John Nienstedt denies communion to gays again
More anti-gay activity from Archbishop John Nienstedt: He has denied communion to gay and lesbian student activists at St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict.
Politics for me, but not for thee.
He presided over a Mass they attended Sunday night, Sept. 26, at the Catholic campus in Collegeville, at the end of Coming Out Week.
Wearing yellow buttons to denote their solidarity in opposition to the mailing, the students approached the altar for communion. But Nienstedt turned away from their outstretched hands.
The timing coincided with dissent among Twin Cities Catholics over their archdiocese's pre-Election Day mass mailing of 400,000 anti-gay marriage DVDs. Nienstedt also included a call for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the mailing.
It isn't the first time he's denied communion to gay rights protesters within the Catholic church. Last year he admonished members of the Rainbow Sash Alliance for showing "disrespect and irreverence for the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ."
And he insisted that, "The Holy Eucharist should never be politicized by protesters in this way."
However, reminding Catholics how they should vote on Election Day and urging them to amend the state's Constitution is evidently politics as usual -- and OK.
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