Saturday, March 04, 2006

Regurgitating Christ

There was once a Saturday Night Live sketch where this guy brought his date home to dinner with his parents. The father, Will Ferrell, promptly started eating his son's food and then giving the son the chewed food to swallow.

As the girlfriend registered disgust, the parents made an impassioned plea for their son, "He has no saliva glands!"

From The Arizona Republic:

The Catholic Church has told the parents of a 10-year-old autistic boy that, because the child cannot consume the host, he is not receiving Communion properly. Until he does, church officials say, he cannot partake of the church's most meaningful sacrament.

According to a letter from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, delivered to the Lake Havasu City family on Feb. 12, the boy cannot accept Communion in the Catholic Church until he can "actually receive the Eucharist, actually take and eat."

Because of his condition, Matthew Moran cannot swallow foods with certain textures.

So Matthew, who received his First Communion nearly three years ago in Pennsylvania, participates in Communion in an unusual way. As his father watches, the boy takes the Communion wafer and places it in his mouth. His father, Nick Moran, then removes it and consumes the host himself.

Otherwise, Matthew would spit it out, his father says.

Moran, who takes only the one host for himself, says it remains in the boy's mouth for several seconds.

He says the bishop's letter has caused anger, anxiety and frustration in his home.
[...]

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Morans are publicity seekers and want attention. Both parents are filled with their own psychological issues and their parenting skills are anything but normal. The father called the diocese to complain and caused ALL the problems with his poor son. You'd be autistic too if they were your parents.