Bishop Murphy of Rockville, NY, who as late at 1998 was advocating the readmission to ministry of pedophile priests in Boston as an aide of Cardinal Law, has ended the practice of communion services at parishes in his diocese.
According to his letter, bringing communion to the sick and homebound will still be allowed, but weekday communion services will be banned as of July 1st, 2008. I presume that if a priest calls in sick on Sunday, a communion service may be permitted for those who have gathered.
On the one hand, I agree with his reasoning that the reception of communion should not be separated from the celebration of the Mass. On the other hand, if the hierarchy is not going allow women or married priests in the near future, isn't it better to give people a taste of what is to come. As I commented on in another post, the priest shortage in the Netherlands has made communion services so common that parishes no longer differentiate between Masses and communion services on their published schedules.
So while it is good theology, I do not see it as practical unless Murphy is going to start advocating for women and married priests.
A Faithful Catholic
2 comments:
Post a Comment