Michael Jones over at Change.Org has a post up wondering if same-sex marriage will be the next thing Catholic Bishops will start threatening to deny Catholic politicians over. He riffs off recent news that Rhode Island’s Rep. Patrick Kennedy was told by Bishop Thomas Tobin that he is no longer welcome to receive Communion during Mass at any church in the entire state…
The announcement by Bishop Tobin to control Communion like a mafia leader stems from debate during the 2004 election, when Sen. John Kerry (himself a Catholic) was running for President. During that year, conservative U.S. Catholic leaders put together what they considered a list of “non-negotiable” issues that they said Catholics could not waver on.
It was a narrowing of Catholic theology to strip issues like poverty and social justice from the forefront of the Church, and replace them with opposing abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell research.
This reminded me once again of how the Manhattan Declaration begins with a stirring recounting of historical Christian work for social justice and against tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering. But like right wing authoritarians wrapping themselves in the U.S. flag and declaring themselves to be the heirs to the American revolution of liberty and justice for all, right wing clergy tend to wrap themselves in the robes of Jesus Christ, who taught that the greatest commandment of all was to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
But that loving your neighbor stuff isn’t exactly what they’re about. The Bishops of Pope Benedict can threaten to withhold communion from politicians who support abortion rights and declare they’re doing it to protect the life of the unborn. Fine. But politicians who condone torture? Deny health care to poor children? Support detention without trial? Preemptive war? Oh goodness no…
You really do have to wonder, considering the Manhattan Declaration, if same-sex marriage will be the next thing to put Catholic politicians in the doghouse. But its important to bear in mind when the religious right talks about their deeply held religious beliefs, that simply because they call those beliefs “Christian” it doesn’t mean they’re in the same communion with anyone who actually fought for social justice and reached out to comfort the poor and oppressed, let alone loved their neighbor. Apparently you can smack the poor and oppressed across the face and still call yourself a Christian in good conscience.
