littleoldlady

Good morning. I’m very upset about the Jew-baiting / Catholic-bashing going on about Pope Benedict XVI lifting the excommunication of 4 schismatics, one of whom is a flaming a**hole holocaust denier. (He’s English… who’s surprised?)

I think people misunderstand what has happened here. Some people WANT to stir up trouble between Jews and Catholics, and some simply want to discredit the Catholic Church. And it is easy to do so with a story like this. But that’s only because most people, especially non-Catholics, do not understand what “excommunication” means.

Excommunication means that a Catholic is not allowed to receive the sacraments, specifically Holy Communion. I, as many people, believe the Church should never deny Holy Communion to anyone. Who are the Pope and Bishops and Priests to decide the state of a person’s soul and relationship to God? On Earth, Jesus denied himself to no one. Despite the outrage of some of his followers, he sat down and ate with sinners of all types, and blessed them. Are the Popes and Bishops and Priests supposed to have “better judgment” than Jesus and THEY know who should not be allowed at God’s table?

Excommunication is a medieval punishment that should never be used. It was proper for Pope John Paul II to strip the schismatics of their priestly and bishop status and say they are not ministers of the Church. But I believe it was wrong of him to excommunicate them and attempt to separate them from God. And apparently Benedict XVI thinks so as well.

The Holocaust denier was not “rehabilitated.” He was not, as the NY Times says, “re-instated.” The Times headline says that, but buried in the article, they specifically say he was not. He has simply had his excommunication lifted, so that he is now allowed to receive Holy Communion. That is not an affirmation of his wrong and stupid opinions — merely a recognition that he needs God as much as the rest of us, and that the Church has no right to refuse him.

The Catholic Church is not a club that only the “right thinking” people can join. Nor is it one vast public relations project out to make sure that everybody is nice to Jews and likes Catholics.