Why was Congressman Patrick Kennedy denied communion by the Catholic church?”
From nytimes.com: Kennedy Says Bishop Told Him Not to Receive Communion WASHINGTON — Widening a growing rift, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, said on Sunday that the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence had instructed him to refrain from receiving communion because of the congressman’s stance on abortion. Rep. Kennedy said that Bishop Thomas J. Tobin “instructed me not to take communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me communion,” according to The Providence Journal, which first reported the article. But Michael K Guilfoyle a spokesman for the diocese, said Sunday that the Bishop has “never addressed matters relative to public officials receiving Holy Communion with pastors of the Diocese of Providence.” The Bishop added that his instructions to Rep. Kennedy came more than two years ago in a letter on February 21, 2007, he sent to the congressman privately and pastorally. Read more at th
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) says he was denied Holy Communion by the Catholic Church because of his pro-choice stance on abortion, according to The New York Times. The Congressman is in a tiff now with Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin, who apparently asked that the Providence, Rhode Island diocese not grant him the rite. Patrick Kennedy (Getty) Kennedy is the son of the late Ted Kennedy, apparently received a letter from the Bishop in 2007, and read: “In light of the Church’s clear teaching, and your consistent actions, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving Holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so.” There’s reportedly been an ongoing rift between the Congressman and the Church, as it’s previously been said that the Catholic Church would possibly oppose health care reform unless publicly funded abortions were restricted.
