Congressman Kennedy Told Not to Receive Communion in 2007

Cong. Patrick Kennedy is 42 years old and should be mature enough to figure out he isn't going to come out on the winning side of this argument.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Inside Catholic) - Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) revealed to a reporter today that his ordinary, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, had instructed him not to present himself to receive the Eucharist.

The reporter, naturally, ran with a story that placed Bishop Tobin's actions in the context of the health care debate and Kennedy's remark of a month ago that the Catholic bishops were not "pro-life" because of their opposition to federal funding of abortion.

I am sure I'm not the only one still trying to figure out how Kennedy's mind produced that accusation -- perhaps it works like Obama's, proceeding from the first principles of the culture of death.

The problem with today's story is that Cong. Kennedy failed to add the instruction that came from Bishop Tobin in the form of a letter written in February, 2007 and, thus, had nothing to do with the health care debate.

As Bishop Tobin's statement from today makes clear, the letter was written privately and was not revealed to anyone else, including the priests of his diocese. The bishop is obviously perplexed by Kennedy's behavior:

"I am disappointed that the congressman would make public my pastoral and confidential request of nearly three years ago that sought to provide solely for his spiritual well-being."

Why did Cong. Kennedy choose to go public with the instruction from his bishop? Is he trying to incite disapproval toward the bishops in general over their oppostion to abortion funding, or is he just wanting to air his dirty laundry?

His grandmother, Rose Kennedy, by all accounts, was a woman of deep faith. And, as far as I know, her children, regardless of their disagreements with the Church, always spoke respectfully of her. Cong. Kennedy is acting like a lout, nothing like the man who wrote back to his bishop after receiving the 2007 letter:

"I have the utmost respect for the work you do on behalf of the Catholic community in Rhode Island. . . I understand your pastoral advice was confidential in nature and given with the best intentions for my personal spiritual welfare."

Cong. Patrick Kennedy is 42 years old and should be mature enough to figure out he isn't going to come out on the winning side of this argument.

Bishop Tobin's responses are a model of clarity, probity, and pastoral concern, and his attempt to save Kennedy any embarrassment from the public disclosure of his instruction has been thwarted by a man who plays politics with his spiritual condition.

Help Keep Catholic Online Free

---

The mission of InsideCatholic.com is to be a voice for authentic Catholicism in the public square.We believe that truth is both attractive and compelling and that in the marketplace of ideas, it will invariably win out.