Here’s a smart piece by two of the smartest Catholic scholars in this country: David O’Brien, the church historian at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., and Lisa Sowle Cahill, the moral theology professor at Boston College, writing on the policy of denying Communion to certain politicians. Their piece takes off from the curious case of Douglas W. Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine and pro-life Republican (that’s right, pro-life) denied Communion during a recent Mass. Here are O’Brien and Cahill: "If we remain silent when respected Catholic leaders are publicly attacked and denied Communion, the proper role of faith in our public square is grossly distorted. This election year, let’s have a better debate about faith and political responsibility that reclaims the vital role religion has often played in renewing our most cherished democratic values." The full article, from The Baltimore Sun, originally from Religion News Service is here. James Martin, SJ
O'Brien and Cahill on the Communion Wars
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Eight decades after the end of World War II, Father George Zabelka exists as a symbol of conscience, one who can communicate the message of Gospel nonviolence.
At a Mass for the Jubilee of Youth outside Rome, Pope Leo exhorted over a million young people to be "seeds of hope" and a "sign that a different world is possible."
Perhaps it is the hard-won wisdom that comes with age, but the Catholic rituals and practices I once scorned are the same rituals and practices that now usher me into God's presence, time and time again.
"Only through patient and inclusive dialogue" can "a just and lasting conflict resolution can be achieved" in the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, said the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations.