Now explain how you as Councillor of England can obstruct those measures (to procure a divorce for the king) for the sake of your own, private conscience.

More: Well . . . I believe when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos."

So there are conditions under which bishops and priests not only CAN but MUST refuse Communion - especially when one is publicly going against Church teachings that one is bound, as a member of the Church, to uphold.

Alex