A priest elevates the host during a Mass at St. Patrick s Cathedral in New York City in 2020. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
VATICAN CITY (RNS) As some American bishops discuss the possibility of denying Communion to Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for supporting abortion-rights policies, a senior Vatican prelate said decisions about administering the sacrament rest solely on the bishop giving the Eucharist.
“It’s not up to bishops in general to make these decisions, it’s the bishop of the person,” said Cardinal Michael Czerny, the undersecretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in an interview with Religion News Service on Thursday (May 6).
Vatican prelate says individual bishops have final say on Communion
‘It’s not up to bishops in general to make these decisions. It’s the bishop of the person,’ said Cardinal Michael Czerny. But at least one canon lawyer argues that when it comes to Communion for heads of state, it should really be up to the pope himself. Photo by Norbert Staudt/Pixabay/Creative Commons
May 6, 2021
VATICAN CITY (RNS) As some American bishops discuss the possibility of denying Communion to Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for supporting abortion-rights policies, a senior Vatican prelate said decisions about administering the sacrament rest solely on the bishop giving the Eucharist.
The bishop said he had “a feeling of disbelief that somebody would actually do that.”
Authorities have been investigating the vandalism at the church which has a largely Black congregation as a possible hate crime.
The incident left Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria outraged.
“This was not an accident but a hate crime against Zion Ministries and their community,” the mayor said on social media. “As mayor, I’m repulsed and distraught that someone would intentionally vandalize a religious organization in our community. There is absolutely no room for any hate in Everett.”
The mayor reiterated the following day that there is no room for hate in the Everett community.
Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis by Bishop Robert Barron. Word on Fire (Park Ridge, Illinois, 2019). 105 pp., free plus $5.95 shipping and handling.