Autistic child denied communion

[watermock]

Evidently the boy has trouble swallowing for whatever reason...noone really understands autism. The child wants communion, his parents aren't forcing him. Now the church has probably aggrivated his condition. Bastard should be censured. It's not like Bishops of the Catholic Church haven't had enough scandal allready. This really pisses me off. I feel like going caveman on that clown.

Denying sacrament to autistic boy a travesty

Mar. 11, 2006 12:00 AM

After reading the article in Saturday's paper titled "Church denies communion to autistic boy," I must admit that I was deeply angered and embarrassed.

I am a special-education teacher in a public school and I have also taught in the Catholic schools. I have come to the conclusion that our bishop has failed to see the significance in the honor and enthusiasm this boy possesses and how very relevant the sacrament of the Eucharist is to him. Our bishop has also failed to seek and investigate this boy's disability or seek the advice of an advocate.

Does one really believe that our God cares if this special child with special needs "takes and eats" the Host in it's entirety? Has our bishop failed to see that this boy and family continue to praise and worship their God despite the tremendous hardship this disability entails?



To continue to deny this boy is a travesty and shows a total lack of compassion and a contradiction of what the valid meaning of total acceptance is all about. - Stephanie Beckert, Phoenix

[BF.]

Evidently the boy has trouble swallowing for whatever reason...noone really understands autism. The child wants communion, his parents aren't forcing him. Now the church has probably aggrivated his condition. Bastard should be censured. It's not like Bishops of the Catholic Church haven't had enough scandal allready. This really pisses me off. I feel like going caveman on that clown.

Denying sacrament to autistic boy a travesty

Mar. 11, 2006 12:00 AM

After reading the article in Saturday's paper titled "Church denies communion to autistic boy," I must admit that I was deeply angered and embarrassed.

I am a special-education teacher in a public school and I have also taught in the Catholic schools. I have come to the conclusion that our bishop has failed to see the significance in the honor and enthusiasm this boy possesses and how very relevant the sacrament of the Eucharist is to him. Our bishop has also failed to seek and investigate this boy's disability or seek the advice of an advocate.

Does one really believe that our God cares if this special child with special needs "takes and eats" the Host in it's entirety? Has our bishop failed to see that this boy and family continue to praise and worship their God despite the tremendous hardship this disability entails?



To continue to deny this boy is a travesty and shows a total lack of compassion and a contradiction of what the valid meaning of total acceptance is all about. - Stephanie Beckert, Phoenix


Any chance you've got the original article or information about this instead of just what appears to be a letter to the editor? Seems there's a bit of information missing about it before one trashes the Church for misunderstandings. I don't deny that within our Church mistakes are made and could have been made here if this boy was denied, but there are ways that he could be able to fulfill Holy Communion, so curious about the original article if there's one available!

[watermock]

It was on Fox so I don't have a link, can't find much on Google. I don't know if it was a girl or boy, I think boy. The fact is, you don't deny that to anyone. That's playing god. It might be on Fox news site.

The child has trouble swallowing, and because he wouldn't or couldn't, was denied communion. He wasn't spitting out the wafer from my understanding. Evidently, the wafer would be placed and dissolved somewhat and his dad would finish it. Isn't the Church supposed to be about compassion? Oh, let's traumatize an autistic child over some ritualistic nonsense instead of acting like a true christian. Pisses me off more and more.

[BF.]

After I sent it, had further thought that the original article or segment probably woundn't have helped anyway, as journalists skew things from time to time, and don't understand much about the Church's teachings. I guess I'll drop the debate here on my part, since I don't know the background of the story at all, but I must say the Eucharist isn't ritualistic nonsense in the Catholic Church in any way. I'll hope and pray that the boy's family is seeking resolution to the problem and if need be, enlightening their priest and bishop.

[watermock]

Communion IS a ritual you dimwit. What do you think it is? Church services themselves are a ritual. Weddings are a ritual. WTF are you talking about?

[backup qb]

That's a shame. Have to agree with you on this one Mock.

[Spider]

speaking of autism how you been Mock ?

[BF.]

Communion IS a ritual you dimwit. What do you think it is? Church services themselves are a ritual. Weddings are a ritual. WTF are you talking about?



The nonsense part was the part I objected to. Nice.

[Smiling Assassin27]

You can always spot an unobjective person just looking for any reason to hop on top of something by his/her inability to look rationally at the issue. Congrats Mock, you get the prize for most uninformed poster on this one. Call people dimwits all you want, it does not mask your lack of understanding for the issue. Are you Catholic? If you were, you'd not post such drivel (unless you're not familiar with Canon Law and authority in the Church). Now if you want to discuss the issue without ad hominems and misinformation, bring it. If not, you probably owe BF an apology for unprovoked idiocy and namecalling.

[Crushaholic]

www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0304communion0304.html

Church denies Communion to autistic boy

Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 4, 2006 12:00 AM


The Catholic Church has told the parents of a 10-year-old autistic boy that, because the child cannot consume the host, he is not receiving Communion properly. Until he does, church officials say, he cannot partake of the church's most meaningful sacrament.

According to a letter from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, delivered to the Lake Havasu City family on Feb. 12, the boy cannot accept Communion in the Catholic Church until he can "actually receive the Eucharist, actually take and eat."

Because of his condition, Matthew Moran cannot swallow foods with certain textures.

So Matthew, who received his First Communion nearly three years ago in Pennsylvania, participates in Communion in an unusual way. As his father watches, the boy takes the Communion wafer and places it in his mouth. His father, Nick Moran, then removes it and consumes the host himself.

Otherwise, Matthew would spit it out, his father says.

Moran, who takes only the one host for himself, says it remains in the boy's mouth for several seconds.

He says the bishop's letter has caused anger, anxiety and frustration in his home.

"We are out of our minds over this," said the father, who with his wife, Dr. Jean Weaver, has two other children, one of them also disabled.

Phoenix Diocese officials contend that Matthew has not been prohibited from Communion, only that the bishop is "not able to approve the present practice," according to his letter. He offered assistance, which has come in the form of various hosts for Matthew to try, educational material and other recommendations for the parents, including respite care, in which trained personnel would look after the children while the parents took time for themselves.

"Matthew deserves to be able to take the Eucharist fully and completely," said Isabella Rice of the diocese Office on Disabilities and Pastoral Care. "As long as he is unable to do so, we will keep working with him."

The issue carries extreme importance for Catholics. Communion, a sacrament also known as the Eucharist, is the center of the church's worship life. In his letter to the family, Olmsted says, "The Eucharist is the great treasure of our Catholic faith."

Unlike other denominations with Communion, Catholics believe the hard wafer of unleavened bread, called a host, becomes the actual body of Christ when the priest consecrates a much larger host by holding it up and repeating the words of the Last Supper. The belief in the true presence of Christ results in prohibitions against consumption by those who are not Catholic, those who have not confessed serious sins and those who have not properly prepared.

The church's concern is that the host or wine not be desecrated in any matter. The key rule is that the recipient must "consume" the host before leaving the area of reception. The consumption rule is written in both the directions for the Mass, called the "General Instruction of the Roman Missal," and in a Vatican document called "Redemptionis Sacramentum," the "Redeeming Sacrament."

[TheDave]

Leave it to the Cathoilic church... We have lots of priest do really bad things all over the place, but lets draw a line on the poor autistic kid...Genius

[DomCasual]

Yeah, but the question is - can he hit the 3 from downtown?

[Smiling Assassin27]

Leave it to the Cathoilic church... We have lots of priest do really bad things all over the place, but lets draw a line on the poor autistic kid...Genius

that's a silly post with no point. deal with the issues separately like rational people. don't appeal to passion of one issue to prove a false point about the other. that's a cop out, IMO.

[TheDave]

that's a silly post with no point. deal with the issues separately like rational people. don't appeal to passion of one issue to prove a false point about the other. that's a cop out, IMO.

Are they linked? of course not... Is it pathetic how quickly the church drew a line in the sand about this issue and not the other...absolutely. My beef with the church (i was born and raised catholic) has always been their hypocrisy, this to me is just another example of it.

[Smiling Assassin27]

if you read the story, you'd know that the Church a) did NOT draw a line in the sand (the Bishop is STILL trying to find a solution that works despite the parents throwing him and the Church under the bus in the media) and b) didn't do it quickly(the Diocese has spent much time trying different hosts and options) and has not barred anyone from Communion, contrary to what the press reports. The Bishop has worked with this family to devise a suitable solution but the parents (who I do sympathize with in many respects) seem to want this ONE solution that is not acceptable by provisions of Canon Law and common sense. Nobody's to blame here--the case is one in a million and the Diocese should try to accommodate this kid but only to a point and the parents should understand the responsibility of the Diocese and Bishop with respect to the Eucharist.

The knee jerk reaction is to flame the Church but I've yet to see one valid reason to do so in this case.

[TheDave]

if you read the story, you'd know that the Church a) did NOT draw a line in the sand (the Bishop is STILL trying to find a solution that works despite the parents throwing him and the Church under the bus in the media) and b) didn't do it quickly(the Diocese has spent much time trying different hosts and options) and has not barred anyone from Communion, contrary to what the press reports. The Bishop has worked with this family to devise a suitable solution but the parents (who I do sympathize with in many respects) seem to want this ONE solution that is not acceptable by provisions of Canon Law and common sense. Nobody's to blame here--the case is one in a million and the Diocese should try to accommodate this kid but only to a point and the parents should understand the responsibility of the Diocese and Bishop with respect to the Eucharist.

The knee jerk reaction is to flame the Church but I've yet to see one valid reason to do so in this case.

Fair enough. I don't know enough about this particular issue to argue one way or another. Since leaving the church some 10 years ago (over issues that came up marring a non catholic). I have been disgusted by the recent scandals. It has become all too easy for me to bash them, and probably was not warranted in this case.

[alkemical]

this just boils down to the boy can't swallow - it angers the priests

[ozomulsion]

this just boils down to the boy can't swallow - it angers the priests

:thumbs: At least somebody gets it.

[alkemical]

:)

[Smiling Assassin27]

this just boils down to the boy can't swallow - it angers the priests

sick, man...sick.

[alkemical]

I guess it could be worse. I could be a pedophile priest giving pennance in the basement of a church, right?

besides, someone had to say it.

And everyone hates me anyway

[Pendejo]

I guess it could be worse. I could be a pedophile priest giving pennance in the basement of a church, right?

besides, someone had to say it.

And everyone hates me anyway

All my friends are catholics, so I thought the buggering was done in the bushes. But then I remembered that the bushes were Socrate's realm. So you're probably right about the basement.

Also...I have a highly secret source deep inside the vatican...who says that according to catholic doctrine...Jesus hates the autistics.

[alkemical]

All my friends are catholics, so I thought the buggering was done in the bushes. But then I remembered that the bushes were Socrate's realm. So you're probably right about the basement.

Also...I have a highly secret source deep inside the vatican...who says that according to catholic doctrine...Jesus hates the autistics.


HAHA! I knew it. Jesus hates autistics, and I'd hate the autistic too if i were he. It only represents those who didn't speak up for him before he got crucified. I mean, with reincarnation (which the church doesn't want you to know exists, because you can always put off your donation in the extortion, err collection plate till the next lifetime) Jesus must know autistics are those who didn't speak out!



*On a serious note, if anyone - anyone has a problem with what i said -
Please direct your comments to me via PM - i will respond - but understand that i make fun of everyone and everything. If you find my posts in bad taste, or are heresey. Please, write me or place me on ignore. Or write to one of the many arms of vishnu.

[Crushaholic]

*On a serious note, if anyone - anyone has a problem with what i said - Please direct your comments to me via PM - i will respond - but understand that i make fun of everyone and everything. If you find my posts in bad taste, or are heresey. Please, write me or place me on ignore. Or write to one of the many arms of vishnu.

I don't have to PM you. I already know you're going to hell...;)

[alkemical]

lol, maybe i'll come back as a republican! d'oh! :)

[alkemical]

*By no means do i have any less love for autistim. I volunteer at times with a few chairites where i give time and materials to families that have autistic children.

[Spider]

this just boils down to the boy can't swallow - it angers the priests
thats just wrong on so many levels , but funny as hell , and probably more true then anyone cares to admit .............

[Pendejo]

*By no means do i have any less love for autistim. I volunteer at times with a few chairites where i give time and materials to families that have autistic children.

If I were you...after coming public with a statement like that...I wouldn't venture within several blocks of a catholic church.

One thing in your favor though...I doubt you'll have to worry about the stigmata.

Have you ever seen a face weeping tears of blood in a tortilla, or perhaps a mud streaked window? What if you do Ames? What then?

[gunns]

IMO kids that are autistic, mentally retarded, etc. are here to teach us patience, tolerance, and compassion. This Priest obviously had none of these traits and could learn something from this young man. While I'm not quite sure what communion is for, this young man wants to be like everybody else, when fortunately he is so much better than all the rest of us.

[alkemical]

If I were you...after coming public with a statement like that...I wouldn't venture within several blocks of a catholic church.

One thing in your favor though...I doubt you'll have to worry about the stigmata.

Have you ever seen a face weeping tears of blood in a tortilla, or perhaps a mud streaked window? What if you do Ames? What then?


well i figure i give a confessional on my death bed, and then maybe i will feel like st. augustine.