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Archbishop Hart blasts Melbourne paper for highlighting sacrilegious liturgy
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The Archbishop of Melbourne denounced a local newspaper for its story about a breakaway group of “Inclusive Catholics,” led by a renegade priest who allegedly gave Holy Communion to a dog.
“That anyone would feed the Eucharist to a dog is an abomination,” Archbishop Denis J. Hart of Melbourne said in an Aug. 6 statement, issued by the archdiocese in response to a report the same day in The Age newspaper.
The paper, he said, had mocked Catholic beliefs by featuring the incident, which occurred at a service conducted by the “Inclusive Catholics” group. Its leader, Father Greg Reynolds, resigned from the Melbourne archdiocese in 2011 and does not have permission to offer Mass or serve as a priest.
“A first-time visitor arrived late at the Inclusive Catholics service in South Yarra with a large and well-trained German shepherd,” writer Barney Zwartz wrote in his account of the group’s Aug. 5 service.
“When the consecrated bread and wine were passed around, the visitor took some bread and fed it to his dog,” Zwartz recounted. “Apart from one stifled gasp, those present showed admirable presence of mind – but the dog was not offered the cup!”
It is unclear, however, whether the “consecrated bread” consumed by the dog was in fact the Holy Eucharist. [more]
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11 Comments
Jim, I know the priest Greg Reynolds. He was at my table during the Women and the Australian Church Conference in 2011. He is not e renegade priest. He is faithfully carrying out his vocation as a catholic priest, who, like Jesus, does not exclude anyone. I am sure that he would never give Holy Communion to a dog. On the other hand, a Monsignor in our neighbouring parish here in Sydney, who died well before Vatican II, always insisted on having his dog present on the sanctuary. While this was eccentric, I am sure that he, too, would not have dreamed of giving Holy Communion even to his pet dog. Jim, don’t be too quick to see evil, where there is none. As Florian does, let us turn our thoughts to pedophile priests celebrating Mass and bishops knowingly moving those pedophile priests around to destroy even more lives. The pedophiles may be mentally ill, but those who have been covering up this criminal behaviour may be even more guilty. They are certainly complicit in the crimes committed.
Rob — the article calls the priest a “renegade priest;” and his actions were rebuked by the bishop as an “abomination.” So, if a person who sat with this priest at a conference says one thing, and his bishop says another, guess who I’m going to believe? Why are you so quick to disbelieve the bishop’s assessment?
Goodness gracious! Giving Holy Communion to a DOG!
What will we be seeing next — pedophile priests presiding at the altar? Pedophile bishops ordaining more pedophile priests?
Betcha Jesus loved puppies . . . and kittens too.
” . . . if something sacred to Judaism or Islam had similarly been desecrated ….” I believe it was — about 2,000 years ago.
What rubbish. The priewst did not give Holy Communion to a dog. The man who brought the dog in did so, no doubt before the priest could do anything about it. This occurrence is most unfortunate and should not have happened, but don’t blow it out of proportion with your sensational headline. It was not a sacrilegious liturgy, but a real eucharistic celebration where all were welcome.
No, Rob, this was not “a real eucharistic celebration” — didn’t you read the artice? The service was conducted by a renegade priest. He has no authority to do anything. You can see where all this “inclusion” garbage leads — doing things like extending that inclusion to a dog. It is true Jesus loves all and thus would want to include all, but that is not the question. The question is, do we love Him? If we do, we have to do what He said: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15) — which includes being compliant with the rules of His Church.
Jim, “A state-wide inquiry was launched earlier this year after it was revealed more than 40 Victorians have committed suicide after being abused by clergy.” I think the church in Melbourne has more important things to worry about than a dog being given a piece of consecrated bread by his eccentric owner, who was not known to the priest presiding at the Mass.
You are correct the story is very slanted. the priest did not give the dog commumion. Jim also forgets once a priest always a priest, the good standing is only the Bishops say so. the priest cannot be un ordained
But, you forget that a bishop has the authority to suspend the faculties of the priest. I would think that was the case with this priest.
Thanks, Deacon. Posting on this blog, I have come more fully to understand when (Moses?) called his fellow Jews a “stiff-necked people.” Most here make up their own religion, but continue to think of themselves as Catholic.
Here I have to agree and disagree: A priest must be given “faculties,” canonical approval to say a valid liturgy in public. As I can attest, you cannot be “un-ordained” but you can be laicized, reduced to the lay state. An “ex-priest” is able( in fact by canon law is required ) to annoint the sick and hear confession in an emergency situation.