I think this queston is sufficiently related to liturgy to be asked here, but
feel free to flame me if you disagree. 

It is probably the Roman catholics among you who are best placed to answer my question.

Here in Melbourne our Catholic brothers and sisters have a fairly new
archbishop who is of extremely conservative persuasion. He has recently
decreed that openly homosexual people will not be served at the Eucharist on
the grounds that they are willingly defying the church's teaching. In a recent
testing of him, a group of homosexual Catholics and their family and friends
turned up to Mass at the cathedral wearing rainbow sashes to indicate their
views and they were all refused communion. The archbishop subsequently sent a
fax to all parishes instructing his priests to follow his example in this matter.

Homosexuality is not the first issue he has taken such a stand on. He has also
refused people communion because they were not Catholics. I am told he even
refused to serve one of our former prime ministers at a state funeral for a
prominent Catholic politician.

My question is not about the rights or wrongs of his view of homosexuality,
but whether he actually has the right to do what he did. My understanding was
that a priest could not invite to the table those who weren't Catholic or
didn't meet the criteria according to the church's teaching, but that if
someone presented to receive the elements, he couldn't refuse them unless they
had been formally excommunicated. Am I wrong, or is there some other ruling
that relates to these cases? Don't his actions amount to an on-the-spot
excommunication without a hearing?

The effect of his ruling appears to be that homosexuals may be served
communion as long as they don't announce that they question the church's
teaching. Those who publicize their dissent, whether homosexual or not, are
"excommunicated" on the spot. It is thereby the questioning that is seen to be
the sin, not the sexual practice.

How do others read this situation? Has he gone beyond his powers or not?

Peace and hope,

Nathan

_____________________________________
Nathan Nettleton
Pastor, South Yarra Community Baptist Church
Melbourne, Australia
[log in to unmask]


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