Archbishop of Sydney

Protest

By + George Pell
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
26 May 2002

While the issue is important, the whole affair was a storm in a teacup.

The protestors wanted the Catholic Church to approve homosexual activity by giving them the host.

When a Catholic priest is giving Communion, normally under the form of thin white bread, he is not offering something like a cup of tea to a visitor or friend. Catholics believe that the bread and wine have been blessed to become the Body and Blood of Christ.

Strict conditions need to be met. The recipient should be a baptised Catholic, who worships regularly, believes in the "real presence" of Christ in the hosts (not just as a symbol), and there should not be serious unforgiven sin in his heart. The Church sometimes calls this "mortal" or death-bearing sin. Good Catholics who do not meet these criteria often worship at Mass without going to Communion.

Receiving communion is the ultimate expression of Catholic faith, an intensely personal matter between communicant and Almighty God. Catholics are left to make this decision themselves, as the priest never interrogates those coming to receive. Coming anonymously to communion the protestors would have been able to receive, because the priest cannot presume bad faith, cannot judge a person's heart. However, an unworthy communion, wilfully made, is a serious matter as St. Paul explained to the people of Corinth (1 Cor. 11.29).

Christians accept that people may hold different views on the appropriate expression of their sexual life and identity, but a deeply regret that such people a who profess the Catholic faith a would choose to mount an ideological demonstration during Mass, and especially at Communion time. This is inappropriate. It is an infringement of sacred space, an intrusion. Imagine the resentment and confusion if a group of Christian protestors tried to join the Mardi Gras procession!

It's not a question of refusing homosexuals or someone who is homosexually oriented. Sexual orientation is morally irrelevant. The rule is basically the same for all Catholics.

a person who publicly defines himself at any given time as supporting or practising activities contrary to Church teaching in a serious matter is not entitled to receive Holy Communion.

This would apply, for example, to a married person openly living in or advocating adultery. Similarly, persons who openly declare that active homosexuals should be able to receive Communion take a position which is contrary to the teaching and discipline of the Universal Church.

a person who is not a member of the Catholic Church has no right to Catholic communion, although fellow Christians can receive in exceptional circumstances. Catholics regard taking communion as a sign of membership, of full unity.

The Church's view on sexuality has been explained many times before. It is clear and unequivocal, and derives from natural moral law, which we believe is unchanging. Such moral law governs all people everywhere, in precisely the same way, regardless of the circumstances under which they live. God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve and important consequences follow from this.

The Church does not seek these confrontations and a rarely speak publicly on these matters. However, this incident allows us to explain the centrality of the Catholic teaching on marriage and family. A will continue to dialogue privately and publicly with those who think differently. Our Judeo-Christian religious tradition allows men and women sexual expression within the bounds of family life, a sexuality which is life-giving. Homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law; they close the sexual act to the gift of life. These teachings are givens from our Christian point of view.

We have had these protests before. Probably they will be with us for quite a time yet. A pray for the protesters. A do not propose to speak publicly on the theme at every protest. But the protesters must realise that the Church's teaching on this matter cannot, will not, change.

Although human weakness is universal and God's mercy infinite, the path to happiness and heaven for a Catholic does not lie in seeking to re-interpret what is right and wrong.

a strongly support the rights of homosexuals to space and tolerance. The private sex lives of others should not be a matter of public concern. But a will continue to oppose any illiberal takeover of the public sphere through assault on Catholic teaching in churches or schools or on the very ideal that there must be clear norms and boundaries on sexual behaviour.

The Catholic community offers good will to all sections of society and does a lot of good work in Sydney and Melbourne e.g. with HIV infected people and their families. We pray in particular for those in prisons not of their own making and for those who can only struggle slowly towards the truth.