Connecticut Catholic Corner: Archbishop of Detroit going soft on Holy Communion?

Monday, August 10, 2015

Archbishop of Detroit going soft on Holy Communion?

In 2013, Archbishop Vigneron of Detroit said "...Catholics who back same-sex marriage and receive Communion would 'logically bring shame for a double-dealing that is not unlike perjury' in a Free Press article. Of course, this caused the progressive self-declared "catholics" fits of outrage which they expressed by picketing the Archbishop's office.

In a supposed email to Detroit Free Press, the Archbishop said, “Whenever it comes to Communion, the objective is never to steer a person away,” which of course has progressives and gay advocates in a titter declaring (get this) "...it's a Jesus response".

So once more, the ignorant progressives in the Church, emboldened by Pope Francis' now infamous words "Who am I to judge?" have decided the Archbishop's "softer tone" means the "communion table" is open for anyone with a clear conscience.

That my friends is Protestantism, not Catholicism. It's the "be your own pope" mentality.

For these folks, when the Archbishop was correctly cautioning people about Holy Communion he was bad...but when he says the "objective is never to steer a person away [from Holy Communion]" then he's speaking as Jesus would?

Bull hockey.

The Archbishop was right in 2013 and wrong now- if he did in fact write such an email stating it is "never" the objective "to steer a person away" from Holy Communion. That is wrong. There are of course MANY TIMES when people should be turned from Holy Communion- namely when they are in a state of mortal sin! Any mortal sin...gay "marriage", they had/performed an abortion, fornication, adultery etc., the list goes on.

If an open (public) heretic is receiving Holy Communion they are also guilty of the sin of scandal (think Pelosi & Biden). Priests knowing these things should deny them Holy Communion.

"I too raise my voice, I beseech, beg and implore that no one draw near to this sacred table with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Such an act, in fact, can never be called "communion," not even were we to touch the Lord's body a thousand times over, but "condemnation," "torment" and "increase of punishment..." - Saint John Chrysostom

*******

"All the faithful are to be admitted to Holy Communion, except those who are prohibited for a just reason. The publicly unworthy, which are the excommunicated, those under interdict, and the manifestly infamous, such as prostitutes, those cohabiting, usurers, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, blasphemers and other sinners of the public kind, are, however, to be prevented, unless their penitence and amendment has been established and they will have repaired the public scandal." - Rituale Romanum

Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry (gay group the Catholic Church has denounced many times) said, “It [the Archbishop's email] recognizes that people, in their consciences, have to weigh the church’s teachings in their own lives and relationships. That is authentic Catholic teaching. He’s [Archbishop Vignernon] not watering down anything. He’s proclaiming the church’s teaching more accurately than he did back then.”

Wrong. "Authentic Catholic" teaching on gay unions is very clear, yet the New Ways Ministry group continually reject authentic Catholic teaching when it doesn't suit their agenda.

And further, mortal sin does not depend solely on whether or not the sinner's conscience is clear. An unformed or deformed or warped conscience may never tell a person they are in a state of mortal sin.

I am reminded of GK Chesterton's saying "I do not need a Church to tell me I am wrong when I know I am wrong, I need a Church to tell me I am wrong when I think I'm right."

How true! Yet these progressives refuse any correction. Instead of listening, they picket and protest! How are they any different from Martin Luther before them?

Don't got soft Archbishop Vigneron - you won't be helping these people if you go soft on Church teaching.

*Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis: "The Fathers of the Church and approved theologians have addressed the Church's serious concern that due respect be paid to the Most Blessed Sacrament, that souls not fall into the sin of sacrilege by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily, and that scandal not be given to the faithful by a careless administration of the Holy Eucharist to individuals who clearly are not rightly disposed, that is, who obstinately persevere in manifest serious sin."