The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix has announced that this diocese will no longer administer wine to the laity during communion. I'm wondering how many of my Roman Catholic friends will stay with the church and for how much longer.
Any thoughts?

Lynn

Sep 26, 2011 -- 12:06AM, alwaysinterested wrote:

What was his rationale?

I checked further and the US and a number of other Western countries have had an "experimental liturgy" for some time that allows them to administer both elements. The bishop is a canon lawyer and used the latest liturgical guides to: 1) bring the church in this dioces into conformity with practice throughout the world, and 2) to eliminate the extra number of necessary lay eucharistic ministers needed in order to recognize the importance of the clergy and deacons.

I sort of understand point 1. But point 2 seems to be nothing more than an attempt to put the laity in their place and to reinforce the power of the clergy and the church's magisterium. This bishop is noted for being highly conservative and this action reinforces his conservatism.

He has allowed that during a small number of important church festivals, the laity can receive both elements. Interestingly  the head priest at one major local church (and maybe others) has petitioned for an exception for his parish.

As a Lutheran, I view this in terms of the Reformation's liturgical reforms and Luther's emphasis on the laity.

Lynn

Am thinking, given the ongoing clergy sex scandals (the Montana Diocese has just had a class action suit filed against it), it is my guess the bishop is trying to restore the standing of clergy.  However, this is only one bishop asserting his authority.  Time will tell if the rest of the American Conference of Bishops will follow suit. 

Therefore, although the priest (or minister) says, "The body of Christ", when administering the host, and, "The blood of Christ", when presenting the chalice, the communicant who receives either one receives Christ, whole and entire— "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist_in_the_C...

 

There are those Catholics who would love to go back to Pre Vat. II days.  Those traditionalists, although I don't think they are the majority of American Catholics, do still have a voice, and probably love Benedict as the Pope.  And also blindly follow anything that the local Bishop says, including this Pheonix declaration.