Abp. Dolan Sends a Few Messages

From Mike, an excerpt from a lengthy email sent to ALL Diocesan priests by Abp. Dolan:

10. May I speak to you about a couple delicate issues? The first would be guidelines about hosting a speaker or a group in the parish or under Church auspices. Some bishops, as you know, have drawn up very detailed rules about this. I have not gone that route, and hope I do not have to. Canon Law, diocesan policy already in place, common sense, and love that all of us have for the Church, should guide us. I have trust in your prudential judgment, and in your ecclesial wisdom that you would never invite or host a speaker or a group that has publicly taken stands blatantly at odds with clear Church teaching. There are speakers or groups who certainly may not be "my cup of tea," but who still stay "within the boundaries," and I trust your judgment about invitations to them. We need dialogue, we are not afraid of respectful probing and earnest examination of Church teaching; but there has to be a limit. One speaker whom I would ask you not to have is Dr. Daniel McGuire. He should never be given an invitation or provided a platform at any parish in the archdiocese. He has recently publicly stated that both Archbishop Weakland and I have welcomed him to any parish in the archdiocese, which necessitates this corrective. His position on abortion - - and on a number of other areas - - is so radically outside Church teaching that his appearance at any parish would be a grave scandal and a cause of disunity in the Church. Dialogue about Church teaching and pressing pastoral challenges is always welcome. But the above speaker is not into dialogue but into clear and purposeful dissent from Church teaching: He gets enough attention without us giving him another platform.

11. The second sensitive area is intercommunion. Recently, two priests approached me very upset because each had lately been at funerals where the celebrant had announced, "All are welcome to receive Holy Communion." I don't blame them for being upset. Such a statement is untrue and unjust. While there are indeed situations where the reception of Holy Communion by a non-Catholic Christian under special circumstances is licit, and while I trust your prudence in following Church discipline to determine such circumstances, it is never pastorally wise or theologically sound to publicly announce that, "All are invited to receive the Eucharist." Please do not do it! The bishops' conference, as you know, has issued a very respectful and sensitive set of guidelines http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/intercom.shtml that should be adhered to, and which can easily be re-printed in missallettes and Worship Booklets at liturgies such as funerals, weddings, or other big occasions when non-Catholics are welcome.

Mike also relays that the Archbishop has requested that the LitWonks do not assume control of Masses, resulting in lengthy (and self-absorbed) displays of the usual tripe--which obscures the Mass. After all, the music, while pars integrans of the Liturgy, is just that, rather than the reverse, where Mass is pars integrans of the music.

Things are looking up!!