Rep. Patrick Kennedy
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democrat representing the 1st congressional district of Rhode Island, claimed this week that Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Rhode Island asked him not to receive communion because of his stance on abortion rights.
Kennedy, in a recent telephone interview with The Providence Journal, said that Bishop Tobin “instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion.”
Bishop Tobin promptly responded to the claim, writing “I am disappointed and really surprised that Congressman Patrick Kennedy has chosen to reopen the public discussion about his practice of the faith and his reception of Holy Communion.”
“On February 21, 2007, I wrote to Congressman Kennedy stating: ‘In light of the Church’s clear teaching, and your consistent actions, therefore, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving Holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so.’”
Kennedy’s statement comes just weeks after his criticism of Catholic bishops for opposing health care reform that includes increased abortion funding
The Providence Journal reported the interview by stating that “Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion,” a claim that, as evidenced in Kennedy’s statement, was clearly not true.
As Kennedy’s bishop, Tobin does reserve the right to invoke Canon 915, which states that “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
However, it appears that in this situation, he merely requested that Kennedy not receive communion because of his “manifest grave sin” of supporting abortion, what the Catholic Church calls “gravely contrary to the moral law.”
Bishop Tobin’s insistence on keeping correspondence confidential further demonstrated his commitment not to make the matter public.
According to Tobin, Kennedy acknowledged that his “pastoral advice was confidential in nature and given with the best intentions for my personal spiritual welfare,” in a letter on February 28, 2007.
By publicizing the information now, in the heat of the healthcare debate, Kennedy has clearly sought (and received) media attention for his position as a pro-abortion Catholic. Tobin’s response, however, clarified Kennedy’s apparently inaccurate statement, while also continuing to uphold the Church’s commitment to the right to life.
Relevant Links:
Kennedy: Barred from Communion, the original article in The Providence Journal
Canon 915, Code of Canon Law
Commentary from Canon Lawyer, Edward Peters
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democrat representing the 1st congressional district of Rhode Island, claimed this week that Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Rhode Island asked him not to receive communion because of his stance on abortion rights.
Kennedy, in a recent telephone interview with The Providence Journal, said that Bishop Tobin “instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion.”
Bishop Tobin promptly responded to the claim, writing “I am disappointed and really surprised that Congressman Patrick Kennedy has chosen to reopen the public discussion about his practice of the faith and his reception of Holy Communion.”
“On February 21, 2007, I wrote to Congressman Kennedy stating: ‘In light of the Church’s clear teaching, and your consistent actions, therefore, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving Holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so.’”
Kennedy’s statement comes just weeks after his criticism of Catholic bishops for opposing health care reform that includes increased abortion funding.
The Providence Journal reported the interview by stating that “Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion,” a claim that, as evidenced in Kennedy’s statement, was clearly not true.
As Kennedy’s bishop, Tobin does reserve the right to invoke Canon 915, which states that “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
However, it appears that in this situation, he merely requested that Kennedy not receive communion because of his “manifest grave sin” of supporting abortion, what the Catholic Church calls “gravely contrary to the moral law.”
Bishop Tobin’s insistence on keeping correspondence confidential further demonstrated his commitment not to make the matter public.
According to Tobin, Kennedy acknowledged that his “pastoral advice was confidential in nature and given with the best intentions for my personal spiritual welfare,” in a letter on February 28, 2007.
By publicizing the information now, in the heat of the healthcare debate, Kennedy has clearly sought (and received) media attention for his position as a pro-abortion Catholic. Tobin’s response, however, clarified Kennedy’s apparently inaccurate statement, while also continuing to uphold the Church’s commitment to the right to life.
