Parish Council Grills Catechumen Nominee At Confirmation Mass

Image: Joe Ravi

Catechumen nominee Neil Schlesing said that “no man is above canon law” when pressed on whether Pope Francis could allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive communion.

It was one of several exchanges Tuesday as Schlesing mostly deflected council members’ efforts to get him to reveal his views on the death penalty, global warming, and other controversial issues inside the Catholic Church.

As the grueling day of questioning wore on, council members and Schlesing engaged in a well-established tradition in recent confirmation Masses, as the nominee attempts to resist all requests to say how he feels about the Holy Father’s decisions, regardless of how many times he’s been asked.

Donohue also asked Schlesing what he would do if the pastor of the church asked him to deliver a speech about sin in front of the congregation.

“Mr. Council, I would have walked out the door,” Schlesing replied. “That’s not what Catholics do. My personal views, I tell you, Mr. Council, are over here. I leave those at home.”

The exchange with parish council member Lindsey Donohue came on the second day of Schlesing’s confirmation hearing to fill one of the final vacant seats for this round of confirmation classes.