Minneapolis, Minn., May 12, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Last week, Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis took a stand against what he saw as the Eucharist becoming a “battleground.”
He joins a number of Bishops across the country who are refusing to allow communion to be given to those wearing a rainbow sash—representing the nationwide Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM), a Catholic gay and lesbian group--who have chosen Pentecost Sunday as the day that they will make their presence known.
Archbishop Flynn said that his decision to deny communion to the sash-wearers—a change from last year—is because "It has become apparent to me that the wearing of the sash is more and more perceived as a protest against church teaching.”
In a letter to Brian McNeill, head of the Minneapolis chapter of the RSM, the Archbishop said that, "I am asking you to remove your sashes before you receive Holy Communion” and “I ask you to observe this sign of respect for the Eucharist not only in the Cathedral but in all our parishes. No one wearing the sash will be permitted to receive the Blessed Sacrament.''