Gay Rights Activists Denied Communion

Gay rights activists who wear a rainbow-colored sash during Pentecost services were denied communion in Chicago. Apparently, some Roman Catholic leaders object to expressions of support to the gay rights movement when it occurs in the context of church services.

The Natchez Democrat reports:

"The priest told me you cannot receive communion if you're wearing a sash, as per the Cardinal's direction," said James Luxton, a Chicago member of the Rainbow Sash Movement, an organization of Catholic gay-rights supporters with chapters around the country. An internal memo from Chicago Cardinal Francis George that became public last week instructed priests not to give communion to people wearing the sashes, which the group's members wear every year for Pentecost. The memo says the sashes are a symbol of opposition to the church's doctrine on homosexuality and exploit the communion ritual. ... The Rev. Michael Skluzacek said in a written statement that both sides were "mistakenly using the Mass and the Eucharist to make their own personal statements."

It is tough to argue against a policy prohibiting the use of communion for political statements; on the other hand, are there general rules about what a person can wear when receiving communion? If a person wears an American flag as a lapel pin, are they denied communion as well? What about a rainbow flag as a lapel pin? It seems to me that any rule here has to be general in nature, not specifically targeted against gays rights activists.

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• Roman Catholicism
• Catholicism & Homosexuality