Word spread like wildfire in Catholic circles: Douglas Kmiec, a staunch Republican, firm foe of abortion and veteran of the Reagan Justice Department, had been denied Communion.
His sin? Kmiec, a Catholic who can cite papal pronouncements with the facility of a theological scholar, shocked old friends and adversaries alike earlier this year by endorsing Barack Obama for president. For at least one priest, Kmiec's support for a pro-choice politician made him a willing participant in a grave moral evil.
Kmiec was denied Communion in April at a Mass for a group of Catholic business people he later addressed at dinner.
Not being Roman Catholic, I feel hesitant about commenting on the actions of the priest in this case. At the same time, not being Roman Catholic, I have a different view of the communion table and its place in the church. We in the United Methodist Church call is "the Lord's Supper" and "the Lord's table" for a reason - it isn't the property of the church, or the clergy person performing the rite. I was raised this way; in 1996, at a funeral mass, I took communion in a Roman church, knowing full well the priest could "deny" me communion. I find the entire idea abhorrent that, because I was not baptized by a Roman Catholic priest, he has the power to refuse my participation in the Sacrament.
Now, we have another instance of a priest abusing the privilege (OK, I'm losing my cool here). He can deny it to anyone engaged in "a moral evil"? So, I'm assuming that Roman Catholics who guide US policy in Iraq are denied communion on a regular basis? I'm assuming that Justices Thomas, Alito, and Scalia are denied communion because of their support of the death penalty.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a clear violation of the separation of church and state. It is all well and good for the church to advocate for particular policies, and to oppose others. When it comes to denying communion on a single issue, and because an individual supports one candidate and not another, no amount of legal hair splitting on the part of the denomination should save this priest and congregation from having its IRS status revoked.
