Timothy Egan has an interesting piece...

...in the Times today regarding Patrick Kennedy and the Catholic Church. Egan says:

In a terse exchange of letters, the bishop said it was “inappropriate” for Kennedy to receive communion. Kennedy responded: “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issue does not make me any less Catholic.”

I would maintain that Kennedy is wrong on this point; it is exactly in complying with the hierarchy of the church that makes one a Catholic.

He said later he would have no further comment; that it was “an issue of faith,” between himself and God.

There's a term for those who believe in the disintermediation that Kennedy is describing. They are called Protestants.

There are 65 million Catholics in the United States — 22 percent of the population. And a slim majority of them, 51 percent, believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. A full 60 percent support the death penalty, which the church has long opposed.

So what? What if the majority of American Catholics didn't accept transubstantiation? Would they still be Catholic? If so, then what exactly does it mean to be Catholic? Is it cultural, like being Jewish? Or is it passed down from one's ancestors, like ethnicity? Or is it just something anyone can claim to be, like Republican or Democrat? If that's the case, then I could call myself a Muslim.

Egan concludes by saying:

This time of year, many cultural Catholics — call them seasonal, the less-than-perfect, less frequent church-goers — feel a need to worship. They may be drawn to the ritual, the community, the music, a bright, hopeful message in the season of darkness. Would the bishop turn them away?

Of course not. But should the bishop feel compelled to offer communion to just anyone who shows up for Mass? Isn't it a sacrament? I thought it was just for those Catholics who were prepared to receive the Body of Christ. Isn't that why people used to go to confession on Saturday afternoons?

I agree with Egan that practically anyone should be allowed to attend Mass--the fallen-away, non-Catholics, whatever. But don't call yourself a Catholic or participate in the sacraments unless you are willing to be a Catholic. And that means adhering to the church's teachings and rules. Otherwise, you're not a Catholic. You're something else.