With a major hat tip to Pewsitter I bring you this story.
So here’s the deal. A homosexual activist named Joe Murray essentially stood in the front pew during Mass where Chicago’s Archbishop Francis Cardinal George presided at the Archdiocesan’s Gay and Lesbian Outreach’s (AGLO) 25th anniversary liturgy. While a number of gay activists protested outside Murray had his back turned to Cardinal George and was facing the people while wearing a rainbow sash. Real subtle, huh?
Murray had previously protested Cardinal George being invited to this Mass, saying “‘The only metaphor that comes to mind is that of inviting Hitler to a remembrance service for holocaust victims.” Yeah, subtlety is not his thing.
When Murray presented himself for Communion he was sent away by Cardinal George empty handed. That is, until Brenna Cronin, a reported lesbian cantor, went up twice and personally delivered the Eucharist to Murray. She was previously quoted in the Windy City Times saying of this mass:
“Brenna Cronin, choir member and cantor, is torn. ‘For me as a music minister, I will have to make a decision. My heart says that I want to be there that day and minister for my community,’ she said. ‘At the same time I want to stand on the sidewalk with Joe Murray and hold a candle to show my protest.’
Murray called Cronin his “priest” for delivering the Eucharist to him.
No word yet on any consequences of this act.
June 18, 2013 at 8:49 pm
Um, how about removing Cronin as cantor?
June 18, 2013 at 9:02 pm
So, the Cardinal has no problem celebrating a mass in honor of a group whose tagline for this event was "celebrating a quarter century of faith & pride", yet he denies one of them communion?
This whole story just seems a bit weird to me…
June 18, 2013 at 9:10 pm
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June 18, 2013 at 9:12 pm
clearly the eucharist is about them not Jesus. the mass is merely a display, a show to them. they need to review what the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is and return when they believe,respect and are obedient. they seem to have Catholicism confused with lollapalooza or a poltical convention. i used to be sympathetic to homosexuals, but i admit they have alienated me. i would never show them such disrespect. or anyone, really. grow up people. not everything is about you.
June 18, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Prediction: there will be no consequences.
June 18, 2013 at 9:34 pm
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June 18, 2013 at 9:45 pm
The fact that "Cardinal George presided at the Archdiocesan's Gay and Lesbian Outreach’s (AGLO) 25th anniversary liturgy" kind of tells me that he's nothing like Hitler who would never have attended a Jewish prayer service during World War II.
Hitler sees Jews as less than human and then has them tortured and murdered.
Cardinal George sees homosexually oriented men and women as children of God, calls them to the same morality as any other Catholic, prays with them, and enters into Communion with them in the Mass.
I'm sorry… how do we equate the two?
If a heterosexually oriented man enters the Church with a "Wake up Church! Accept Contraception" sign on, he will also be denied Communion. Both men would be endorsing contraceptive sexuality, which is a public display of belief that is outside of Communion. Neither he nor Mr. Murray can receive Communion. No double standard here.
Cardinal George has nothing against homosexually oriented men and women. The issue is with an objective definition of marriage and sexual morality. For the secular mind, think of this: a vegetarian does not hate us meat-eaters. They do not have anything against us, but they believe that there is something wrong with us eating meat.
June 18, 2013 at 10:05 pm
Why do we put up with this open dissent and disobedience? Go and sin no more. Oh, and toss the cantor over to the local episcopals!
June 18, 2013 at 10:06 pm
Why do we put up with this open dissent and disobedience? Go and sin no more. Oh, and toss the cantor over to the local episcopals!
June 18, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Cantor needs to be disciplined.
June 18, 2013 at 10:15 pm
"If a heterosexually oriented man enters the Church with a "Wake up Church! Accept Contraception" sign on, he will also be denied Communion." Really?! Is Joe Biden denied communion? Is Nancy Pelosi denied communion?
1. There should not have been this type of Mass
2. The cantor should be fired.
June 18, 2013 at 10:33 pm
Proof positive again that no matter what concessions are made on their behalf it will NEVER be enough. I'm with Lynn. This never should have happened in the first place.
June 18, 2013 at 10:54 pm
" LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS " (on the Vatican web site).
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html
" 7. The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of men and women in the sacrament of marriage. It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging in homosexual behaviour therefore acts immorally. "
" 15. We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin. "
" All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous. "
June 18, 2013 at 11:00 pm
'Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition' –
CCC: " 2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. "
CCC: " 2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."
They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. "
June 18, 2013 at 11:03 pm
Holy Scripture:
Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24- 27; 1 Cor 6:9-10;
1 Tim 1:10
June 18, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Code of Canon Law (can be found on the Vatican web site)
Canon 915: "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty
and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion. "
Canon 1399: " In addition to the cases established here or in other laws, the external violation of a divine or canonical law can be punished by a just penalty only when the special gravity of the violation demands punishment and there is an urgent need to prevent or repair scandals. "
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION SACRAE DISCIPLINAE LEGES (1983) which can be found on the Vatican web site includes:
" Finally, the canonical laws by their very nature must be observed. "
June 18, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Her community? Good.Now leave the people of G-d alone!
Seriously, as if the Church was founded in the 1960's.
Silly, narcissistic, chick.
June 19, 2013 at 1:32 am
The Russians know how to handle these things. It is astounding that Catholic clergy has such a difficult time seeing what to do!
June 19, 2013 at 1:59 am
The sacrilege of the cantor who had no business stealing a Host to give to anyone must be dismissed.
June 19, 2013 at 2:04 am
Man…what a shame we even are discussing this. Why hasn't the cardinal spoken out and indicated what pastoral action he will take?