Catholic Church discriminates against disabled

[winterbadger]

I'm not even going to qualify that with an "IMO":

An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine.

Now, Haley Waldman's mother is pushing the Diocese of Trenton and the Vatican to make an exception, saying the girl's condition should not exclude her from the sacrament, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. The mother believes a rice Communion wafer would suffice.

"It's just not a viable option. How does it corrupt the tradition of the Last Supper? It's just rice versus wheat," said Elizabeth Pelly-Waldman.

Church doctrine holds that Communion wafers, like the bread served at the Last Supper, must have at least some unleavened wheat. Church leaders are reluctant to change anything about the sacrament.

full wire story here

Comments

[liatha.livejournal.com]

And people wonder why I have a nice BIG chip on my shoulder against organized religion in general, and the catholic church in particular?

*growls*

[sidhne.livejournal.com]

This is an interesting predicament. One of the things that distinguishes Catholic beliefs from Protestant is transubstantiation (the wafer and wine become the body and blood of Christ). So if they really believe, it wouldn't be an issue because the girl is not really eating wheat, but ... er ... flesh.

That's a tough one. On the face of it, it seems like they're just not Catholics in their beliefs. And that probably excludes a lot of people who consider themselves to be Catholic, including me. How much do we really believe in that particular Miracle?

[ladyjillian.livejournal.com]

Wheat isn't a requirement. Lots of churches use gluten-free communion wafers.

[winterbadger]

Apparently according to the Vatican it is for Catholics.

And, yes, I get the Almy catalog (for when I need to buy my sister collar studs or something :-) and I've seen their gluten-free wafers. Just the idea of a catalog for communion wafers was enough to fry my brain, that burned it to a crisp :-)

But the really bad, wicked part of me is tempted to buy a monstrance (they carry areally beautiful one) and some wafers, just for the pure childish shock vlaue of having it in the living room. But then I send that part of my me to have a time out in its room, with no computer games or books to read...

[liatha.livejournal.com]

If you feel that bad about that particular urge... you don't wanna know what some of mine are. *leers*

[winterbadger]

I remain convinced that most of yours (especially with the leer :-) are lustful and naughty, whihc is a lot different from mean-spirited and mocking other' beliefs, whihc is what mine owuld be if I gave in to it.

[liatha.livejournal.com]

What... it can't be both?

Trust me... gimme a copy of that catalog and I'll curl your toes with how mean spirited and mocking I can be while also being lustful and naughty.

[ladyjillian.livejournal.com]

I expect according to the Vatican no Catholics use birth control either. I've been to Mass several times where I've been informed either verbally or in writing that gluten-free wafers were available.

I actually don't see anything wrong with having a monstrance in the house, if it were treated with the proper respect...not doing so would, I suppose, be just like people (like me) who have things like vajras and prayer wheels and St. Peter's keys in the house (I do treat them with SOME respect....).