Has anyone heard of this? I was looking up some info on Mel Gibson, cause I just found out that he is a "devout"? Catholic. While searching I found this website. Here are a few excerpts.

Mel Gibson to Produce Film on Christ's Passion ROME, (Zenit.org)- Mel Gibson is in Italy to finalize details for the filming of a movie on the passion and death of Jesus, a Hollywood trade publication reports. Variety magazine said the Australian actor-producer sought advice from Vatican experts for "Passion,"...

US CATHOLICS BARRED FROM KNEELING FOR COMMUNION?

WASHINGTON, (CWNews.com) -- The US bishops' committee on the liturgy has said that Catholics should not ordinarily receive Communion while kneeling. The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy declared in its July newsletter: "The bishops of the United States have decided that the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion should be standing. Kneeling is not a licit posture for receiving Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States of America unless the bishop of a particular diocese has derogated from this norm in an individual and extraordinary circumstance."

I don't know that lagitimacy of the latter excerpt, because Our Lady of Peace Church near my house permits kneeling for Communion.

Any comments?

Thanks - In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), September 11, 2002

Answers

bump

-- Jake Huether (jake.huether@lamrc.com), September 11, 2002.

Jake,

I sure hope that is not true. I love visiting older churches that still have the Communion rail. Personally, the act of kneeling helps me mentally prepare to receive Jesus.

-- Glenn (glenn@nospam.com), September 11, 2002.

That's a great site, Jake, thanks. I've added it to my favorites!

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), September 13, 2002.

I don't like it either, but perhaps this is a test of our willingness to obey, rather than to do what we would prefer.

Love, :-)

-- Christine L. (christinelehman@hotmail.com), September 13, 2002.

Jmj

Hi, Jake.
I think that it is a bit premature to judge this report from "Catholic World News."

First, I want to quote from "Inestimable Gift," a 1980 liturgical instruction from the Vatican (approved by the pope):

"11. The Church has always required from the faithful respect and reverence for the Eucharist at the moment of receiving it. With regard to the manner of going to Communion, the faithful can receive it either kneeling or standing, in accordance with the norms laid down by the episcopal conference: "When the faithful communicate kneeling, no other sign of reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament is required, since kneeling is itself a sign of adoration. When they receive Communion standing, it is strongly recommended that, coming up in procession, they should make a sign of reverence before receiving the Sacrament. This should be done at the right time and place, so that the order of people going to and from Communion is not disrupted." [My emphasis was added.]

Now, for the 11 years of the new rite of the Mass prior to the publication of this instruction, and for the 22 years since publication, the "episcopal conference" in the United States [now called U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] failed in its duty to "la[y] down norms" on the posture for reception of Holy Communion.

Consequently, pastors and bishops around the nation have (illicitly) been using their own prefererences as to what posture they would impose on the faithful. In most places, standing was imposed. In a few places, mandatory kneeling at a railing was imposed. In a growing number of places, priests have been allowing people to kneel to receive when they reach the end of a (normally) standing queue.

The item you quoted, Jake, may or may not be accurate. The reason for the uncertainty is in the "fine print." Let me go through a couple parts of it ...

"The U.S. bishops' Committee on the Liturgy has said that Catholics should not ordinarily receive Communion while kneeling."
If that is what the "Committee on the Liturgy has said," it is nothing but the opinion of a small group of bishops -- a committee. Tremendous grief and problems have arisen in the last 30 years because of the "authority" unjustifiably accorded (by individual bishops, priests, and laymen) to statements of mere committees -- particularly this notorious Liturgy Committee (and its 1970s document on art and architecture, for example). A committee has NO power whatsoever, except to propose its opinion to the entire bishops' conference.

You continued: "The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy declared in its July newsletter: 'The bishops of the United States have decided that the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion should be standing.'"
It remains to be seen if the BCL is telling the truth. For some reason, the USCCB's Internet site does not have the July newsletter posted. It has four issues, ending with a March/April issue, online, so I cannot read the July issue and try to determine the truth. The quotation from the newsletter, above, indicates that the whole conference of bishops passed a new norm in favor of standing. However, I keep an eye on the twice-yearly meetings of bishops (telecast on EWTN), and I do not remember this being discussed and coming up for a vote in November 2001 or June 2002. I have never heard of something like this being voted on purely by mail. Moreover, such a norm, if passed, would have to get a subsequent OK from the Vatican."

You continued (quoting from the BCL newsletter): "'Kneeling is not a licit posture for receiving Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States of America unless the bishop of a particular diocese has derogated from this norm in an individual and extraordinary circumstance.'"
This would mean that a bishop who thinks that kneeling is good could not allow it always and everywhere in his diocese -- but only in specific churches/chapels. I don't know if "an individual and extraordinary circumstance" would be the case of a person who petitions the bishop for the right to receive kneeling (in a place where standing is the custom).

Having said all that, I have to admit that a normally reliable info source, Father C. John McCloskey, when questioned about this on EWTN (a few weeks ago), stated that the report posted in Catholic World News is correct. He said that there is (or soon will be) a new norm in effect for the U.S.. We shall see.

God bless you.
John
PS: I have no agenda on this. I have not received kneeling since 1985, when the rail at my parish was still being used. But I have no negative thoughts toward people who wish to kneel.

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 15, 2002.