Chicago, Ill., Jun 6, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Denying someone Communion is a painful thing to do, however the sacraments must be protected and cannot be manipulated by any person or group, said Francis Cardinal George in a recent column in the Catholic New World.
The archbishop of Chicago wrote the column upon his return from an Ad Limina visit with Pope John Paul II. He was referring to a recent incident in which homosexual rights activists, belonging to the Rainbow Sash Movement, were denied Communion during a mass in his archdiocese.
“Several years ago, members of a movement called the Rainbow Sash began to present themselves for Holy Communion while wearing a sash, indicating they do not accept the Church’s teaching on the objective immorality of homosexual genital relations,” said the cardinal.
The policy of the U.S. Bishops’ conference, “is to refuse Communion to anyone who used its reception as an occasion to protest against the Church’s teaching,” said the cardinal, explaining why the activists were not given Communion.