The diocese of St. Petersburg is ready when Catholic bishops give communion

For the time being, the diocese of St. Petersburg is diverting itself from a central question in the contentious debate of the Catholic Church over Holy Communion.

Should a priest refuse the sacrament to Catholic politicians like President Joe Biden, who support abortion rights?

In the church hierarchy this is a decision of the local bishops or the Pope. But the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference last week voted to provide further guidance by issuing a “doctrinal document” on the Eucharist.

The guidelines include a section on “the responsibility of every Catholic, including bishops, to live in accordance with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Eucharist that we celebrate,” a statement posted on the bishops’ website said.

The document “is not of a disciplinary nature, nor is it aimed at a single person or group of people,” the statement said. However, many Catholics, including some bishops, fear that this could serve as a justification for denying Biden and others the sacrament.

Teresa Peterson, executive director of the St. Petersburg Diocese, said in an email this week that Bishop Gregory Parkes was unable to comment while the teaching document was being drafted but that he supported its creation.

The bishop “welcomes the idea of ​​strengthening doctrine on the Eucharist, particularly in light of the role of a bishop in teaching the faith,” said Peterson. “The Catholic Church guards the goods of faith and lets the truth of the gospel shine in order to bring all people to seek, receive and share the love of Christ. There is no political party dedicated to this mission, and as a church we do not endorse or support candidates or political parties. “

Parkes is the spiritual leader for an estimated 500,000 Catholics in 74 wards in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus Counties.

A committee of bishops is preparing the document for consideration in November when the entire US conference convenes again.

The issue boiled up last year when Biden was refused communion in a church in South Carolina during his election campaign for supporting policies that advocate the right to abortion, which runs counter to Catholic doctrine.

The story goes on

The focus of the debate is what receiving communion means, said Marc Pugliese, deputy dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Leo University and professor of theology.

The Eucharist is one of the most sacred parts of the faith, he said, and the act of communion symbolizes unity with the Church. Those who see a contradiction in Biden’s actions believe that he violated that union, Pugliese said. But others place more emphasis on the healing properties of communion, arguing that it should not be withheld as a punishment.

In 2010, former Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg held a meeting for all wards at the Tampa Convention Center and wrote a 30-page pastoral letter explaining the Eucharist. It described the sacrament as “oneness with Christ and the Church” and as a “channel of forgiveness”.

The issue reinvigorates longstanding tension over whether the church should be a “hospital for sinners or a hotel for saints,” Pugliese said. “Ultimately in theology it is a dialectic between divine justice and divine mercy.”

Denial of communion is usually reserved for those who have been excommunicated from the Church or who have committed permanent deadly sins.

“When that has happened, it is often said that it is not out of vindictiveness or punishment, but ultimately for their own moral gain, so that they change their habits and repent,” said Pugliese. “It’s a matter of a person’s individual conscience. Only God can come in and really judge a person’s individual conscience. “

While Peterson, the diocesan director, described the Church’s mission as apolitical, critics have described the demand for a doctrinal document on the fellowship as politically motivated.

Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, said she believes her organization embodies the voice of the majority of American Catholics. The nonprofit was founded around the same time as the Roe v. Wade founded in 1973 which protected a woman’s right to abortion and advocated abortion rights and contraception.

A recent poll by Pew Research found that 67 percent of Catholics are in favor of Biden receiving communion. Another Pew poll last October found that 56 percent of US Catholics believed that abortion should be legal in all or most of the cases, although 57 percent also viewed abortion as morally wrong.

“Turning the Eucharist into a weapon of political intimidation is a tragic abuse of the sacrament,” said Manson. “There are some bishops who like to be right wing political activists. They have lost their power and influence over the people in the pews and this is a way for them to gain power and influence. “

She said the divide between church leaders and American Catholics began in 1968 when the Pope banned artificial contraception.

“Since then, it has always been sexual and reproductive issues that have continued to cause these breakups as families have to time the number and spacing of their children,” said Manson.

Biden is the second Catholic US President after John F. Kennedy, who before the Roe v. Wade was chosen. The new president is widely considered to be an observant Catholic who opposes abortion in his personal life, which further complicates matters, Pugliese said.

Before the campaign episode in South Carolina, the subject had come up several times.

In the late 1980s, a California senator who supported the right to abortion was refused communion by the Bishop of San Diego, but he was allowed to receive the sacrament in Sacramento. In 2003, the Bishop of Sacramento said the then-governor of California should be refused communion for his belief in abortion.

In 2004, when Democrat John Kerry was running for president, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, sent a letter calling for Kerry to be refused communion. The bishops’ conference left the decision to the individual bishops.

This time, ahead of last week’s meeting, the Vatican warned American bishops not to refuse Biden’s communion on account of abortion and encouraged unity.

While not wanting to share his personal convictions on the matter, Pugliese said those who oppose the holding of politicians from Communion believe that the bishops’ decision will worsen an already toxic political climate.

These believers see it this way: “It’s like stabbing a wound with an ax,” he said.

But faith offers a way forward that is not so divided, he said.

“From a Christian point of view, the most important virtue is love,” said Pugliese.

“And when I see these debates, no matter which side someone is on… I think that people, no matter who they are, have a responsibility to help those they disagree with when in doubt and to try to understand them as well as possible.”

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