Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Dr Edward Peters: Alzheimer's, the Eucharist, and The God Squad

Received this from Dr. Peters this morning:
I don't have the time or expertise to monitor every religious Q&A column in America, and so I tend to comment on them only when they raise interesting questions … or when they convey disturbing answers, such as one just posted by a group called "The God Squad" that deals with reception of the Eucahrist by Alzheimer’s patients. Based only on what was posed in the question, and looking only at what was said in reply, I think there are serious problems with The God Squad's answer. You can see my reply, Alzheimer's, the Eucharist, and The God Squad
Thankfully, we can now be well equipped to deal with such questions, thanks to Dr. Peters' response:
I don't have the time or expertise to monitor every religious Q&A column in America, and so I tend to comment on them only when they raise interesting questions (such as Fr. Hoffman's on Ecclesia supplet) or when they convey disturbing answers, such as one recently posted by a group called "The God Squad". The child of an elderly Alzheimer's parent wrote for advice about responding to the refusal of a Eucharistic minister to give his mother (a life-long practicing Catholic) Holy Communion because "receipt of communion depends on a cognitive understanding of what is being received". Based only on what was posed in the question, and looking only at what was said in reply, I think there are serious problems with The God Squad's answer. For efficiency's sake, I will place parts of their answers in italics, and my own reactions in regular font.
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