Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
Catholic closed communion & Canada’s Prime Minister

Catholic closed communion & Canada’s Prime Minister

Last updated on: July 10, 2009 at 7:30 am by Gene Veith

0 Comments

Catholic closed communion & Canada’s Prime Minister 2009-07-10T07:30:27-04:00 Gene Veith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Canada, which might not be as secularist as people have assumed, is undergoing a religious and political controversy occasioned by Prime Minister Stephen Harper going up for Communion at a Roman Catholic funeral mass. Here is what happened:

It began last Friday when Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended a Catholic funeral mass for a former Canadian government official. Harper, who is Protestant, went to the altar during communion and received a sacramental wafer from the presiding priest. A 40-second video clip shows Harper accepting the wafer but not putting it in his mouth.

What did the guest do with the host? Did the Prime Minister pocket the Body of Christ? As a non-catholic, should the Prime Minister have even received or accepted the communion wafer? Is this really what constitutes a political scandal in Canada?

Wafergate might not rise to the U.S. level of a true political scandal, but it does highlight the challenges of respectfully observing the religious rituals of others, even when those others are fellow Christians. For Roman Catholics, unlike their Protestant brothers and sisters, the bread and wine of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist are more than mere symbols.

“(The wafer) is not a symbol of the body and blood of Christ, but is in fact the body and blood of Christ,” Neil MacCarthy, director of communications for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, told the National Post. “We believe we are holding Jesus in our hands, so to put Jesus in your pocket or to put Jesus on the ground (is serious). If it falls on the ground it has to be consumed. We never throw Jesus out,” MacCarthy said.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Harper did no such thing. “The priest offered the host to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister accepted the host and he consumed it,” says press secretary Dimitri Soudas.

But Monsignor Brian Henneberry, vicar general and chancellor in the Diocese of Saint John, says there are two issues: First, if Harper did pocket the wafer, “It’s worse than a faux pas, it’s a scandal from the Catholic point of view.” Second: “If the prime minister is not a Catholic, he should not have been receiving communion and if he comes up it places the priest in an awkward position, especially at a national funeral because everyone is watching,” he told the Telegraph-Journal.

As Notre Dame professor M. Cathleen Kaveny pointed out in an On Faith discussion on this issue last year, if anyone is at fault in this sort of situation, it’s the priest who serves communion, not the person who receives it.

“The canon law of the Roman Catholic Church specifies that “Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to Catholic members of Christ’s faithful” (Canon 844), Kaveny wrote. “It does not, however, specify that people . . . may not present themselves for communion (since canon law claims jurisdiction only over Catholics), and it does not specify how a priest ought to respond if a non-Catholic presents himself or herself for Communion, especially at a funeral mass. Other norms apply, particularly the norm of avoiding scandal. The sound application of canon law in particular cases requires pastoral judgment — that particular combination of prudence and charity that good ministers of all faiths seem to have in common.”

In the same discussion, Catholic theologian John Dominic Crossan raised a larger issue: “Who should accept the eucharistic ritual? Those and only those who are intentionally, self-consciously, and publicly committing themselves to live like Jesus and, if unfortunately ever necessary, to die like Jesus.”

It sounds like Mr. Harper too realized he should not be receiving Communion, which is why he didn’t eat the host, though apparently he did later, which would go back to the original problems. But I’m struck by that last paragraph. Here again we see that the issues of the Reformation still remain. Though Lutherans appear to outsiders to be similar in many ways to Roman Catholics–believing in Christ’s real presence in the bread and wine, practicing closed communion–they remain nearly opposites in their views of what it all means and whether communion and salvation itself are a matter of law or gospel. Is Christianity all about having to live like Jesus, or is it about receiving His forgiveness because we fail to do so? Contrast the paragraph above with what the Catechism teaches:

18. Finally, why do you wish to go to the Sacrament?

That I may learn to believe that Christ, out of great love, died for my sin, and also learn from Him to love God and my neighbor.

19. What should admonish and encourage a Christian to receive the Sacrament frequently?

First, both the command and the promise of Christ the Lord. Second, his own pressing need, because of which the command, encouragement, and promise are given.

UPDATE: Commenters have pointed out that Crossan is the radical theologian of the Jesus Seminar, which denies the truth of the Bible and is not an orthodox Catholic at all. (I wonder if he is allowed to commune!) My understanding, though, is that Rome does teach that receiving the Sacrament is seen as a good and meritorious work, that it requires moral preparation, and that the grace it gives conveys the power to do good works, which play an essential role in salvation. I’d be interested to hear from Catholics if this understanding is correct and if they agree with Crossan on at least this one statement that he makes.

Previous Post

July 10, 2009

Turning embryos back into sperm

Next Post

July 13, 2009 The Queen is OK with new conservative Anglicans

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"While she worked for Trump she was a tool's tool!"

reg

Luther on Tools

"I know wired earbuds are making a comeback (I never stopped using them as I ..."

reg

Luther on Tools

"VCRs, tape decks, and cassette players are all having a revival among a segment of ..."

Tom Hering

Luther on Tools

"As a (retired) lawyer I see potential liability from sharing things like power or sharp ..."

reg

Luther on Tools

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category America Apologetics Art baseball Bible Blog Christ Church crime Culture Economics Education Ethics Family Food Football Government History Holidays Holy Week Humor International Islam Language Law Life Issues Literature Media Medicine Movies Music Nature News Personal Philosophy Politics psychology Reformation Religions Sacraments Science sex Social Science Sports technology television terrorism Theology Uncategorized Vocation war

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the river where Ezekiel saw his vision?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jordan River Euphrates River River Chebar Nile River

Books by This Author Books by Gene Veith

See All Titles »