Law Prof Denied Communion for Supporting Obama

Law Professors

Law Prof Denied Communion for Supporting Obama

Posted Jun 6, 2008, 06:49 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec says he was denied communion because he supports Barack Obama, a candidate who backs abortion rights.

Kmiec, the former dean at Catholic University law school, told National Public Radio that he was asked to speak at a church about why he supported the candidate. Before the speech, the priest denounced Kmiec, saying those who support pro-choice candidates were “participating in a grave moral evil,” Kmiec said.

The priest held a mass and when Kmiec presented himself for communion, the priest shook his head from left to right. "I said to him, 'I think you're making a serious mistake, Father,' and he said, 'I don't think I've made any mistake,' ” Kmiec told NPR. Kmiec said his wife left the church in tears.

Kmiec said communion means community, but in this case it was used as a form of anti-community. “Faith isn’t a weapon,” he said in the radio interview.

Hat tip to the National Law Journal’s Legal Pad LA blog.

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Posted by Chris - 5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 2 hours, 14 minutes ago

What if by supporting Obama one believed that he was the only candidate who wouldn’t continue a war that is costing needless American lives and money that could be spent helping the poor? That would seem to be a “historically (and by that I mean biblically) Catholic” issue, right?
I guess abortion has to trump everything. Maybe if [insert favorite dictator here] was pro-life the Church would encourage its members to vote for that person for president and deny communion to those who don’t.
Posted by Retired Attorney - 5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 1 hour, 20 minutes ago

Wow, and the Church remains tax exempt. How much more political does it have to get before getting stripped of that privileged status?
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes ago

Kmiec is denied communion, while child molesting clergy are still allowed to hand it out. A huge percentage of these molesters still receive a paycheck, room and board, and a chalace of so called holy bread.

I hope Kmiec and his wife publicly victimized by this all cleric run institution now realize how obsessed Catholic church officials are with maintaining power, control and influence over their flock and the people of the U.S.

I also hope they see this unacceptable behavior by church officials as a blessing in desguise and another chance to realize that the evil they saw is being handed out at the church’s so called table of holy communion? It’s a sham.
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 23 hours, 37 minutes ago

Ironically, the same sick clerics touting freedom of religious and justice, are demanding that their own flock not have any freedom to speak up, question or think for themselves.

That’s probably why sedated/controled Catholics won’t or can’t speak up and call their abusive leaders to account…while they continue to aid and abett the worst criminal of all.
Posted by Mark Gauer - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 23 hours, 14 minutes ago

This once again shows how hypocritical the catholic church is. I wish you would print what church this was so I could go stand in line for communion and when the priest goes to hand me the communion I would shake my head NO!!
Posted by karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 22 hours, 55 minutes ago

When in this world will our countrie’s leaders and brainwashed Catholics get the courage to walk away from this table of poisonous communion in the church and skip their Sunday fix for the benefit of us all. Actions speak louder than words, and with some real team work, this hatred and abuse can be stopped.

So, far no one in our government has the courage to do so. Actions speak louder than words and the truth will set us free, one nation.

Yet, the deception continues and our blind vulnerable sheep keep putting the gold in these abusers baskets aiding and abetting their evil.
Posted by Kenneth G. Galica - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 20 hours ago

I am compelled to wonder if any of those posting comments are Catholic,or are otherwise familiar with Catholic doctrinal theology. You see, it as clear as it can be—the Church teaches that abortion is an intrinsic evil , i.e. a grave and mortal sin. Members of the faith who wish to remain in good standing may not directly or indirectly support it without risk of excommunication. The priest was entirely justified in refusing the professor communion.

The lat time I checked Freedom of Religion was a constitutional right,much like the First Amendment rights being exercised by the commentators.The war argument and the pedophilia argument are superficial and disgusting red herrings advanced by those with a clear bias and political agenda. If they argue like that in Court, I want a piece of them.

The professors choice is clear and he knows it.Support abortion if your conscience lets you,but you may not receive Holy Communion through the Catholic Church.
Posted by GLORIA SULLIVAN - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes ago

“THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE “ .LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE NO ROMAN CATHOLICS THAT ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TELL THESE VULTURES WHO SUCK THE LIVING LIFE OF FREEDOM FROM US, TO “TAKE IT TO THE POPE TO GET THEIR MONEY, WE’RE LEAVING. FOR CHURCHES THAT TEACH GOD’S HOLY WORD, NOT MANS.
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 19 hours, 16 minutes ago

And Mr. Galica, do you work with Cardinal Mahony’s attorney Hennigan or some of the other complicit church official attorneys. He got a piece, but it wasn’t from the church’s sex abuse victims this time. The victims gave their truth as a gift to the church, for which church attorneys used a big piece of Catholic donations to cover-up the truth.

Was that worth 760 million to you? Had the church come clean, you’d never have to worry about trying to “get a piece of them in Court” I’d be worried about something else if I were you.

Ironically, out of the mouths of babesraped (out of the church own aborted) in the church the worst evil has been exposed.

When you can handle some meat, then maybe you’ll get a piece.
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes ago

p.s.

Mr. Galica,

In the meantime, keep sucking on that bottle the bishops are personally feeding you and chomp on that so called “Holy bread” or better yet “the body of Christ?“ What a sham on vulnerable people (no matter how educated the Catholic church’s sheep claim to be).
Posted by Juli Campagna - 5 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 16 hours, 14 minutes ago

I simply write to support Mr. Galica’s statements, minus the part of “wanting a piece of” anyone.

It seems that rules are only for people who already know what’s right, and who’s right. Like everyone who clearly knows what’s right, they are more intolerant than thou.

I would also submit that the agonizingly vitriolic “Karole” has certainly crossed the comment policy line as to “personal attacks’ against Mr. Galica.

As someone who has had the deep honor to work with Catholic clergy all over the developing world, many of whom were lawyers, and several of whom have been killed by their governments and/or paramilitaries for tending to the poor, I can only suggest that “Karole” widen her horizons.
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 10 hours ago

Ms. Campagna,

crossing the policy line?

Ironically, Mr. Galica’s statements as you admittedly minus from your statement is more like the personal attack you claim I’m making.

Those who expose the pedophile clergy abuse cover-up in the Catholic church are the same kids raped by clerics that Galica wants a piece of.

Galica is very good representation of Catholic church officials who would rather take another bite at their victims than come clean with their horrific and unconsciounable actions against the most vulnerable.

Ms. Campagna, on the contrary, widen your horizons and look at the facts instead of trying to salvage and protect the false image of the church that church officials and their attorneys are feeding on at your expense.

Your so called clergy crossed the line long ago and is still crossing it today, and sadly, the most vulnerable, the thousands of Catholics kids raped by clergy and other Catholic volunteer and personell are the ones you should be thanking for speaking up from their own graves your leaders knowingly buried them in, oops…without telling you about it too.

Thanks for not wanting a “piece of them”, like Galica, but no thanks to your complacency that keeps kids at risk in the church today.

I’m attacking the lies and deciet that church officials have fed Catholics and who are bling by the abuse of power by their leaders who have pulled the wool over their eyes for too long.

Sadly, the deceit didn’t happen overnight and it’s not going away overnight, no matter how much the deceived faithful wish that just a trip to the confessional could take care of.

I wish you well on your difficult journey to truth as church officials continue to place those unlimited stumbling blocks of lies and deceit in your way.

The secrecy and silence by clergy speaks so loudly, it just doesn’t matter how many poor they have tended to while aiding and abetting horrific crimes against the vulnerable.
Posted by Karole - 5 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 9 hours, 37 minutes ago

P.S

Ms. Compagna, I’m sure Mr. Galica benefited from my post regarding the neverending sex abuse scandal.

Sadly, he knows there are plenty of job opportunities for him if he wants to defend church officials’ and their cover-ups.

Of course, he’d could be be part of the solution and help prosecutors but abusive clerics and complicity bishops behind bars where they won’t be able to abuse their power again. The choice is his. And yours.
Posted by catholiclawstudent - 5 months, 1 week, 6 days, 22 hours, 6 minutes ago

The priest had every right to do what he did. As celebrant of the Mass, it his prerogative whether or not to give a person the Body of Christ. If the priest feels that a person is living in mortal sin, he cannot give that person the Eucharist, because in doing so he would commit an even greater sin. Receiving the Eucharist while in a state of mortal sin is a mortal sin itself.

Publicly supporting abortion is a sin. The law prof stated his public support for electing a candidate who supports abortion. The priest did the right thing in denying the Eucharist to the law professor, since the priest avoided committing a mortal sin himself by knowingly giving the Eucharist and avoiding having the law professor commit a mortal sin by knowingly take it while in state of mortal sin.

And finally, contrary to the professor’s comment at the end of the article, communion does not mean community. Communion, or more properly, the Eucharist, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, transubstantiated from bread and wine at the altar at the moment of consecration.
Posted by excathollic - 5 months, 1 week, 6 days, 21 hours, 27 minutes ago

This exclusionary, judgmental, hypocritical, and politically motivated type practice by the Catholic Church is exactly what caused me to leave the church years ago. Shameful.
Posted by jbennett - 5 months, 1 week, 6 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes ago

One of the (many) reasons this country is going down the tubes is the rise of single issue bloc voting. Supporting a candidate who happens to support abortion is not the same as supporting abortion. For those of us who aren’t single issue voters, the balancing of candidates’ stands over a wide range of issues often leads us to support candidates with whom we disagree on some issues. And, for that matter, the candidate may not “support” abortion, but rather not be inclined to use the government’s power to criminalize conduct opposed by some on the basis of sincere faith.
Posted by Kenneth G. Galica - 5 months, 1 week, 4 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes ago

Just to respond to Karole, i have never represented the Church in any litigation of any type.My comments about getting a piece of someone did not refer to any victims, but rather to lawyers who make lousy, illogical and off-point arguments. If you read what I wrote,you would see that.

Lastly, your comments on the Eucharist speak for themselves. Why such hate?
Posted by lapsedcatholicalso - 5 months, 1 week, 4 days, 11 hours, 45 minutes ago

I also hope that the Kmiecs recognize the insidious evil of the Church’s drive to deprive women of control over their own bodies. They would condemn women to unsafe abortions at the same time that they would deny those same women the right to use contraception. The priest’s behavior exemplifies the Church’s desire to control the lives of its followers. Kmiec was wrong in one regard. Faith is used as a weapon against rational thought, self determination, and community all the time.

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