Catholic Bishop Tells Rep. Patrick Kennedy To Stop Taking Communion
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Roman Catholic bishop of Rhode Island said Sunday that he asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy in a 2007 letter to stop receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, because of the congressman’s public stance on moral issues.
Bishop Thomas Tobin divulged details of his confidential exchange with Kennedy after the Democratic lawmaker told The Providence Journal in a story published Sunday that Tobin had instructed him not to receive Communion. The two men have clashed repeatedly in the past few weeks over abortion.
Kennedy did not say where or how he received those instructions. He declined to say whether he has obeyed the bishop’s request.
“The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion,” Kennedy told the paper in an interview conducted Friday.
Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him “that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official,” particularly on abortion.
Tobin followed up with a biting public letter published in a diocesan newspaper.
“Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an ‘imperfect humanity.’ Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your Communion with the Church,” Tobin wrote.
Associated Press
In this or similar cases, is the Church improperly imposing their views on moral issues on elected Government officials or is it a perfectly acceptable form of discipline between a pastor and a member of the Church?
As I have often stated, the First Amendment is designed to keep the government out of the Church, but not the Church from having influence upon Church voters in choosing political candidates and upon any pending legislation. So, IMO, this is not improper as regards the Church-State relationship and is a matter between the Church and Kennedy based on his public opposition to core Church doctrines.
Kennedy stated: “While I greatly respect the Catholic Church and its leaders, like many Rhode Islanders, the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic,”
Well, whether or not he is a good Catholic is for the Church leaders to determine and not any lay member of the Church. It is their Church, they make the rules. If Kennedy opposes core Church doctrines he must decide if he wants to remain a Catholic or not and it is up to the Church if they want him to no longer be a member.
