Should Sean Hannity Be Denied Communion?

[JI7]

<There is a brouhaha simmering within the American Catholic Church over the issue of whether to give or deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. A right-wing cleric, Bishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis, has gone out of his way to publicly target Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA), who is pro-choice on the issue. Burke has boasted, like a medieval clerical tyrant, that he would not give the Massachusetts senator the sacrament--the communion wafer--if Kerry, who is running for president on the Democratic ticket, showed up at a church in his diocese.
Bishop Burke must think he's a soul reader, too, able to look inside Kerry's spiritual life. He must have as-yet an undivulged distant surveillance device that lets him see that the senator isn't in a state of grace which would allow him to take communion.

I wonder: How does Bishop Burke feel about politically reactionary Catholics, such as that raving egomaniac, Sean Hannity, the radio, cable and TV windbag for Fox News? Hannity supports the Iraq War. Should he be denied communion?

Why stop the censuring at elected politicians? Does being a warmonger and a person who minimized the abuses at Abu Ghraib bar Hannity from participating in the sacrament of communion? Does Hannity's lust for US military hegemony around the globe violate any of the Church's fundamental principles? (As of today's date, 839 US military personnel have died in Iraq, over 11,300 Iraqis are dead, and their country totally devastated by the invasion and occupation. It has also cost US taxpayers $118 billion dollars to fund this illegal, unjust and immoral conflict.)

What is Bishop Burke's position on Hannity, who has also written two books hyping the pro-war policies of the Bush-Cheney Gang and espousing a social contract devoid of compassion for the poor? (Check out "Hannity Exposed" for his latest 15 factual distortions, 06/16/04.) Hannity, a Rupert Murdock-lke clone, poses as a "devout Catholic." Naturally, he is, like Bishop Burke, an ardent anti-abortionist.>

http://baltimorechronicle.com/062104WilliamHughes.shtml

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I don't think anyone should be denied communion

It's up to God to decide whether or not a person is "worthy".

[Blue-Jay]

2. Has Hannity used contraception?

He has, what, two kids or something? Since Catholic dogma states that sex is for procreation only, one has to assume that: a) He's had sex twice (that would explain a lot!) or b) He has violated the teachings of the church, and should be denied communion.

Disclaimer: Yes, I know that many of you are Catholic and I respect your version of religious practices. I really do. I know, however, that MOST American Catholics take certain Catholic edicts with a grain of salt. Faith is the important thing. Following EVERY rule set by sexually-repressed, misogynistic dinosaurs is a whole 'nother story.

[Jabbery]

3. YES and excommunicated, too

He should be excommunicated. ALL Catholics should be denied communion and excommunicated until they become the Pope. That seems to the standard that is emerging from the right wingnut Bishops.

[Justice]

4. Not Sure Even Need To Go that Far

I don't understand how he can constantly mock and demean people with whom he does not agree (I am not talking about disagreeing substantively with them). He lies, mispresents, insults - all in the name of radio/TV.

Then there is the lack of compassion for the poor and the sick.

And then there is the constant questioning of Clinton's behavior. No forgiveness for Clinton - no excusing Clinton's behavior. Hannity will go on and on and on judging Clinton, judging Hillary. I don't get it - Hannity can sit across from Morris and Bennett - both acknowledged bad behavior. Hannity seems to be able to forgive them. Yet Clinton apparently can never be forgiven and must be constantly judged. This behavior is not consistent with Catholic beliefs.

This behavior to me is not Christian, not Catholic. I want to call him up and ask when he plans to go to confession. Or whether he goes daily.

I think the same thing about Laura Ingraham.

[NewJeffCT]

5. Not just the Iraq war

How about the Death Penalty? The Catholic Church is against that. Should the CC deny communion to death penalty supporters?

How about those folks that think the earth isn't flat or that we're not the center of the universe? Oh, that's an old CC position.

[Swamp Rat]

6. He should be denied oxygen

So we don't have to hear that windbag speak ever again.

Give him nitrous oxide and stand way back.

[KamaAina]

7. Nixon got booted from the Quakers for being a warmonger

Hard to believe, isn't it, that the guy whose picture once graced the dictionary defintion of war.mong.er (until it was replaced by Reagan, then Bush*) was raised Quaker...

[CityZen-X]

8. Shamity should Be Denied...

AIR to breath!

[UTUSN]

9. More Basic: Belief in the Death Penalty

SHAMNITY himself brought this up when the denial-communion thing surfaced. He said, with little-boy-panic, that he wasn't all that fired up about the denying for pro-choicers (he said pro-ABORTION) since it was a slippery slope for ALL other issues like the death penalty, which he supports.

(Nobody get their hopes up----O'REILLY claims to be ANTI the death penalty. This, along with his supposed pro-environment, are what he bases his claim to be an "Independent".)

Somebody posted a couple of weeks ago that the Church ought to lose its exempt status for being involved in political activities.

[Justice]

10. Good Post Gone Hairwire

Do you know what republicans do effectively?

They pose the kind of question J17 posed and then have a discussion about it - in other words, they set the agenda and then follow it. We try to then change the agenda - and spend all of our effort trying to make that change -- meanwhile they continue following the agenda.

We have a do a better job at setting/turning the agenda, setting the parameters of debate. The debate is not about whether Hannity should be entitled to breathe air - that just gets dismissed.

The original post was a good one. It helps to turn the agenda to the behavior of Catholics - and whether their behavior is consistent with church's teachings. As J17 points out, Hannity's behavior is not -- but why does he get a free pass?

[LuminousX]

11. Consistency

If Pro-choice people are denied communion, pro-death penalty people should be denied as well.