Illinois Bishop Decrees No Communion, Funeral Rites for Same-Sex Spouses : The Two-Way : NPR
A Catholic bishop has instructed priests in his central Illinois diocese to deny communion, last rites and funeral rites to people in same-sex marriages – unless they repent.
In the decree he sent to priests, deacons, seminarians and staff in his Springfield diocese last week, Bishop Thomas Paprocki sets forth a set of norms on same-sex marriage and related pastoral issues that he says are the policy of the diocese.
Paprocki’s decree bans priests and parish staff from performing same-sex marriages or allowing same-sex weddings or receptions at any Catholic facilities. People in same-sex marriages “should not present themselves for Holy Communion, nor should they be admitted to Holy Communion.” A person in a same-sex marriage who is facing death may only receive communion after expressing “repentance for his or her sins.”
The Two-Way Kansas City Archdiocese Cutting Ties With Girl Scouts Over ‘Troubling Trends’
Finally, Paprocki writes that “unless they have given some signs of repentance before their death,” people in same-sex marriages may not receive a Catholic funeral.
More: Illinois Bishop Decrees No Communion, Funeral Rites For Same-Sex Spouses : The Two-Way : NPR