St Louis Archbishop Burke would refuse communion to Kerry | Post-Dispatch

[Ediacara]

Burke would refuse communion to Kerry
By Patricia Rice
Post-Dispatch Religion Writer
01/30/2004

© 2004 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

If Sen. John Kerry were to stand in Archbishop Raymond L. Burke's communion line Sunday, Burke would bless him without giving him communion.

Kerry, a Catholic, has voted to support abortion rights, contrary to Catholic Church long-held teaching opposing abortion.

"I would have to admonish him not to present himself for communion," said Burke. "I might give him a blessing or something," he said. "If his archbishop has told him he should not present himself for communion, he shouldn't. I agree with Archbishop (Sean P.) O'Malley (of Boston.)"

In his former diocese of La Crosse, Wis., Burke sent an official episcopal notification to the diocesan priests to refuse communion to three Catholic Wisconsin law makers who had refused to talk with him about their pro-abortion rights votes.

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[CO Liberal]

1. Does That Bishop Refuse Communion to Pedophile Priests????

Hmmmmmmmmmm???

[asjr]

8. This is political and he should

come right out and say so. We STILL have separation of Church and State until this administration says otherwise, which they might try to do.

[Just Me]

30. Jesus took people in,...modern christian churches throws them all out,...

,...and I sincerely believe that the founders of this country recognized the abuses by both "church" and "state" when they consciously chose to separate the two. Both fall into the vicious winds of power.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Isere]

38. Touche!!!!!!

Touche and Amen! No more need be said!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. Good lord...

Back in the early 60s when my Mom was a divorced mother of three and persona non grata in the Catholic church, even our old-country Italian priests wouldn't NOT give her communion.

[ithacan]

3. do they deny it to death-penalty advocates?

The Catholic Church, and the Pope in particular, is very against the death penalty.

If this Bishop is anything other than a hypocrite, he would deny communion to Catholic politicians who favor the death penalty.

[0rganism]

13. How about Iraq war supporters?

The pope came out pretty strongly against an invasion.

[polpilot]

16. Kerry needs to explain that he voted pro-abortion but he doesn't support

pro-abortion that is just 'how it's done in Washington' and that he voted for the war but his position has been miscotriengulated by his opponents. That should do it.

Dean '04...The Only Hope

P.S. Go to the DLC site for the latest Dean attacks.

[iverglas]

17. you obviously dislike Dean

... but that is really no justification for misrepresenting his vote as "pro-abortion".

.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. This lapsed Catholic says

:crazy:

[Malva Zebrina]

5. baffling to me

punish, sort of, Kerry ? , but protect the priest child abusers? Makes no sense. No sense at all. These guys should stay out of politics and stick with saving souls or meditating or something.

This is an abuse of power to threaten a candidate with punishment of a sort that will wound him, perhaps, spiritutally.

I would not blame Kerry one bit, if he abandoned that church and became an Episcopalean or a Congregationalist or even a Buddhist.!! More than one Catholic has done that when threatened with punishment from the Catholic heirarchy when they would not tow the political line.

[KissMyAsscroft]

6. So the Pope will meet with the war criminal Cheney....

yet this guy won't meet with Kerry?

Ah, he probably has some children to fondle....

[Jacobin]

7. Fine. Tell the archbishop to go bugger a child and shut up.

I'm a reluctant Kerry supporter, but these bozos need to keep their fat yaps SHUT

[Bill McBlueState]

9. property taxes

If this church and its leaders are going to engage themselves in our political process, they should pay taxes the way everyone else does.

Didn't somebody say "Taxes are the price of admission to a civilized society" or something like that?

on edit: fixed a typo

[Rockholm]

11. I SO Agree! Tax Them!....

It makes me nuts that the Catholic Church here in Boston weighs into every political firestorm. Tax them. While we are at it, tax Jerry Fallwell, PAt Robertson and all of these other "religious" organizations that are out to shape policy.

[codegreen]

10. organized religion should stay out of politics

or be taxed.

[A J]

12. What a great way to expel catholics....

from our legislatures. I would never vote for a catholic (or anybody else) that would represent his or her church instead of representing me! I think many others would agree with me on this one.

PS. I support Dave Obey, who represents me and and every other single person in his district. What a great man and humble public servant he has been, and the church should praise his service, especially to the poor.

[alcuno]

28. Welcome to DU, A J.

I am a Catholic and totally agree with you. Taking communion is a decision between an individual and God. The priests should not be making that decision.

[Just Me]

31. "Expel catholics"??? That's a weird thing to say,...

Actually, that is a very brutish and discriminatory remark. What are you suggesting? Are you suggesting a political target? If so, f*ck off!!! Try getting on the same page.

[alcuno]

33. I believe the post was sarcastic.

Easy there, Just Me. It was a sarcastic comment from someone new here.

[iverglas]

14. how about the people who vote for him?

... or for other Democratic candidates for office?

I'm not seeing a difference. They're all voting against a policy that the RC church apparently disapproves of.

Seems like this archbishop should be demanding that all parishioners disclose their voting records. He might be giving communion to a lot of unrepentant sinners.

On the other hand, since Kerry has presumably not had an abortion (or performed one, or even paid for one), maybe the archbishop could just explain what he's done wrong by RC rules. By his logic, he'd have to refuse communion to any politician who did not introduce legislation to outlaw divorce, it seems to me, since by failing to try to prevent them, said politician would obviously bear personal guilt for all the divorces in the country.

Or he could smack his head and wonder what he was thinking, when he remembers that people, including politicians, are answerable to the church (if they choose to be) for what they do, not for what they don't try to put other people in jail for doing.

He might want to just read a book written by a prominent Canadian, an RCer who went from being Justice Minister to being a federal court judge, and opposed outlawing abortion; as a colleague said to mark his death:

http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/052_1998-02-04/han052_1520-e.htm

Everything <Mark MacGuigan> did was inspired by his own deep religious faith, influenced by the great Roman Catholic religious philosophers he had studied in such depth, especially Saint Thomas Aquinas and his modern interpreter, Jacques Maritain. This faith was the basis for his commitment to the cause of human rights and civil liberties.

He believed, as he wrote in his book which was published just a few years ago, Abortion, Conscience and Democracy, that an acceptance of a pluralistic society is God's plan for the world.

... and stop trying to be the boss of everybody whose boss he isn't, and who want people like John Kerry making their laws.

.

[The_Casual_Observer]

15. Jerk Archbishop freeper

I don't know what happened to the Catholic Church. During the 2000 election the diocese in Los Angeles took a very pro-bush position. It was/is a big disgrace and a slap in the face to the poor and struggling people and families that populate the diocese. It's as if they wish to remain out of touch and in the bag of the wealthy contributors.

[Gman]

18. As a Catholic

I think this is outrageous bullshit.

If the Church will also refuse Communion to those that support the death penalty I might listen to the Church. But the entire thing is bullshit instigated by Opus Dei.

[mumon]

19. This is utterly against Catholic doctrine...

It's not a sin to create a law that allows people to make moral choices by themselves.

The morality of abortion is completely irrelevant here: Burke is attempting to use his position to affect a political, legal outcome of an issue that is a moral issue. They're 2 separate issues: because something is legal doesn't mean it's moral, and because something is illegal doesn't mean it's immoral.

This "archbishop" should be excommunicated.

(on edit)

Tell 'im how ya feel about it!

http://www.archstl.org/contact.html

Here's what I wrote:

I am utterly repulsed that "Archbishop-elect" Burke, an alleged spokesman for Catholic morality would attempt to be so utterly propagandizing and shilling with respect to his recent remarks related to John Kerry, and his votes on allowing women to make moral choices between them and their physicians.

It's not a sin to create a law that allows people to make moral choices by themselves.

The morality of abortion is completely irrelevant here: Burke is attempting to use his position to affect a political, legal outcome of an issue that is a moral issue. They're 2 separate issues: because something is legal doesn't mean it's moral, and because something is illegal doesn't mean it's immoral.


Apparently, what the "Archbishop-elect" is really interested in is penalizing people who allow other people to make choices that are difficult moral choices, in ways that he, personally does not like.

This is a disgusting aberration of Catholic doctrine, which upholds the right of a person to follow his or her own conscience.

The "Archbishop" should publicly repent of his activities here, for they are completely out of spirit with his Church, and with the Constitution of the United States of America.

[alcuno]

29. You are so right. Sin is a matter of conscience.

Thanks for the address. The last thing we need are Catholics acting like fundies.

[Norbert]

20. Bu$h sends 509 of our people in uniform to their deaths

but I guess he would be okay with that.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

21. Thank god for blasphemy, It helps me cope with church nonsense. n/t

[marigold20]

22. Good riddance, Archbishop Burke

He just left the LaCrosse Diocese - sorry St. Louis. I keep imagining this scenario - as the offering basket is passed, notes are dropped in, exposing sinners who are still taking Communion. "Mr. Jones is bonking his secretary, Mrs. Smith is using birth control, etc." Probably wouldn't hear much about refusing to help the poor, or supporting the death penalty. Just be against abortion, the other sins are freebies.

[peterh]

23. I’m not going to speak for any candidate here….

Because religion is a personal choice and it should stay that way….but….how I cast a vote is going to be in direct correlation to how I perceive that candidate upholding the constitution…..and the US Constitution trumps one’s religious beliefs in every fucking way…imho….outside of the obvious, i.e., the twit not getting my vote, I’m non-committal at this point….

My vote is only “one” vote, if I didn’t feel it should be heeded, then I probably wouldn’t vote….but I do….

Listening Candidates????

[MikeG]

24. Shouldn't he be concerned with making sure his priests keep their

frigging hands off the altar boys?

[truth2power]

25. Father Andrew Greeley

(the author of many romantic novels, as well as some pretty darn good non-fiction) says the hierarchy has been trying to drive the Catholic laity out of the church for years, but they won't go.

If Catholics stay in the church it's not for lack of church officials trying to drive them out with such silliness as this.

[mulethree]

26. Has a catholic ever been elected president?

[Jacobin]

27. JFK

[pintobean]

35. yes, JFK

[kodi]

34. the same goes for death penalty advocate justice scalia?

the roman catholic church is also adamantly against the death penalty.

will the priest in fat tony scalia's parish deny him holy communion for advocating or at the least voting to allow the death penalty in certain cases before him in direct opposition to the teachings and policies of the church?

those in the church who are using the ploy of withholdong holy communion from pro-choice polticians are intellectual frauds. either they go all the way and excommunicate all those who are pro choice and pro death penalty or they should just shut the fuck up.

[truthisfreedom]

36. TAX THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

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