New Opus Dei Bishop Defends Sacrilegious Communion

Chur Bishop Joseph Bonnemain, 72, Switzerland, a Barcelona born Opus Dei member, used the case-by-case trick to justify giving Communion to three Protestants at his consecration Mass.

He argued (CatholicNewsAgency.com, March 26) with Canon 844 which considers administrating sacraments to non-Catholics in “danger of death or some grave necessity." Bonnemain claimed this Canon was implement “with respect to individual concrete persons” and by taking into account “the existing circumstances and the personal attitude of the individual.”

However, according to Canon 844, persons seeking a sacrament must be unable to approach their own minister, have to manifest the Catholic faith in the sacrament, and must be properly disposed. These conditions were clearly not fulfilled.

Bonnemain added that the media is not the place to comment on such a matter "given privacy considerations.” However, the abuse happened during a direct broadcast, and the three Protestants were not present as private persons. Thus, the reference to "privacy considerations" is odd.

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