Catholic Church Archbishop John Myers of Newark has recently issued guidelines for denying communion to those whose ideas differ from his.
Archbishop denies communion unless you think like him
Here's the translation of this move: "Think like us or be cut off from God." I wonder, who among us thinks like God? Who knows his mind? The answer is none of us. If God took this same position, we'd all be cut off from him. Maybe the Archbishop should carry his orders to their logical conclusion, as I've tried to do here. Then maybe he'd realize how un-Christlike they are.
I like the message that Pope Francis puts forth: Holy Communion is not "a prize for the perfect, but powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak." Maybe one day, those in the Catholic church who adhere to the exclusionary tactics that try to purge dissent and new ideas will wake up to a better understanding of the message of the Gospels.