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Breaking: The Pope Is Catholic
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 168-55 to draft a document on “Eucharistic coherence.” A primary issue is whether or not pro-choice politicians can receive communion despite their fundamental disagreement with Rome. The debate gained steam with the election of President Biden, a Catholic who endorses abortion. Communicants are not supposed to participate in the Eucharist if they are in a state of sin and the Catholic Church considers this a serious sin.
Outrage spread across social media, blasting the bishops’ decision and demanding that all churches be taxed for “interfering with politics.” A few examples:
Dear @USCCB: I’m Catholic and I support:
-Contraception
-A woman’s right to choose
-Treatments for infertility
-The right for people to get a divorce
-The right of same sex marriageNext time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion. https://t.co/bUmiyJ8TtH
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 18, 2021
Oh?! US Catholic Bishops are involved in Politics?
Welp – under Federal Law, you can't be "Tax Exempt" in that case.
I guess it's time to revoke that Tax Exempt status going back to 1776 – you can re-file ALL your returns as C Corps and pay the taxes plus interest.#Vatican https://t.co/mEUyLPmUN0
— Mark Judson For Congress – Scorched Earth Dem 2022 (@Judson4Congress) June 19, 2021
Targeting Biden and excluding him from the Eucharist because of his political stances makes the Catholic Church a political organization. Tax them.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) June 18, 2021
As a non-Catholic in good standing, I’ll try to explain the doctrine to my fellow non-Catholics. Put simply, the Church denies the Eucharist to the non-repentant and to non-members to protect those people.
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” — 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (KJV)
The Church wants the salvation of its members, not damnation, so the Eucharist is denied to people on those grounds.
If a person is in a state of sin, he should not walk up to receive Communion. If a priest knows that a communicant is in a state of sin, it is his responsibility to deny Communion. As the chief of sinners, I have experience in this. I’m tougher on myself than any priest, so when in doubt, I remain in the pew as the Eucharist is celebrated. I did the same for the two years I attended an Orthodox church before I was a member.
One Twitter commenter wrote, “If the Catholic Church is going to deny President Biden his Sacramental rights because of his politics, then the Catholic Church should pay taxes.”
The use of “Sacramental rights” instead of “Sacramental rites” was telling. The loudest complaints came from people who consider the Eucharist everyone’s God-given, American right. It most certainly is not.
In the first few centuries of the church, non-members were not even allowed to witness the Lord’s Supper and banished to the narthex outside. After about three years of instruction, they would be baptized and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ only after promising not to speak of it to enemies of the church. This is memorialized in the prayer I have to say every time before Communion:
I believe, O Lord, and I confess, that thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And I believe that this is truly Thine own immaculate Body, and that this is truly Thine own precious Blood. Wherefore, I pray Thee, have mercy on me, and forgive my transgressions, both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, of knowledge and of ignorance; and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Thine immaculate Mysteries, unto remission of my sins and unto life everlasting. Amen. Of thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as communicant; for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to thine enemies, neither will I give thee a kiss as did Judas, but like a thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom. Not unto judgment nor unto condemnation be my partaking of thy Holy Mysteries, O Lord, but unto the healing of soul and body.
In both Catholic and Orthodox churches, priests are required not to serve Communion to known unrepentant sinners. If Father Jim sees I spent Saturday night Instagramming selfies snorting coke off a stripper’s hindquarters and I show up wearing the girlie bar’s T-shirt, he’ll kindly tell me to sit this Sunday out.
If you aggressively disagree with any church’s main doctrines, you probably shouldn’t be a member. I disagree with a few of Rome’s positions; that’s why I didn’t become a Catholic. Therefore, I have no right to demand they give me the Bread and Wine. It’s their religion and they make the rules. If I strolled into a mosque chomping on a BLT, the Imam would give me the boot. I wouldn’t respond by asserting my rights and demand taxation.
Hopefully, non-Catholics will better understand the Church’s position on “Eucharistic coherence” and Catholics will forgive any errors made.
Signed,
The Undisputed Chief of Sinners
If you want to be in the club, then you have to follow club rules. Otherwise, join another club.
Nope, in “Prog-World” the club rules no longer apply. You must change your antiquated rules to accomodate my feelings. Failure to do so will result in me holding my breath until my face turns blue and rolling around on the floor hitting my fists on the carpet. I dare you to ignore me…
Challenge accepted. ;-)
This always boggles my mind. If you don’t believe in the laws and principles of a faith, why join that faith? If you became a Muslim by choice, you don’t get to try and claim they are denying you food and water during Ramadan or the required alms are an illegal tax.
I’m not Catholic. I have no interest in becoming Catholic, since that would mean being a Joe Biden Catholic.
Isn’t the issue that Joe Biden isn’t really Catholic, and needs to be told so to his stupid face?
Now this could be a way out for the bishops. What’s the rule on giving communion to people who are completely demented, and might think the wafer was his lucky silver dollar he got from Corn Pop?
Mr. Gabriel, thank you for this well presented, balanced, respectful, and accurate post on this issue. I am Roman Catholic and I have supported the elimination of all Tax Exemptions for all entities (Religious, Charitable and Political) for the last thirty years. Favoring and exempting any group from paying for the programs that they frequently support and advocate for is the most corrupting relationship possible and it limits the ability of the Church to preach openly and honestly. Applying the tax exemption to all charitable giving by individuals is the only equitable and honest method allowing the diffusion of special interest and pressure groups devolving political/economic power to the smallest group.
On the Feast of Saint Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher it might be useful for all parties in the Catholic Church to consider what Saint Thomas More wrote on Political enmity…eventually we’re all dead.
Taken form “Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage” by Gerard B Wegemer
True enough but they failed long before Joe Biden arrived on the scene. When 65% of Mass attending Catholics don’t believe in the real presence despite saying “Amen” (“verily”, “truly”, “it is true”, and “let it be so”) every time they receive Holy Communion and more than 70% of the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist don’t subscribe to the perennial teaching on the Real Presence, it might be time for the Eucharist to be more restricted from the Faithful until the truth of the matter becomes clear.
Indeed. Compare the length of the lines for those going to Confession to those lining up for Holy Communion. Talk about a failure to catechize. When do you think the last time a pro-abort politician like Biden or Pelosi confessed his sins?
I hope I’m not the only one confused by this. You favor the elimination of all tax exemption for all entities, but you support tax exemption on charitable GIVING? How can giving be tax exempt if the organizations aren’t?
I support all tax breaks for any reason.
Entities meaning any organization that now claims to be not for profit or tax exempt for any reason. I would make all charitable giving by individuals 100% tax exempt meaning no tax (federal or state) would be collected on any documented charitable contribution. It would not be a tax break or allowance but a complete removal of all taxes on the amount unlimited. In a perfect scenario, I would also ban withholding, outlaw sales tax collection by non-government entities and have the taxes paid by individuals once a year.
I am just a bit more greedy. In my world I would ban all taxes on anyone whose income is equal to mine, or less. I still want good, clean running water, energy of all varieties when I need it, excellent police protection, and all sorts of other good stuff so it is important that all the rich people pay enough to keep me happy. I think that is fair, don’t you?
Odd, my family and I acquire all these supposedly government supplied services (never need the service of the Police would not bother to call them even if I did) without the use of Government services. If you require the government to supply this services, you’re doing something wrong.
Quixotic how freedom and the free market works.
Wow Duke. Just finding out more Catholics on this site than I thought. Good job. So Beth and Susan, some of our faith know what’s going on too.
Go will back to the Norte Dame football sites now.
I imagine you live like some kind of mountain man, or in a fortified Idaho compound?
How the heck would you respond if you caught someone trying to steal your stuff? Just murder them straight up? Or are the razorwire fences going to stop all of them/
If someone is violating your property, killing them is not morally murder.
Good ol’ John Locke.
I see it like this: Any goods I acquire through my own efforts (not theft), I gain through use of my time, which is part of my life that I cannot get back. Wasting my time is stealing part of my life away that I cannot get back.
All actions of theft steal time already spent, and make me spend more time. That takes away hours of my life. That is worth deadly force to protect.
I was kinda wondering the same thing, but I take his word for how he lives his life.
Pleading the fifth. Not talking about theoretical situations but murder is the illegal killing of person.
I live in Connecticut and left my doors unlocked and weapons available until the Black Bears became a problem. Government propagates the myth that they create civilization by control access to essentials when all they do is maintain control over the uncivilized.
Whoever taught those Black Bears to open doors ought to be shot.
Now, now. There is a right to arm bears. You should let them have their rightful weapons.
How often do you think the police are present to prevent a theft?
And it’s perfectly legal to use deadly force to prevent the theft of your property in Texas if it is reasonable that you can’t otherwise get it returned. There is no property value required. Thus, it’s more likely that you wouldn’t be able to retrieve a low value paperclip than a high value car. Shoot and kill the paperclip murderer and with a good jury who observes the law, you’re fine. A colleague of mine successfully defended a man for killing another man who stole a six pack of beer. (I don’t recommend that course of action because of the legal expense, but that IS the law in Texas.)
Reference: https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/entertainment/black-bear-caught-on-camera-opening-car-door/vi-BB1aYfUC
A sliding door is pretty straight forward for a large enough critter to figure out.