CORRECTS RI Bishop-Kennedy

By RAY HENRY (AP) – 2 hours ago

(Stations: Please substitute the following for V3958, slugged RI Bishop-Kennedy, which moved at 5:05 a.m. Eastern time. The new version CORRECTS Kennedy not disclosing how bishop told him of ban sted in discussions.)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rep. Patrick Kennedy says Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has barred him from receiving communion because of his support of abortion rights.

The Providence Journal reports on its Web site Sunday that Kennedy said in an interview that Tobin issued the order, further escalating a simmering ideological dispute between the two men.

Under church rules, Tobin can prevent Kennedy from receiving communion within his diocese, which covers Rhode Island. It’s unclear whether bishops outside Rhode Island will take the same path.

The dispute between the men began when Kennedy criticized the nation’s Catholic bishops for threatening to oppose an overhaul of the health care system unless it included tighter restrictions on publicly financed abortion. Tobin asked for an apology and questioned Kennedy’s faith.

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