Bishop will not exclude politicians

Catholic activist "disappointed' by McManus' Communion stance New bishop will not exclude politicians

Kathleen A. Shaw, T&G STAFF

WORCESTER- Bishop Robert J. McManus, who will become fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Worcester on May 14, said the Vatican has issued no criteria that would exclude Catholic politicians from receiving Communion based on their public positions on so-called "life issues."

He joined with Providence Bishop Robert E. Mulvee in issuing an official statement Friday after Cardinal Francis Arinze of the Vatican Congregation of Divine Worship said political leaders who favor abortion rights should not be given Communion.

Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that Communion should be denied only as a last resort.

Anti-abortion activists in this country are focusing attention on U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., a presidential candidate who still receives Communion at the Paulist Center in Boston but who has voted in favor of abortion rights.

Laurie A. Letourneau of Shrewsbury, a Catholic of the Worcester Diocese who also heads the Life Action League of Massachusetts, said yesterday she was "disappointed" that Bishop McManus is not supporting Cardinal Arinze.

Ms. Letourneau's position is that Communion should be denied to political leaders, including Mr. Kerry or other Catholics who are opposed to teachings of the Catholic Church on abortion, homosexuality and other issues. She said bishops who fail to act will have "to answer to God for their cowardice."

"The problem is these bishops are too afraid of losing the almighty dollar and causing a split in the church. The bishops have been causing a scandal in the Catholic Church and causing folks to lose faith because of their inability to stand up for the teachings of the church," she said.

A document issued by Pope John Paul II late last week called The Sacrament of Redemption "does not specifically address any criteria for excluding Catholic politicians from the reception of the Eucharist based upon their position on life issues," Bishops McManus and Mulvee said.

"The document itself clearly states "Sacred Ministers may not deny the Sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.' Such matters are decided by bishops in conformity with Canon Law and other documents of the Holy See," they said.

The bishops said that Cardinal Arinze, in response to questions at a press conference in Rome, said the American bishops must decide the issue. The American bishops have set up a committee to study the issue and no conclusions have been presented to the bishops for consideration, they said.

Ms. Letourneau does not accept the reasoning that the bishop's committee, headed by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of the Washington, D.C., Archdiocese, has not completed its work. Ms. Letourneau said it is "generally known" that Cardinal McCarrick is friendly with U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., also a Catholic whose pro-abortion record has been criticized by anti-abortion activists.

"The idea that bishops have to wait for a committee to come up to a solution is absurd. They should try reading the Catechism and stop being cowards and be men of the cloth," she said.

Cardinal Arinze, a Nigerian who has a long history of service at the Vatican, is frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for pope in the next conclave.

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley has said that Mr. Kerry, a lifelong Catholic who favors abortion rights and lives in the Boston Archdiocese, should refrain from Communion but he has not banned the Democratic presidential candidate from the Communion rail.

Raymond L. Delisle, spokesman for the Worcester Diocese, said the diocese has had a policy of not denying Communion to any Catholic who wants to receive it. Guidelines on receiving the sacrament are frequently posted in parish bulletins, he said. Based on comments by Bishop McManus, Mr. Delisle said he expects no changes in the policy. He added that Worcester is also awaiting a decision from a committee of American bishops who are studying the issues of Catholic political leaders and the sacraments.

As Bishop McManus, now auxiliary bishop of Providence, winds up his tenure in Providence, a farewell Mass will be held at 7 p.m. May 4 at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Providence. Invitations have gone out for his formal installation in Worcester scheduled for 2 p.m. May 14 at St. Paul's Cathedral.