Sunday, May 15, 2005

And on this Sunday



Supporters of gays, lesbians and transgendered individuals did not receive Holy Communion at the Cathedral of St. Paul:

A Roman Catholic priest denied communion to more than 100 parishioners Sunday, saying they could not receive the sacrament because they wore rainbow-colored sashes to church to show support for gay Catholics.

Before offering communion, the Rev. Michael Sklucazek told the congregation at the Cathedral of St. Paul that anyone wearing a sash could come forward for a blessing but would not receive wine and bread.

A group called the Rainbow Sash Alliance has encouraged supporters to wear the multicolored fabric bands since 2001 on each Pentecost Sunday, the day Catholics believe the Holy Spirit came to give power to Christians soon after Jesus ascended to heaven. But Sunday's service was the first time they had been denied communion at the altar.

Archbishop Harry Flynn told the group earlier this month that they would not receive communion because the sashes had become a protest against church teaching.

Join the club of pro-choice politicians! In other religious news, via Raw Story, Fred Phelps plans to picket a Massachusetts intermediary school because a twelve-year-old student there wrote an essay on the openly-lesbian Ellen de Generes.