Protest ? . . . or stupidity ?

Most Rev. John Nienstedt, Archbishop of S. Paul – Minneapolis in the US has raised his public profile recently by his refusal to give Holy Communion to a group of Catholic (?) protestors who sought to receive from him whilst engaged in a public protest against the teaching of the Church : in this case, its teaching about Marriage.

Apparently this started because the Archbishop was able – at no cost to the Church – to send out DVDs to the faithful of his Diocese explaining the Church’s orthodox teaching on marriage; which of course enraged a group who were opposed to it, who thereupon decided to demonstrate their disagreement with the Church – and therefore, of course, their disunity with it, which implies that they are no longer faithful members of it.

To identify themselves they attended the Mass wearing Rainbow sashes – which probably made people think they were simply Gay – but which were clearly an emblem of a political standpoint . . . which was why the Archbishop declined to offer them Holy Communion : he said that it was not appropriate to try and ‘make a statement’ about a political issue at that holiest of times.

The Archbishop was right, of course : and the protestors were not only wrong in what they were trying to do; they were also calling their membership of the Church into question.

Why exactly do people keep on doing this ? Surely it’s obvious : if you want to belong, then stick to the rules; if you don’t want to keep the rules, then just join a different church which agrees with you . . . but don't make yourself look stupid by claiming to know better than the Church you are challenging.