Hattip to Paul Zummo. I am sure there is no anti-Christian bias at work here. It probably is simply raw anti-Christian (Catholic) hatred:
An executive order issued Tuesday in Maryland’s Howard County outlines public health rules under which churches may reopen. The order prohibits the distribution and consumption of any food or drink as part of any religious service, effectively outlawing the distribution of Communion and the celebration of the Mass.
Howard County Executive Order #2020-09 outlines the conditions and regulations that must be met for non-essential businesses–which in Maryland includes churches and other houses of worship–to resume operations. The order was released by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
“There shall be no consumption of food or beverage of any kind before, during, or after religious services, including food or beverage that would typically be consumed as part of a religious service,” the order says in a section delineating norms and restrictions on religious services.
The consumption of the consecrated species at Mass, at least by the celebrant, is an integral part of the Eucharistic rite. Rules prohibiting even the celebrating priest from receiving the Eucharist would ban the licit celebration of Mass by any priest.
Go here to read the rest. Give me the plague over this. Time to head to court. Priests should simply ignore this attempt to make freedom of religion a nullity.
Update:
That didn’t take long:
Ban on the Eucharist reversed:
Howard County, Maryland, has reversed a policy that banned consumption of any food or drink during religious services, effectively preventing the licit celebration of Mass.
A county spokesman told CNA May 28 the prohibition will be removed, and faith leaders will be consulted on future guidelines for church reopenings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball issued an executive order delineating reopening regulations and conditions for houses of worship and other entities deemed “non-essential” by the state of Maryland.
“There shall be no consumption of food or beverage of any kind before, during, or after religious services, including food or beverage that would typically be consumed as part of a religious service,” that order said.
The executive order was due to go into effect May 29.
On Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Baltimore said it had “serious concerns” about the policy, and that the “Eucharist is central to the faith lives of Catholics.”
The consumption of the consecrated species at Mass, at least by the celebrant, is an integral part of the Eucharistic rite. Rules prohibiting even the celebrating priest from receiving the Eucharist would ban the licit celebration of Mass by any priest.
Go here to read the rest.
I did a web search to make sure this wasn’t a spoof, but it is for real. The hierarchy is protesting, but in my view, not all that vigorously. Should one take into consideration that this County Executive has been/is heavily involved with NAACP?
Actions such as this will accomplish nothing other than undermining respect for law. This must be firmly opposed.
In answer to Bob Kurland, I’d offer that these days the NAACP is little more than just another left wing interest group, and that this executive action is worthy of a left wing activist.
Sue them into bankruptcy.
I seem to recall Maryland having a history of anti-Catholic legislation. I seem to recall there being a piece of legislation a few years ago which would have forced the Church to adopt a protestant democratic style model for Church leadership, and I think that there was also legislation aimed at violating the seal of the confessional.
I apologize for not being able to refer to more than my vague recollection on this as a reference; search engines are useless for getting more information. No matter what combination of search terms I use or which engine I only get pages talking very generally about Maryland, but not about legislation, or pages talking about anti-catholic legislation, but not about Maryland.
If you’re recollection were correct, that would be very sad. Lord Baltimore founded the colony of Maryland as a refuge for English Catholics who just wanted to left in peace.
The Puritans in the Seventeenth Century did pass anti-Catholic legislation after the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688 placed William and Mary on the throne of England. Religious freedom in Maryland, which had existed under Catholic rule, would not be restored until the American Revolution when Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a Catholic, became a leader of the Patriots in Maryland.
https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1803&context=all_fac
What’s the difference between distributing food in your home vs. Church? Wouldn’t this law also rule out restaurants, soup kitchens, the Army, etc. Sounds like this ridiculous law would be unconstitutional. It should be ignored. And Bishops should be happy to be arrested for non-compliance. But will they??
When the apostles were whipped and ordered to stop preaching in Christ’s name they literally rejoiced for having been found worthy to suffer for God. Peter, in particular, must have been overwhelmed. Think of the opportunity God is presenting to Catholics to stand up for the faith and defy the secular authority. The Eucharist does not belong to Caesar. We are all born into a particular time in history for a reason.
And yet the uneducated voters will continue to elect these moral cretins no matter the damage they cause. True democracy will be sorely tested this year.
When are people going to organize and step up; either vote these idiots out of office or go to the courts. Regarding our hapless and weak bishops people need to stop giving to the diocesan appeals and give to local parishes. Yes, I know that each parish is taxed by the diocese but most of the money stays in the parish.