Ebay and the Consecrated Host

As most of you know, the particular conflict has been resolved.

Details at Dom's, including this chronology provided by Dom:

Here’s the chronology:
1. Guy puts the Eucharist up on eBay
2. Good samaritan places “Buy it now” order
3. eBay considers that a done deal, but buyer must still send check and seller must ship Eucharist.
4. Diocese gets involved and convinces guy it’s a bad idea.
5. I presume the buyer is happy to cancel the deal and doesn’t send money.
6. Somebody pays eBay their fee, but the Eucharist goes to the diocese and the other transaction doesn’t take place.

But all is not done. The remaining issue is...will Ebay put "hosts consecrated in Catholic Masses" on its "banned items list?"

(One could, of course, expand that to include things like "holy water," any eucharistic material from any denomination, chrism, and so on. The contentious issue of relics has, to my knowledge never been resolved. First-class relics may not be sold on Ebay, since they are human remains, but in recent years, the angle has been to sell a reliquary, and include the relic "as a gift." I am not sure if that is still permitted.)

Here is the list of items banned on Ebay. The list is continually expanded. Recent additions include WTC and Pentagon-related items (artifacts from the destruction, I assume), hate (Nazi, KKK)- related items, and, as this Catholic League release indicates, a book critical of the pharmaceutical industry.

There's been some discussion online on trying to get Ebay to put consecrated Hosts under one of the already established categories of banned items. It seems to me to be more practical to simply convince Ebay to create a category that would include consecrated Hosts. Some of the banned item categories are very specific - the category related to Native American artificacts, for example, is not about items used in Native American ceremonies in general, but specifically:

Native American human remains, gravesite-related items, and burial items may not be listed on eBay. Native American masks and "prayer sticks" from all Southwestern tribes are also prohibited. This prohibition includes Native Hawaiian human remains, gravesite-related items and burial items.

Here's an online petition requesting Ebay do just that.

I'd encourage us all to sign it, and, if y ou are a member of Ebay or PayPal, to write Ebay with an additional request. If we get blown off, it's time to cancel those Ebay and Paypal memberships, en masse. I'll do it, and I'll let you know if it comes to that.

ion

Comments

[Christopher Rake]

Thanks for the link to the petition--done and done.

[Kevin Jones]

Signed. Anybody know how long has it been up? It's at about 3450 signatures now.

[MaureenM]

Now 3,805.

[KH]

What's interesting is I signed it soon after Amy suggested; I was 3419. And now it's close to 4000 and I quickly skimmed through every single one between mine and the latest. I've seen other on-line petitions and they usually get plenty of jokers and trolls, but so far there was only one! And so far, everyone gets the whole idea of the Real Presence. That's kind of amazing.

[Pat Gonzalez]

Thanks for the link, Amy. I just signed. The number of signatories is now 4,709 -- and counting! Amazing indeed!

[Pat Gonzalez]

Oops, I goofed -- it's 4,416 -- less than previously stated, but still pretty darn good!

[denis]

The petition is great - thanks for linking to it!
I think, though, that a boycott of eBay is in order. I've had several e-mails back and forth with them, and they are completely intransigent on this issue. Clueless, really.
I suspect if enough Catholics and others made it clear to them that we will take our business elsewhere over this, they might get a clue a bit faster. What do you all think?

[William Bloomfield]

Signed. #4606. Thanks for the link.

[Nancy]

So how did the miscreant get a consecrated host? Is he a Catholic? This is yet another illustration of why traditional reception on the tongue - not outlawed anywhere in the USA but strongly discouraged by the USCCB - was instituted in the first place.

[Peggy]

5,361. I was 5,358.

[Dawn Axelson]

According to the auction itself (which has mysteriously disappeared even though most auctions stay up 90 days afterwards. The tactic is unfortunately already starting to work as people are writing in complaining that this is an unsubstantiated claim) the seller went to see JPII and thought nothing of partaking of the Eucharist (admits in first line of auction s/he's nonCatholic). Then s/he got back into line for seconds, and this one s/he kept.

[victoria]

I'm #23607

[Amy]

I see there's another consecrated host up for auction on ebay: item # 6174663171 by user 666mikael666. It went up 4/28.

[Mark]

I think that a person who would do a deobolical thing of sell selling the most Holy,of Holy's on E-bay is a very SAD and SICK person and dose NOT!!!!!! Belive who they realy recive in HOLY COMMUNION!!! I am a PROUD CATHOLIC and I love JUSUS and seeig this hurt me as it must Jesus for he was sold for 30 pices of silver, and now some person who now put him up on E-Bay to sell his body, soul and devinty, too God knows who they are for Lusfer" the devial" is proweling around to get as meny Souls away from God but we as Americans DO NO SEE THIS !!! we are blined by HIS WAY for we do not even rember who GOD is when some thing goes Wrong we Use his name in VAIN !!! and do not think nothing of it it becomes a everyday word, even Children too WE DO NOT CARE!!!if we use his HOLY name the wrong way, Saitin is alive a well apon this earth we need to COME BACK to CHURCH and repent of our SINNES that we have done agenist his HOLY HEART AMERICA WAKE UP!!! POTEST THIS VERY THING THAT PEOPLE WOULD STOOP SO VERY LOW AND SELL our LORD ONCE AGAIN THAT PERSON WHO HAD AND HAVE DONE THIS TO HIM MAY JESUS FULL IN HIS MERCY HAVE MERCY ON HIM OR HER WHO HAS DONE THIS AND HAVE MERCY ON ALL WHO IN THERE SICK MIND THAT HAVE BID ON THE MOST HOLY OF HOLYS IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH AND MAY MARY THE QUEEN O THE EURICIST PRAY FOR US SINNERS FOR WE NEED HER HELP MORE IN THIS TIME TO ASK HER SON TO SPAIR US FOR THE DAYS ARE COMMING THAT THE WILL RETURN AND WILL HE FIND ANY FAITH? I BELIVE THAT WHEN HE ASKED WILL HE FIND ANY FAITH I THINK IT WAS REFERING TO US HERE IN AMERICA JUST LOOK AROUND, SO MUCH SADNESS MAY ALL WHO TRUELY YET BELIVE IN JESUS IN HOLY COMMUNION RECIVE HIM AS WORTHY AS POSABLE AND TELL HIM HOW MUCH THAT YOU LOVE HIM WHEN YOU EAT AND DRINK HIS BODY BROKEN AND GIVIN TO BE FOOD FOR US ON THIS EARTH UNTILL WHEN WE WILL BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN PRAY, PRAY FOR THESE WHO HAVE DONE THIS TAT SOME HOW THE LORD MAY MAKE THEM RELISE WHAT THE HAVE DONE!!!!!!!! AND MAY JESUS IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTER BE FOREVER ADORED AND LOVED IN ALL THE CHURCHES AND TABERNACALS OF THIS WORLD BOTH NOW AND FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMEN