Good News from Ebay

They're going to put the Eucharist on the list of prohibited items.

We understand that the listing of the Eucharist was highly upsetting to Catholic members of the eBay community and Catholics globally.   Once this completed sale was brought to our attention, we consulted with a number of our users, including members of the Catholic Church, concerning what course we should take in the future should a similar listing appear on our site.  We also consulted with members of other religions about items that might also be highly sacred and inappropriate for sale.  As a result of this dialogue, we have concluded that sales of the Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items, are not appropriate on eBay.  We have, therefore, broadened our policies and will remove those types of listings should they appear on the site in the future. 

Comments

[NancyC.]

"As a result of this dialogue, we have concluded that sales of the Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items"

With all due respect to other "highly sacred items", what else in the world purports to be the body, blood, soul and divinity of a resurrected God? For this they needed to "dialogue"? Just askin'.

[Jane Wangersky]

Alleluia! I'm glad I didn't get around to closing my account -- just threatening to!

[Ambrose]

Never underestimate the power of even just a few thousand angry Catholics.

[Devin Rose]

I am also very thankful to God for changing their minds and hearts and answering our prayers. That God submitted Himself to such sacrilege makes me realize even more how much He loves us.

[Septimus]

This was the smart thing to do. I suspect that when this got beyond the level of, pardon the expression, "computer geeks," to people who saw larger vistas, the thought of Ebay at war with the Catholic Church must have made them blanch. Quickly. After all, this is something that more "progressive" and conservative Catholics alike would agree on!

Some sensible person said, "we're going to really tick off 60-70 MILLION Americans...why are we doing that?"

[Chris]

There was another described consecrated host that was put up for sale on eBay by someone in Finland on April 29. It was taken down on April 30. I do have the link, but it just says the item was pulled.

[Roberto]

Nancy:

While we Catholics fully understand your point, others may not, since in the Eucharist they only see a piece of wafer. Let us be happy that this incident has allowed us to evangelize the secular society just a little bit by showing them our devotion and reverence for something they do not understand (Father, forgive them...)

There will be other opportunities to clarify the difference between the Eucharist and other "sacred items"

[NancyC]

Roberto:
"While we Catholics fully understand your point, others may not, since in the Eucharist they only see a piece of wafer".
If they only saw "a piece of wafer", they wouldn't abscond with it and offer it for sale. It is precisely because they know it is held to be more, much more, than "a piece of wafer" that it is offered for sale; the ebay directors know that. They didn't remove it immediately, and had to fudge the issue with respect for other "sacred items", because they didn't want the criticism that would have come if they showed respect for uniquely Catholic (and Lutheran) belefs. It's the age of relativism, remember?

[lk]

"While we Catholics fully understand your point, others may not, since in the Eucharist they only see a piece of wafer. Let us be happy that this incident has allowed us to evangelize the secular society just a little bit by showing them our devotion and reverence for something they do not understand (Father, forgive them...)"

It is precisely this that I have been able to see firsthand. A few of my friends did not see the reason I was so upset at ebay not prohibiting the sale of the Eucharist -- they simply did not understand the meaning of it. And they are 30 year olds who went to Catholic grade school. Thanks to this incident (however horrible it was), three people now understand the sacredness of a consecrated host and find it horrifying that ebay allowed it to be put up for sale.

[TiaKay]

Hey, it is my understanding that eBay is NOT going to update their webpage that states the forbidden items, they've just sent out the letter saying it's been changed to protestors. I haven't looked at the site myself, but a pal who was vociferously communicating with eBay says they aren't planning to put it on the actual listing of forbidden items....

Going to check for myself now....

[Matt]

What surprises me was that they weren't able to sweep it under the rug by invoking their ban on the sale of stolen items. (An item obtained through fraud is, after all, legally considered "stolen". And it's hard to see how anyone obtaining a blessed communion wafer with the intention of selling it can't be considered to have committed fraud thereby.)

Such a ruling would have the virtue of being both consistent with their already-established policies, and comprehensibly logical even to non-Catholics. Any explaination of why this auction was wrong which depends on belief in the sacrament is necessarily going to be an explaination which has flimsy-at-best acceptance among non-Catholics.

[Chris]

Food also cannot be sold on eBay unless it has the nutritional label on it.

I don't know how many packets of hosts have nutritional information. A single one wouldn't.

[Laura M. Evans]

RE: "It is precisely this that I have been able to see firsthand. A few of my friends did not see the reason I was so upset at ebay not prohibiting the sale of the Eucharist -- they simply did not understand the meaning of it. And they are 30 year olds who went to Catholic grade school. Thanks to this incident (however horrible it was), three people now understand the sacredness of a consecrated host and find it horrifying that ebay allowed it to be put up for sale."

I was communicating on the ebay forums (and Catholic.com forums also)and I got this nice email out of the blue right before I found out about ebay's new policy changes. I thought you all would appreciate it:

Dear glancyevans,
>
> I just wanted to say that I have been following the debate on the
> Eucharist.....and I think you've handled yourself brilliantly and brought
> forward a good strong argument for the cause. I never would have thought
> about this religious symbol that way. But your words have helped me do that.
> Thank you, Kelly
>
Thank you,
> kellys_dogs

This is even more gratifying than silencing the "hecklers" that challenged our protest. It is pretty wonderful that when we have our voices heard, that people listen. What a gift from God.

In Christ through Mary,

Laura M. Evans
Indianapolis, IN.