In other matters we might have missed during this incredibly busy month of news from various faith channels, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani apparently caused quite a ruckus last month by taking communion at a papal mass held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Seems he and Cardinal Edward Egan had a “tacit understanding” that Giuliani wouldn’t take mass because of his support of abortion rights, according to an RNS story picked up at the Pew Forum. When it happened, Reuters ran the story that it was his divorced-and-remarried status that barred him from receiving communion, and tabloids ran rather amok with the report.
But Egan seems to be taking the matter very seriously. The RNS report published at Pew notes his official response, earlier this week, as well as a spokesperson-issued response from Giuliani that highlights the tension between faith-corporate and faith-personal that exists for many people of faith:
Egan said Monday (April 28) that he had a tacit agreement with Giuliani that “he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion.”
“I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the papal visit here in New York, and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding.”
Sunny Mindel, a spokeswoman for Giuliani, told The New York Times that Giuliani considers his faith “a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential.”
The RNS report is here.