Wednesday, March 2, 2011

New Indiana auxiliary bishop says he would never deny Communion

Indianapolis Bishop-designate Christopher J. Coyne answered questions from The Indianapolis Star on a wide variety of subjects for nearly an hour last week. Here are a few excerpts:

On the priest sexual abuse scandal in Boston, where he was a spokesman for the archdiocese:

"There were a lot of low points. There were plenty of times when you would say, 'It can't get any worse,' and it did. The hardest part was when people in the archdiocese, we turned on each other. The clergy infighting would take place. And in the chancellery, there was backbiting and different things. They were self-inflicted wounds, like when the priests would get up and say things that were just wrong."

On preaching, which he taught at seminary and sees as an area where the Catholic Church needs improvement:

"What I try to do is to have a beginning and an end and not a lot of time in between the two, maybe eight or nine minutes."

On church architecture, which he made a focus of study in Rome and the subject of a CatholicTV series he hosted:

"You can look at it as the house of people or the house of God. What Catholics have done throughout history is find a healthy balance between the two."

On art's connection with the divine:

"When art is created, when beauty is created, it shows forth God's original desire for all creation to be beautiful. And that elevates us higher. What is interesting about that is that it doesn't all have to be sunshine and light. The grotesque or the awful -- in the sense of a bloody crucifix -- can be a beautiful work of art in the sense that it is hard to look at, but it raises us to the higher value of salvation, of the faith."

On denying Communion to politicians whose votes conflict with Church teaching:

"I would never deny someone Communion unless they were absolutely deranged or something like that and it is obvious that they shouldn't be receiving Communion. The Communion line is not the place where you deal with whether or not someone should be receiving Communion."

On whether the University of Notre Dame was right or wrong last year in honoring President Barack Obama, a move that some bishops and other Catholics criticized, given Obama's support of abortion rights:

"That's outside of my purview."

15 comments:

  1. "That's outside of my purview."

    So that's the kind of moral courage we look for in bishops these days?

    It was outside of his purview as a priest...what about now that he was just consecrated a bishop?

    We need bishops who are more lion than sheep.

    We need bishops that are a little less John F. Kennedy and a little more John Fisher.

    Let us pray that the Holy Spirit gave him the courage today that he needs to lead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He would *never* deny communion? He'd be more willing to cause scandal and allow an obstinate public sinner to commit sacrilege? I agree with Groucho above - pray that the Holy Spirit inspire him with boldness and a genuine love for souls.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good grief how did this guy get to be a bishop? He would only deny communion to someone with a mental illness? Is that what he meant by "deranged?"

    Very disappointing, but unfortunately no longer surprising.

    Please, Lord, send us good bishops worthy of Your Church.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well...I guess I have to take Indianapolis off the list of places I'm seeking employment!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Count me among the disappointed! We need another wishywashy bishop, right?

    --William

    ReplyDelete
  6. "Beyond my purview" sounds suspiciou7sly like "above my pay grade." Good luck, Hoosoers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Where did the Apostolic Nuncio have his head stuck when he recommended this dude as auxiliary bishop? He's putting men in leadership positions, who do not belong there. Pray for Indianapolis...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't think Catholics who disregard the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to this dreadful immoral invasion of the inferior Iraq and Afghanastan should recieve communion either.Also,the inhumane cruelty of torture and waterboarding which so many American catholics approve of should be grounds for commune denying.Stop being so high and mighty.The typical Catholic who blogs here could care less what John Paul tried to teach you.Jfk was the last American president to stand up to the industrial war machine conservative Catholics now are slaves to...elliot

    ReplyDelete
  9. Above his pay grade?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Perhaps I shouldn't call out the Apostolic Nuncio, perhaps the problem lies with the Congregation of Bishops.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The guy is a dud.

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you can find a bishop truely in a state of grace please let me know.

    ReplyDelete
  13. "If you can find a bishop truely in a state of grace please let me know."

    Anonymous: That's a pretty bold statement. These kind of generalities are very unhelpful and even damaging. Those who choose to unrelentlessly bash the hierarchy day in and day out don't realize the damage they do to the Church. The Bishops aren't perfect, and some individuals should be called out for specific offenses like covering up sex abuse and ridiculous statements like the one we highlighted in this post. But to just generally say "All the Bishops are horrible," which is essentially what you said is quite ridiculous.

    Think of it this way: If you are a non-Catholic listening to statements like yours, what you hear is "Come join the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ and entrusted to His apostles, whose, authority has been passed down to the Bishops, those vile bastards." Is that really the message that attracts people to the Church?

    - Nick

    ReplyDelete
  14. Will anyone be speaking to the Girlfriends of the public figure or just him ? We see lots of people living lives dishonoring the Teachings of Christ and/or their traditional religions. Should we ask them about their behavior telling them we are praying for their souls ,even though they may have left the Church? Evangelization could work if we are as brave as Christ in speaking to the person telling them we love them and do not want them to go to Hell. Also we need to focus on our own soul so please shape up do what is expected of you.

    ReplyDelete