Archbishop denies Communion to gay activist students at Catholic college

October 06, 2010

Archbishop John Nienstedt denied Holy Communion to some two dozen gay activist students during a September 26 Mass at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. The students from St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict were wearing rainbow sashes and buttons in protest of Catholic teaching on homosexual activity.

“You cannot receive Communion if you wear the rainbow sash because it’s a political statement, a sign of protest,” said archdiocesan spokesman Ned McGrath. “Going to the Communion rail is the most sacred part of our faith, the Eucharist.”

Immediately after the gay activists’ confrontation with the archbishop, a priest serving on the St. John’s faculty celebrated Mass for the protestors and gave them Communion. Father Rene McGraw, a philosophy professor, explained: "My understanding of church law is that one is not to deny communion to anyone unless he or she is a public sinner, and that has traditionally been interpreted very narrowly."

St. John’s Abbey, St. John’s University, and the College of St. Benedict are located in the Diocese of Saint Cloud.

 

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Further information:

• Gay activists denied communion (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Nienstedt Denies Communion To GLBT Button Students (WCCO)