Posted on 12/15/2009 8:57:05 AM PST by Alex Murphy
KEVIN Rudd's decision to take holy communion at the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel in Sydney has sparked debate within the Catholic Church because he is a practising Anglican.
The controversy mirrors a debate nearly a decade ago when Jeff Kennett complained he was sent a letter by Cardinal George Pell instructing him not to take communion at the state funeral of prominent Catholic B.A. Santamaria, despite the then Victorian premier's own shift to Catholicism.
The Australian has confirmed that the chaplain and sisters at the chapel were caught unawares by the Prime Minister's visit on Sunday.
They were concerned that they could face criticism from church authorities for allowing him to accept communion.
While Mr Rudd was baptised and raised as a Catholic, he attends Anglican services with his wife, Therese Rein.
He once quipped: "It's a unity ticket but I never resigned from Rome."
His embrace of both denominations poses a dilemma, because the Catholic Church sets out detailed guidelines on how Catholics should prepare themselves to receive the Lord's body and blood in communion.
Ultimately, the chaplain present, Father Graeme Malone, did not give the Prime Minister communion. Instead, one of the nuns did so.
"Technically, the priest is not able to give communion regardless of whether he is the Prime Minister or a pauper in the street," said a member of the congregation. "I think the nun did the right thing, however.
"We wouldn't want to embarrass the Prime Minister."
The Sisters of St Joseph said they had no comment on the incident and would not discuss the Prime Minister's private faith.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has accused Mr Rudd of exploiting the expected canonisation of Mother Mary for political gain.
He said: "It's a matter between the Prime Minister, the church and his conscience."
Mr Rudd has attended the chapel previously for private prayer.
The controversy mirrors a debate nearly a decade ago when Jeff Kennett complained he was sent a letter by Cardinal George Pell instructing him not to take communion at the state funeral of prominent Catholic B.A. Santamaria, despite the then Victorian premier's own shift to Catholicism....
....While Mr Rudd was baptised and raised as a Catholic, he attends Anglican services with his wife, Therese Rein.
He once quipped: "It's a unity ticket but I never resigned from Rome."
Maybe I am uninformed about the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church, but in my congregation the pastor adminsters the host. If he does not think that someone should be given communion, he passes over them. Why does that not work in the Mass? Unless the priest was unaware of the bishop’s orders, why did he give him the host?
You don’t have Extradinary Ministers?? Where are you?
I am not Roman Catholic, so I was asking a question for information purposes. I am assuming by your response that you have people, other than the priest(s), administering the host; however, do these extra ordinary ministers not communicate with the pastors or bishop?
If Rudd was baptized and raised Catholic, and has never formally renounced Catholicism (which, from the quote attributed to him seems to be true) and has not publicly pushed anti-Catholic positions as a politician (which may not be the case) then he is in a position similar to a lapsed Catholic. He should not present himself to receive Communion because he presumably has not been to Confession for a long time and presumably committed a mortal sin or two and needs to get that squared away first.
Priests normally are not supposed to try to figure out if person X who appears at the Communion rail is in a state of grace and properly prepared to receive Communion. It’s impossible for the priest to do that. The onus is on the individual to prepare himself.
Now, being a public figure, if Rudd has been admonished not to present himself, then it would be different. And that seems to be the case here.
The nun was communicating with the priest—in effect, he delegated her to be an extraordinary ministery of Holy Commiunion. It’s not a matter of poor communication. This was the priest’s solution to a problem created by Rudd. In my view it’s the wrong solution but it did not arise from lack of communication.
No......how can they know everyone who comes up for Holy Communion? And even if they did, they don’t know who went to Confession.
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