Right to Communion a Private Matter, bishop says

ALBANY — One of New York State’s leading Roman Catholic bishops said on Tuesday that it was not appropriate for church officials to comment on whether specific elected officials should be allowed to receive holy communion.

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, the leader of the Albany diocese and a member of the executive committee of the New York State Catholic Conference, made his comments at a news conference after meeting with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo at the Executive Mansion to discuss the state budget, same-sex marriage and other issues.

Mr. Cuomo was criticized last month by a consultant to the Vatican’s highest court, who called for the governor to be denied communion because he lives with his girlfriend without being married to her.

But when Bishop Hubbard was asked if he agreed with the consultant — Edward N. Peters, a professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit — he said that such matters were between officials and their pastors, much as they are for private individuals.

“There are norms for all Catholics about receiving communion and we have to be sensitive pastorally to every person in their own particular situation,” Bishop Hubbard said. “And when it comes to judging worthiness for communion, we do not comment on either public figures or private figures. That’s something between the communicant and his pastor personally. It’s not something we comment on.”

Bishop Hubbard also distanced New York bishops from bishops in other states who have sparked controversy in recent years by calling publicly for communion to be denied to elected officials who disagree with church teachings on issues like abortion or same-sex marriage.

“Some bishops have done that but not all bishops have done that,” Bishop Hubbard said. “Quite frankly, there is a disagreement among bishops about using the communion line as a place for a confrontation. And I don’t think that the bishops of New York State feel that’s appropriate.”

Professor Peters’s criticism followed similar remarks made by Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, a former archbishop of St. Louis and the head of the Vatican court, who is known for his criticism of President Obama and of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

Bishop Hubbard appeared with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, the leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and several other high-ranking bishops who had lunch with Mr. Cuomo at the Executive Mansion on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, Josh Vlasto, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said: “The governor enjoyed his lunch meeting with Archbishop Dolan and the bishops from the Catholic Conference. He looks forward to continuing to work closely with them during his administration.”

The meeting was closely scrutinized because Mr. Cuomo had previously said he would be unable to meet with Archbishop Dolan on Monday due to a scheduling conflict, a move some in Albany suggested was an intentional snub by a governor unhappy with the public criticism of his living arrangements. But Tuesday’s lunch was quickly scheduled and a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said on Monday that no snub was intended.

Archbishop Dolan said on Tuesday that he had accepted Mr. Cuomo’s explanation and that the issue had not arisen during lunch.

“Thank God it didn’t, because it was a bit of a tempest in a teapot,” the archbishop said. “We were just happy to be there, and he obviously was, too.”

He added that the rescheduled meeting had had another benefit.

“We got lunch out of it,” Archbishop Dolan said.