Catholic priest backs President over decision on Communion

The former spokesman for the diocese of Ferns, Father Walter Forde, has come out strongly in favour of the decision by the President, Mrs McAleese, to take Communion at Christ Church cathedral in Dublin on December 7th. It was a decision which should be "respected rather than attacked", he said.

Now parish priest of Castlebridge, Co Wexford, Farther Forde described the current controversy as "particularly venomous and depressing".

It was, he felt, "a most regressive development that an individual's religious belief and practice have become the subject of such intemperate and insensitive comment from Fathers Denis Faul and James McEvoy."

It looked to him like an unfortunate throwback to the tone and attitudes of the 1940s and 1950s. The very least anyone was entitled to, he felt, was the space and freedom to worship God as he or she sees fit.

"In even the most traditional Roman Catholic understanding the principle of following one's informed conscience is central," he said. Clearly, on occasion, that might lead to a conclusion or a course of action different to that advocated by the Church, he said, and "equally clearly the President made a conscientious decision which should be respected rather than attacked". He said the Eucharist was not only a sign of unity already achieved, but was also a source of unity aspired to. In his own lifetime, he recalled, inter-church relations had advanced significantly. But "the lack of serious movement over the last two decades on the issue of intercommunion has impeded further ecumenical development." In view of the substantial agreement on the understanding of the Eucharist, acknowledged by the joint Anglican/Roman Catholic Commission as long ago as 1971, he said, "it is surely possible for the Roman Catholic Church to make some further progress on inter-communion". Such a development was long overdue "and would be widely welcomed by a majority of Roman Catholics, lay and clerical".

Generally, Father Forde said he was "amazed" more priests had not taken part in the current debate. He had heard "very strong views" expressed on the issue, and felt he should speak out. There was, he said, "much more openness among the clergy" (than among some senior churchmen) on inter-communion, not least in Ferns, where they had what he believed might be the only joint inter-church commission on mixed marriages in the State. He did not wish to comment on interventions by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell. The principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College, Canon John Bartlett, last night welcomed Dr Connell's apology for any offence he may have caused by using the word "sham" to describe Catholics taking Communion in Church of Ireland churches. Interviewed in The Irish Times yesterday, Dr Connell said, "I'm very sorry for the offence. If it will help, you can put that in. I blame that offence very much on the way The Irish Times put its headline: `Taking Church of Ireland Communion a sham, says archbishop'. That was very bad".

Canon Bartlett said he didn't think the Archbishop had intended to offend people. He was happy to accept the apology, and for his own part had not been personally offended. But he could understand why offence might have been taken by others. He felt some sympathy for Dr Connell, who he believed was a very caring person. The archbishop had raised crucial issues, and he was rather glad Dr Connell had made the point that compassion was not absolute, that it had to be exercised in conjunction with the truth. Equally, the canon believed that truth had to be exercised with compassion.

For his part, Canon Bartlett said he believed the sacraments of Baptism and Communion were not the personal possession of any one Church in the Christian tradition. No tradition had the right to decide who would sit at the Communion table, or to say that their Baptism was the only Baptism.

He would probably disagree with Dr Connell's approach to such matters, but had some sympathy for him as the spokesman for his particular community. Canon Bartlett said he was concerned the controversy should be taking place at Christmas, a time when Christians put their hands out to one another. He believed the theologians should take up the matter from where it had been advanced by ARCIC (the joint inter-church commission), but would not like to see the controversy turn into something sensational.

Spokespeople for the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, and the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Walton Empey, said neither had any comment to make on Dr Connell's interview.