Bishop Bars Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion over Abortion Stance

After telling Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy, "he was not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions he's taken as a public official, particularly on abortion," Bishop Tobin informed Kennedy he has instructed the diocesan priests not to gve him Communion.

Earlier this year Patrick Kennedy took the Catholic Church and Bishops

to task for encouraging stricter controls on federally funded abortions and stated --

"...the Catholic Church was only fanning “the flames of dissent and discord” by taking the position that it will oppose the health care reform bill under consideration in Congress unless it is amended to explicitly prohibit funding of abortion."

Coming from the Kennedy Klan, which was built on the fortunes of illegal bootlegging by his Grandfather, the communist loving Papa Joe Kennedy, and feeling the Kennedy's are above God, Patrick forgot that although you may be forgiven -- there are consequences for your sins....

"While I greatly respect the Catholic Church and its leaders, like many Rhode Islanders, the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy of the church on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic," Kennedy wrote in a letter to Tobin, agreeing to a meeting.

"I embrace my faith which acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity."

The bishop wrote back: "Sorry, you can't chalk it up to an 'imperfect humanity.' Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your Communion with the Church." (Irish Central)

We can only hope Bishop Tobin stands his ground and that a nice sized donation to the Diocese doesn't get this order rescinded.