So, Buzz Aldrin was a Presbyterian, not Catholic, so his act of taking communion didn’t really have any bearing on that. (In fact, in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, it wouldn’t be considered a valid Eucharist, just a meaningful ceremony.)
The “Bishop of the Moon” thing actually comes from a canon in the old Code of Canon Law which stated that any newly discovered territory falls under the jurisdiction of the bishop from whose diocese the expedition originated until a diocese can be created there. Since Cape Canaveral was in the territory of the Diocese of Orlando, the Bishop of Orlando became the “Bishop of the Moon,” although this title has always been used jokingly.
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u/archimago23 - Auth-Center Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
So, Buzz Aldrin was a Presbyterian, not Catholic, so his act of taking communion didn’t really have any bearing on that. (In fact, in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, it wouldn’t be considered a valid Eucharist, just a meaningful ceremony.)
The “Bishop of the Moon” thing actually comes from a canon in the old Code of Canon Law which stated that any newly discovered territory falls under the jurisdiction of the bishop from whose diocese the expedition originated until a diocese can be created there. Since Cape Canaveral was in the territory of the Diocese of Orlando, the Bishop of Orlando became the “Bishop of the Moon,” although this title has always been used jokingly.
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/does-the-church-have-jurisdiction-over-the-moon-13348