AlterNet: Radical Kansas Cleric: 4 in 10 Catholics Unfit to Present Themselves for Communion

[marmar]

Radical Kansas Cleric: 4 in 10 Catholics Unfit to Present Themselves for Communion

Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet at 2:18 AM on April 2, 2009.

At least that's the logical conclusion to his argument against Kathleen Sebelius.




There's been some controversy abrewin' about Barack Obama's relationship with the Catholic faithful. Supposedly, a wide chasm has opened between that group and the president resulting from the latter's support for stem-cell research and the fact that he doesn't believe the state should force women to give birth unless they choose to.

There was the Notre Dame kerfuffle, and now the storyline continues with the confirmation hearing of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

All of this should be seen through a pretty simple lens: there is, in fact, no difference between the views of American Catholics and the population as a whole. The rift, to the extent it exists, is between the Catholic church hierarchy and Obama. And here's the key thing to understand: to the degree that they are significantly more conservative on social issues than the nation as a whole, the leaders of the church are utterly and painfully out of step with their own followers. It would be nice if the media noted that rather significant fact. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/134591/radical_kansas_cleric%3A_4_in_10_catholics_unfit_to_present_themselves_for_communion/

[saigon68]

1. leaders of the church are utterly and painfully out of step

I would say

Not to mention their denials of crimes on the part of their own

[pnutbutr]

2. reduce their numbers

by excommunicating everyone for stupid crap. That would be pretty funny.

[deminks]

3. Trickle down Jesus.

Only the wealthy reichwing will be worthy, right? Too predictable.

Once again, religion solves all of our social problems. /sarcasm off.

[walkaway]

4. You have to give catholics credit. They practice what they preach...

Nazi pedophiles who don't wear condoms and use donations for the poor to pay to keep it all quiet.

If American catholics are so removed from that then why don't they do something about instead of kneeling down and kissing the holocaust denier's ring?

[patrice]

5. If KS shouldn't receive Communion, then neither should 40% of Catholic Americans.

So, if Kathleen Sebelius shouldn't "present herself for communion" because of her views on abortion, then, by logical extension, the 40 percent of the Catholic faithful who find abortion "morally acceptable" shouldn't either.

If "The Church" had the moral courage to return to its original Seamless Cloak Pro-Life teachings, they'd have to include favoring War in this injunction and that would be something like 80% of American Catholics who would need to refrain from going to Communion.

BTW, until Naumann gets the power to speak Ex Cathedra on Abortion, he has no power to order Kathleen Sebelius to do/not do anything, because he isn't the pope.