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Media Contact:
Steve Krueger
617-817-8617
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Catholic Democrats Observes Proposal for a Eucharistic Document Is the Fruit of a Poisonous Tree
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Rush to Pass Proposal is Misguided
& Further Undermines Bishops’
Already Compromised Moral and Teaching Authority
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Calls on USCCB to Release Vote by Bishop
as a Sign of Transparency and Goodwill
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Boston, Mass., June 18, 2021 - Catholic Democrats is observing today that the proposal for a Eucharistic document – passed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) yesterday with 73 percent of the U.S. Bishops voting in favor – comes from the fruit of a poisonous tree. Although the genesis of the proposed document dates back to the emergence of the culture wars in the United States and the related “Communion Wars” of the 2004 presidential and subsequent campaigns, its specific development this year is a result of the election of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in November 2020. Immediately following the 2020 presidential election, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, President of the USCCB, asserted that the election of the first Catholic President since John F. Kennedy would create “confusion among the faithful about what the Catholic Church actually teaches” and he announced the formation of a working group “in order to help us to navigate [the situation].”
“After the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including worship by virtual Mass without receiving Holy Communion, Catholics have a spiritual hunger for the Body and Blood of Christ. In this regard, a document on the Eucharist that welcomes the faithful back to Church could be of legitimate pastoral value, but within the context of the USCCB’s recent actions, it is not,” said Steve Krueger, president of Catholic Democrats. “Given that the roots of this document are tied to the election of our president and the development of the proposal has included language regarding ‘worthiness to receive communion’ and has ignored guidelines from the Vatican stressing a much more comprehensive process and unity, this proposal is the fruit of a poisonous tree. Prudence can only lead one to conclude that its passage at this time, in this way, has put the church in the U.S. on a dangerous, more divisive path.”
[See below for “Vatican Recommended Steps and Conditions for Development and Issuance of Eucharistic Document” and “Key Dates and Documents in Development of Eucharistic Document Proposal.”]
“As an African-American Catholic woman, it is heartbreaking to me that there are so many misguided single-issue US Bishops who reject this teaching moment of racial awakening to address the complex systemic evil of racism in our Church and society,” said Leslye Colvin, a member of Catholic Democrats board. “Rather than use the Gospel of Christ and the teachings of Pope Francis to dismantle the flawed construct of race and advance racial healing, they are blindly taking us down a path that will demean their teaching authority and will only lead to further division within our church. I pray that these men, individually and collectively, will move beyond their certainties and humbly enter a period of discernment inviting the Holy Spirit to move them beyond the duality of our time.”
“It is very disappointing that a majority of the USCCB decided to ignore the guidance of Cardinal Ladaria, the counsel of almost 70 of their brother bishops including 5 cardinals, and the direction of the Papal Nuncio and Pope Francis. The root of this initiative, the lack of process acceptable to the Vatican or conducive to consensus, and the rush to bring it to a vote raises serious questions about what these bishops are really seeking to accomplish. Some bishops told us on Thursday that they know their credibility is at stake. If the USCCB does not want to further diminish its reputation, it should release the vote of each bishop so that American Catholics can engage in dialogue with their bishops and priests on this dangerous undertaking,” said Bibiana Boerio, a supporter of Catholic Democrats who is on the boards of several other Catholic institutions.
“Nothing good can come of this as currently proposed – it will only further division,” said Krueger. “The only rational purpose to this dubious proposal would be to either diminish the Holy Father, the President of the United States, or both. In this regard, the proposed Eucharistic document will only further politicize the presence of Jesus in our lives.”
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Vatican Recommended Steps and Conditions
for Development and Issuance of Eucharistic Document
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1. The development of a Eucharistic document should only be developed if it would maintain unity
2. “Extensive and serene dialogue” should be conducted among the bishops with the aim “to maintain unity”
3. “Extensive and serene dialogue” should be conducted with Catholic politicians “within their jurisdiction”
4. Every effort should be made to dialogue with other episcopal conferences throughout the world. Note: the issue of “worthiness to receive Communion” is a not an observed concern in other Western democracies.
5. Any statement should be framed within the broader context of all Catholics and not just one category of Catholics, i.e. politicians.
6. The statement should not “give the impression that abortion and euthanasia alone constitute the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching.” Note: this challenges the assertion in the U.S Bishops voting guide, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” that abortion is the U.S. Bishops “preeminent priority.”
7. Any statement would need to represent a “true consensus” of the bishops. Note: A statement could be enacted with support from 2/3 of the bishops and approval from the Vatican, however, in either case, the statement would neither be an authoritative teaching document nor restrict the rights of any Bishop in their diocese.
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Key Dates and Documents in
Development of Eucharistic Document Proposal
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November 18, 2020: Without any discussion at the USCCB Fall Meeting, Archbishop Gomez surprisingly announces the formation of a working group to address his perception of the “confusion among the faithful about what the Catholic Church actually teaches”
November 24, 2020: In a published news report, four U.S Bishops go on the public record to criticize the manner in which the working group was announced and express concerns about its role.
March 1, 2021: Archbishop Gomez issues memo to U.S. Bishops on the working group’s recommendations to refer the matter to the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine to write a document on “Eucharist coherence.”
March 30, 2021: Archbishop Gomez notifies the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) that the USCCB is preparing “a document regarding ‘the worthiness of Catholic politicians to receive Communion.’”
May 7, 2021: Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria, S.J., the prefect of the CDF, urges Archbishop Gomez to proceed with caution and advises that a number of procedural steps and conditions be in place before the USCCB should seek to move a Eucharistic document forward for approval. See “Vatican Recommended Steps,” above.
May 13, 2021: 67 US bishops, including 5 Cardinals and 6 Archbishops write Archbishop Gomez urging him to postpone the committee work on “Eucharistic worthiness” and other issues raised by the Holy See until “the full body of bishops is able to meet in person,” presumably at the fall meeting this coming November. In the letter, they say, “The high standard of consensus among ourselves and of maintaining unity with the Holy See and the Universal church as set forth set be by Cardinal Ladaria is far from being achieved in the present moment.”
June 6, 2021: In a homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Pope Francis says, "The church of the perfect and pure is a room where there isn't a place for anyone; the church with open doors that celebrates around Christ is, on the other hand, a large hall where everyone — the righteous and sinners — can enter." In reciting the Angelus prayer earlier that day, he also says, “the Eucharist is not the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners,” reminiscent of what he said in his Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” and a seeming rebuttal of the notion of “Eucharistic worthiness.”
June 8, 2021: USCCB issues its June Meeting agenda including: “The approval of the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.” Note: this announcement broke with tradition where the agenda is usually announced well in advance of the meeting.
June 16, 2021: Pope Francis’ U.S. representative, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre, addresses the virtual bishops’ meeting in a lengthy taped message in which he mentions the word “unity” over twenty times, reinforcing the theme of Cardinal Ladaria’s May 7th letter.
Connecting who we are as a church and the meaning of Communion, the nuncio echoes Pope Francis’ June 6th words by saying, "We are not a church of the perfect but a pilgrim church in need of the mercy offered generously by Christ… The starting point, therefore, cannot be to shame the weak but to propose the One who can strengthen us to overcome our weaknesses, especially through the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist." He goes on to say, "Holy Communion is not merely a 'thing' to be received but Christ Himself, a Person to be encountered."
June 18, 2021: Bishop Kevin Rhodes of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN presents an outline of the proposed Eucharistic document. In doing so, he refers to a section that will address “Eucharistic consistency”, a term he uses in place of the previous expressions of “worthiness to receive Communion” and “Eucharistic coherence.” Over 40 bishops comment on - for and against - the proposed Eucharistic document and then vote electronically on the proposal.
June 19, 2021: The results of the vote to proceed with drafting a Eucharistic document are announced with 168 in the affirmative, 55 in the negative, and 6 abstaining, (73 percent, 24 percent, and three percent respectively).
SOURCES: Numerous articles from America Magazine, Associated Press, Crux, National Catholic Reporter, The New York Times, Religion News Service and the USCCB’s June Meeting live stream
//END
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About Catholic Democrats
Catholic Democrats, a national advocacy organization with over 60,000 supporters across all platforms in all 50 states, including over 28,000 Twitter followers, represents a Catholic voice within the Democratic Party and a Democratic voice in the Catholic Church whose mission is to advance the rich Catholic Social Justice Tradition in the public square and within the Democratic Party to help form a more just and peaceful society and to advance an understanding of an "integral ecology."
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Catholic Democrats | PO Box 6262, Boston, MA 02114 | Email | Website
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