Not being gay but still considering myself to be a Christian ... I remember Catholic Priests telling us when young that we should 'Love thy neighbour' ... unless he/she is a little bit different ... I consider this to be Catholickly Hypocritical!

By Gerard | March 3, 2010 2:48 PM

Worthiness to received Holy Communion #4 says.."Apart from an individuals’s judgement about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin (cf. can. 915). No wonder St.John Chrysostom says The road to hell is paved with the bones of priests and lined with the skulls of bishops.
The penalty for receiving unworthily is made clear in 1 Corinthians 11:27. I worry about those—clergy or laity-- who do not take the admonishment seriously.

By rita | March 3, 2010 2:55 PM

I'll repeat my post from the previous article:

I am catholic. I go to church every Sunday. And I am gay. I cannot take communion because I'm in partnership with a person of the same sex. Never. Unless I start living without sex, in celibate. And I know that none of the priests will give me the absolution when I confess my sin. No absolution = no communion.

This is "the rule" in the Catholic Church. NOBODY can change it. It will NEVER be changed. The same is with people who are divorced and living in the partnerships or marriages with another person, etc.

When you people will understand this? There is no debate about who can take communion who not. If the priest will give it (and knows the situation very well) to the person who cannot take it, this is not Catholic Church anymore.

I can blame myself for my situation only and I aware of the consequences. All gay people believing in God and being Catholics should know that very well. The rest of gay people are not catholic in my opinion and just making a lot of noise. That's it.

How church authorities in the Netherlands could come to this stupid compromise? A person who confesses cannot decide himself / herself about accepting communion. The church in Den Bosch is not a catholic anymore!

By Guest | March 3, 2010 4:20 PM

You can stand on your head but logic is that if you are out of the system you are not in. Homosequality is not in. Therefore you can decide to do what you want, but confession and repentence means that you have the firm intention not to do it again. So NO you can't decide. Either you give it up or you abstain. A confession in bad faith is no confession. - And I have known many homosequals in my life and i am very sympathetic.

By orchison | March 3, 2010 4:49 PM

???? and why is there no charges against the church they discriminate, the day humanity flings away these old fairytales and gets some sense, it will be a hapy day, invisible man in the sky lmao ok sure, if i came out with half the crap they spout id end up in a mental ward lol

By adhd | March 3, 2010 5:44 PM

As the saying goes: Religion is the last refuge of sinners. How many priests took communion fresh from having molested a young child and how many devout mafioso's robbed and killed all week and then on Sunday sat in line to take communion from a priest/pedophile? The hypocrisy is astounding... What a world we live in.

By Buzzer | March 3, 2010 9:22 PM

I am pro-gay, march in rallies and would defend gay rights to the death. However it should be obvious to gay individuals in the Catholic church that they will never be accepted by them or any other religious organisation.

Instead of focusing on trying to change the un-changable, how about you focus your energies on creating real change on the street?

I've never understood why gays are so desperate to be accepted by a group that abhores them to the bone. Give up on religion and make real change elsewhere.

By Oliebollen | March 5, 2010 4:14 AM