Wednesday, August 24, 2005
ECUMENISM AND FUNERALS
A reader sent in an article about Brother Roger's funeral.
TAIZÉ, France, Aug. 23 - Brother Roger Schutz pursued many ecumenical dreams in his long life, but in death one of them came true: At a Eucharistic service celebrated Tuesday by a Roman Catholic cardinal for Brother Roger, a Swiss Protestant, communion wafers were given to the faithful indiscriminately, regardless of denomination.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Vatican's council for the unity of Christians, who celebrated the Mass, said in a homily, "Yes, the springtime of ecumenism has flowered on the hill of Taizé." Beyond religious divisions, Brother Roger also abhorred the division between rich and poor. "Every form of injustice or neglect made him very sad," Cardinal Kasper said.
Were these consecrated "communion wafers"?
Why was a Swiss Protestant provided with a Catholic burial?
Notice that Cardinal Kasper morphs the "unity of Christians" into the social gospel.
The last paragraph is enlightening:
Petra Simmert, a schoolteacher from southern Germany, came with her husband and two children. She is Protestant, he Catholic; one child is Catholic, the other Protestant. "We're an ecumenical family," she said, with a laugh. Watching the funeral of Pope John Paul II on television, they saw Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, give communion to Brother Roger, even though he was not Catholic. "That struck us," she said.
So, is the new Ecumenical Religion better than Catholicism, and where in the Tradition of the Church do we find this teaching?
Are there two classes of people, the Protestants who are worthy of receiving the Eucharist and the Protestants who are not worthy of receiving, and on what is this distinction based? The "Guidelines for the Reception of Communion" on the last page of the Seasonal Missalette state:
Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law. (Canon 844 SS 4)
Here is Canon 844 #4:
ß4 If there is a danger of death or if, in the judgment of the diocesan Bishop or of the Episcopal Conference, there is some other grave and pressing need, catholic ministers may lawfully administer these same sacraments to other Christians not in full communion with the catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed.
So, were all of the people who received questioned as to whether they believe what the Church believes with regard to the Eucharist before they were permitted to receive?
The article indicates that TV screens were set up on the grounds to accommodate the crowd. That must have been one long funeral service considering the necessity to quiz each recipient.
Oh, but maybe they were all in danger of death. There was one knife wielding killer, so maybe there were more lurking in the crowd and so they were all in danger of being stabbed. Yes, that must be the reason they were all permitted to receive. Are the police searching for the potential killers? No? Well, the police are not doing their job, then, are they? Or is it the Cardinal who was not doing his job of defending Canon Law and the sacredness of the Eucharist?
Will the "ecumenical family" feel free to receive communion together in the next Catholic Mass they attend?
This is insane! The laws of the Church apply to some but not to all and not in every circumstance and basically whenever the presider decides to invoke them or to dispense with them.
The cafeteria is still open, folks! Big time open! If it's open for the ordained, why should they be surprised when the laity think it's open for them as well? This garment is full of seams and tatters.
This article about Taize says it all. This is the latest fad in Catholicism and other religions. Concentrate on meditation and silence, and out of that silence form a unity. The Gnostic Christians will find a nice home here, too. But will Jesus Christ? Cardinal Ratzinger is pictured giving the Eucharist to Brother Roger in this article.
