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Bishop slams Kennedy after Senator’s son reveals Communion ban

By
KENNETH HAYNES
,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Monday, November 23, 2009, 7:56 AM
Updated Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 12:56 PM
Read more: Patrick Kennedy, Abortion


No winners here: Bishop Tobin of Rhode Island who has banned Patrick Kennedy from Communion over Kennedy's position on abortion
No winners here: Bishop Tobin of Rhode Island who has banned Patrick Kennedy from Communion over Kennedy's position on abortion

Bishop James Tobin of Rhode Island has slammed Congressman Patrick Kennedy after he revealed that Tobin has banned him from receiving communion because of his abortion stance and his criticism on the Catholic Church lobbying on the health care bill.

“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,” said Bishop Thomas Tobin in a strongly worded statement on Sunday.

“I have no desire to continue the discussion of Congressman Kennedy’s spiritual life in public.

“At the same time, I will absolutely respond publicly and strongly whenever he attacks the Catholic Church, misrepresents the teachings of the Church or issues inaccurate statements about my pastoral
ministry.”

The public bitterness came yesterday after Kennedy, 42, told the Providence Journal newspaper that Tobin has barred him from receiving communion  “because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public
official.”

Kennedy has criticized the church over its insistence on anti-abortion provisions in the health care bill currently before Congress which Kennedy believes may endanger passage of the bill.

“I thought they were pro-life. If the Church is pro-life, then they ought to be for health-care reform because it’s going to provide health care that (is) going to keep people alive,” Kennedy told the Catholic News Service in October in an interview.

Tobin vowed to “continue to pray - sincerely and fervently - for his conversion and repentance, and for his personal and spiritual well-being.”

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Bishop slams Kennedy after Senator’s son reveals Communion ban | Irish News | IrishCentral


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Posted by BishopSean on Jan 21, 2010, 07:46 PM EST
Dear Newyorklass, I would respectfully draw your attention to the fact that the USA was founded as a Christian nation and the underlying moral philosophy of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution is Judeo-Christian moral philosophy. This has given us the greatest freedoms and prosperity of any nation in recorded history. We were not founded as a secular humanist nation (as were the USSR and Red China, etc.) and at very most 15% of Americans would identify as non-theist secular humanists. Secular humanism is defined as a non-theistic religion according to the 1961 Supreme Court Decision Watkins v. Torcaso. I think you will agree that the only thing worse than having the majority dictate to the minority, is having the minority dictate to the majority. It is not wrong for Roman Catholic Bishop Tobin to disassociate his church (I am of another Church--not at all a rich church, mind you) from the public statements of self-declared Roman Catholic statesman, if his statements are diametrically opposed to foundational Roman Catholic (and Christian) moral teachings. If Sen. Kennedy must, in conscience, hold opposing views, he should have the integrity and courage to publicly disassociate himself from the Roman Catholic Church, or any other Church that believes in orthodox Biblical theology. I am sure that his loyal constituents would advise Sen. Kennedy in this same way. It would appear that perhaps your moral views and my moral views differ. So whose are right? I would suggest that ours are right--and ours are those upon which the USA were founded, as noted above. Thank you for reading my comments.
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Posted by newyorklass on Dec 04, 2009, 11:18 AM EST
Here we go again -- these righteous bastards -- sitting on their gold thrones. It happened, Kennedy spoke about -- good for him. I always thought that Church and State were separate entities -- am I wrong here???? Kennedy is doing his job -- and that's representing the public that put him there. Get over yourselves -- all religious zealots -- you don't belong in politics.
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Posted by kickstar on Dec 03, 2009, 05:57 AM EST
Take the plank out of your own eye you arrogant bollix before you go looking at the speck in anothers, You are a bishop in the international church of buggery and child abuse So DEAL with That.
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Posted by MotherIrish on Nov 30, 2009, 09:26 AM EST
Well lahallberg, I am not Roman Catholic so I do not have to explain why that church is so wealthy. If you are, then you need to start a program to get the Vatican to relief itself of some of its wealth. If the Kennedy's want to show their support of the down trodden, if they want to have health care for all, if they want so many others have 'rights' then they should be willing to give their wealth up to the downtrodden. Now Ted never held a job out in the market place of business - his business was to suck off the American people. IF he had the same Medicare insurance that I have and what it will become due to his influence, he would have been a dead man long before. If they all want to be Roman Catholic, then you have to abide by the tenants of the religion. If not, get out and be something else, if anything at all. Do not give lip service. I think the Bishop is right and applaud him for standing up to the Kennedy clan. We need more people like him who stand up and speak out. By the way, I am only a poor Presbyterian.
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Posted by JamesNoel on Nov 28, 2009, 04:19 PM EST
If you wish to call yourself Catholic then prepare to abide by the beliefs of the Church and her episcopal leaders, who after all were charged by Christ to lead men to eternal salvation. There's a place for those who call themselves Catholic, but adamantly and publicly refuse to follow the teaching of the Church-it's called protestantism. I'll leave it to those "ex-catholics" to select any one of hundreds of more liberal churches to accomodate their misguided conscience.
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Posted by liseuxx on Nov 27, 2009, 09:37 PM EST
Way to go, Bishop Tobin. Much of the American Church is backing you!


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