UPDATED: Stephen Harper Puts Communion Wafer In His Pocket, Causes Uproar (VIDEO)

UPDATED: Speaker of the Senate of Canada Noel A. Kinsella, issued the following statement: "I would like to state that I personally witnessed Prime Minister Harper consume the host that was given to him by Archbishop Andre Richard. Sitting only a few seats behind him I had a full view of the proceedings and clearly saw the Prime Minister accept the host after Archbishop Richard offered it. The Prime Minister consumed it."

Earlier...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper angered Catholics by apparently pocketing a communion wafer at a funeral mass in Canada on Friday. Wafergate began with a news feed of the event that shows Harper accepting the host, as it is called by Catholics, and then moving his hand conspicuously away from his mouth, the wafer's intended target. An article in the Telegraph Journal reported on Harper's seeming befuddlement:

When Harper took the host, "everybody just paused and said, 'What did he do with it?'"‚" said one official who watched the pool feed with reporters who were not inside St. Thomas Church in Memramcook.

"You could see he was, 'Uh oh, I don't know what to do with this.'","

Monsignor Brian Henneberry, a vicar general and chancellor, was alerted to the incident by a concerned viewer.

Henneberry said he has received a call on Harper's actions from a concerned Catholic, and he doubts that she is the only one puzzled and perturbed.

"She said she was very upset," he said, adding he had not seen the footage.

"She said, 'All weekend long it has been bothering me and I know I can't do something about it, but someone should.'

"She can't be the only one in this country that is thinking that."

Watch the potentially incriminating video:

Comments

[larry278]

As you can see by using the comments which HP has chosen to post, we all can see how the Christians love each other & also love others. We sure can do that.

[Deaninphilly]

And those professing atheism are better? I think not.

[Bitsko]

Who "professes" atheism?

[chaya]

He's "conservative": he probably isn't even Catholic. He probably secretly joined the Southern Baptist cult.

[Bitsko]

He's a long time evangelical and oil company big business shill.

[AJ39]

He is a conservative. He isn't Catholic and not even Roman Catholic. He isn't Southern Baptist, but is evangelical.

I watched the video. I didn't see what he did with the wafer. His office responded to this story by saying that Harper did put the wafer in his mouth.

Oh, well, he probably wouldn't carry Quebec anyway.

b/t/w I grew up in Canada.

[Billy Hell]

This is anachronistic pageantry.

[Bitsko]

Yes, it is just like the Republican Party, isn't it?

[themodernleader]

Under the lens of big brother and his sisters, it is almost impossible being a leader of a democratic organization. Under a top-down autocracy, the lens of big brother focuses only on the actions of the people. The president for life does not need to be pestered with enquiring eyes. He controls the lens.

[DingoDave]

They were even more outraged when he asked, "where's the salsa?

[kimmisner]

Ha!

[Thing3]

A few things about this story and the comments disturb me. I was raised catholic but now consider myself an atheist. In my church you would have to walk up to receive communion, not have it "forced" on you. To this day whenever I have to attend a catholic function I will not walk up to receive communion. This is out of respect for the beliefs of the church, my family and because of my own beliefs. I don't think priests should be approaching people like this one did. If a priest came to me and offered me communion I would probably feel like I should accept it out of respect because it was offered rather then refuse it. Why the PM didn't eat it after accepting it, I can't say.

What I do know is that Catholics should use this as a teaching moment and offer the forgiveness they preach. To my fellow atheists that want to use this story as a way to degrade people for their beliefs, you should stop. It's childish and I should know because I did the same as a rebellious teen. This happened in a catholic church and what people do in their church is no different then what goes in your home. It's really none of your business. But it's also equally wrong when people force their religious views on others and condemn those that don't practice their form of faith.

[nylibgrrl]

Hear hear! Excellent post.

I'm also a former Catholic and had the same experience--it was your choice to go up to communion or not. I used to get questioning looks from my family when attending an event but now they really don't seem to care that I don't receive communion. Not that any of them know what my actual beliefs are these days, either.

[thecanadian]

Typical Harper/Bushie Move. Anything for a photo op!!

[CharlieMarlowe]

No big deal-it is just his version of a (hydro)carbon offset

[jennytaylia]

i used to be katholik. The host wafer is tasteless. They told me it was Jesus' body; I used to wonder why it didn't taste like steak.....­...

[Bitsko]

You have to dip it in poutine first. A Canadian favorite (?) consisting of french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy

[kimmisner]

I've always wondered why poutine hasn't caught on in the States.

[HelloFunnyWorld]

Big :)

[spiritpony1]

who cares----non story, no issue----watching carbs. ----a good thing-----

[huffingt]

When ever some one offers me something, I politely take, but I don't have to eat.
Prime Minister, very politely, disguised that in the paper he carried with him.
Good for him.

[JackND]

Good on him.

Cults are creepy. Cults where you eat people's bodies and drink people's blood, even symbolically, are even creepier.

[Apegirl]

As a Canadian and a former Catholic (and now atheist), I am very comfortable saying Stephen Harper is a goof. He is not a Catholic but an evangelical Christian. One isn't supposed to partake of communion until one has been initiated into the Church, so why his handlers suggested he go up is anyone's guess. It's a little piece of cardboardy tasting stuff, but slipping it into a pocket when you think no one is looking is pretty lame.

[Deaninphilly]

Not just Catholics have communion, many denominations partake in communion.

[JICC]

He did not put it in his pocket. He dropped a piece of bread, devoid of any magical virtues, on the floor. Good for him.

[TomHunter]

Folks, it's a myth. It's just a wafer--nothing more. That it represents to you Catholics anything but a wafer of food, is just a sign of your gullibility. God is a myth. There is no such thing. Therefore, it goes without saying that Jesus, if the man himself is not also mythical, was just a human being who lived once and died once.
If you believe that a shot of wine can be anything other than wine, you are just showing your earnest desire to believe a fantasy.

[mjeffn]

If indeed he was a real man, he was likely one who smoked a lot of weed and came up with a really good shtick for getting laid.

[nylibgrrl]

More likely he was probably a very spiritual person and maybe was a healer (that is, with herbs and such medical practices as existed at that time) and stories about him got blown out of proportion and meshed with many older (pagan) spiritual beliefs around which the church built up its dogma and very secular (as in seeking earthly power and control) heirarchy.

[nylibgrrl]

Why do atheists think they can convert "true believers" with antogonistic posts like this? Ain't gonna happen. If people can overcome thebrainwashing they've received since birth into their parents' religion, do some reading and decide for themselves, one way or the other, I think that's the ideal. But again, I'm realistic enough to know that it's often wishful thinking. I understand the reasons behind atheism, believe me, and I respect that choice. I just wish atheists had a little more respect in return and would stop lumping all people who practice some form of spirituality into one big melting pot of cra*ck*pots and mo*rons.