Just a few weeks after the Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona outlawed altar girls, a new policy has been announced going back on yet another aspect of the Second Vatican Council; namely, the distribution of the Eucharist under both species. The Diocese of Phoenix has announced that reception of the Eucharist under both species of bread and wine will now be the exception rather than the rule.

This new policy will certainly generate a lot of discussion between liturgists and canonists. If you look closely at the situation, I think you will find that much more is involved than appears on the surface.

The Second Vatican Council opened up the Church to all of the faithful in a way that was unimaginable in the 19th century. All of the baptized, both male and female, were given new importance and responsibilities in the life of the Church. Regretfully, many Church leaders in the last 20 years have exerted a tremendous amount of influence to undo major aspects of the Council. Unfortunately, they are succeeding. As I have said many times, whereas the Council was a meeting of 2,500 years, operating under the glare of mass media, the present rollback is being executed by a handful of clerics operating behind closed doors.

They will not be able to completely undo the Council but they are certainly limiting its scope and effectiveness.

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