Mario and Andrew Cuomo with Sandra Lee
"This kind of thing has to be left to the man's pastor's [sic] and to the person's bishop, said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "The presumption is that people are coming [to Communion] in good will and with good motives to receive the grace of the sacrament. Peters would have been fine to discuss Canon 915 in general terms on his blog, but his singling out of Cuomo was "totally inappropriate," Reese said. "This guy sitting in Detroit doesn't have some kind of spiritual telescope to look into the soul of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and decide whether he's in a state of grace or not," [Reese] said."LINK (HERE) TO READ THE FULL STORY AT BUFFALO NEWS
DR. EDWARD PETERS A CANON LAWYER RESPONDS TO FR. THOMAS REESE, S.J. (HERE)
"An excerpt. "
Fr. Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Father Reese can hardly be ignorant of the differences between Canons 915 and 916, so I can only take his derisive comments that
I MUST HAVE "SOME KIND OF SPIRITUAL TELESCOPE TO LOOK INTO THE SOUL OF GOV. ANDREW CUOMO" AS A DELIBERATE OBFUSCATION OF MY POSITION. FOR REESE TO IMPLY THAT I HAVE EVER HELD THE OPERATION OF CANON LAW IN GENERAL, OR OF CANON 915 IN PARTICULAR, TO REST ON AN ABILITY TO READ SOULS AND DECIDE WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE STATE OF GRACE, IS SIMPLY FALSE. I LOOK FORWARD TO HIS PROMPT WITHDRAWAL OF THIS IMPUTATION. IN THE MEANTIME, I INVITE INTERESTED READERS TO EXAMINE MY MANY WRITINGS IN THIS AREA AND VERIFY FOR THEMSELVES THAT I HOLD NO SUCH VIEWS. LINK (HERE) AGAIN TO DR. EDWARD PETERS BLOG ENTITLED," IN LIGHT OF THE LAW".
. "THE ARTICLE AT CYBERCAST NEWS THAT STARTED THE WHOLE CONVERSATION. (HERE)"An excerpt.
"
Dr. Edward Peters
"the divorced son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, who was once chastised by Catholic leaders for his support of abortion rights, calmly received Holy Communion. Lee walked in line for Communion with him." As noted, Canon Law 915 states that persons "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion." In addition, the Catechism, section 2390, states that "IN A SO-CALLED FREE UNION, A MAN AND A WOMAN REFUSE TO GIVE JURIDICAL AND PUBLIC FORM TO A LIAISON INVOLVING SEXUAL INTIMACY.... THE EXPRESSION COVERS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SITUATIONS: CONCUBINAGE, REJECTION OF MARRIAGE AS SUCH, OR INABILITY TO MAKE LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS. ALL THESE SITUATIONS OFFEND AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF MARRIAGE; THEY DESTROY THE VERY IDEA OF THE FAMILY; THEY WEAKEN THE SENSE OF FIDELITY. THEY ARE CONTRARY TO THE MORAL LAW. THE S@XUAL ACT MUST TAKE PLACE EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN MARRIAGE. OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE IT ALWAYS CONSTITUTES A GRAVE SIN AND EXCLUDES ONE FROM SACRAMENTAL COMMUNION." WRITING ABOUT THE CUOMO-LEE RELATIONSHIP ON HIS CANON LAWYER'S BLOG ON JAN. 4, DR. PETERS WROTE, "ANDREW CUOMO, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, AND SANDRA LEE, A TELEVISION CELEBRITY, LIVE IN WHAT IS KNOWN TECHNICALLY AS PUBLIC CONCUBINAGE. THE FACT THAT BOTH CUOMO AND LEE ARE DIVORCED RENDERS THE CONCUBINAGE ADULTEROUS ON BOTH SIDES AS WELL. THE LIFESTYLE ADOPTED BY CUOMO AND LEE, PETERS CONTINUED, HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES UNDER CANON 915 FOR THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION.LINK (HERE) TO.
