It may be a year old article but the question should be, “Did the bishop follow through on it?”. Does Durbin & Co. still attend Mass and partake of communion or was it an idle threat?
That’s what I am thinking.
I don't know Durbin's comings and goings, but I do have one impression. [Pause to take requisite grain of salt the size of a beach ball.) My impression is that these dirty birds do NOT go to Mass, except for photo-op functions. Marriages and funerals, a Papal visit,some fete with photographers. On these occasions, they put themselves right up front, and approach for Communion at just the time when nobody wants to cause a fuss at the altar.
It happened(not with a politician, but with activists) a couple of years ago in DC. It was covered in FR, so you may remember this. A parishioner died in some DC-area parish, and the woman's daughter, a lesbians, shows up for the funeral with her girlfriend/wife/whatever.
The lesbian daughter goes right into thesacristy when the priest is vesting. The priest is not the regular pastor but a visiting priest from Poland. He does not know this woman. She introduces herself and her p-p-partner and says they will eb receiving Communion. It is like, two minutes before the Funeral Mass is going to start.
So this priest, who feels he ought to be saying :I am so sorry for the loss of your dear mother, we are all praying..." is forced into the position of saying, "I'm sorry, but no, you're not.") Communion time comes, and there's Mrs-and-Mrs right in front of course. The priest, quietly, not a word, declines to give them the Sacrament, so they side-step over to one of the other Eucharst ministers, who did not catch what was going on, and receive.
Then Mrs-and-Mrs go straight to the Media with their sobs of horrible priest, heartless, homophobia, and it's all over the TV and the Washington Post.
Then the Archbishop (I believe it was Wuerl) cans the priest and sends him back to Poland!
Subsequently turns out the girlfriend is a Buddhist. The sugar-sprinkles on the cake.
That's how it works, boatbums.
These (I can't think of an adequate adjective) these sad people will exploit any sacred person,place or thing (her mother's funeral! the Blessed Sacrament!) to make their damned political point. And i it's a squish bishop, they get the priest sent to Lower Slobbovia.