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Bishops punt on pro-abortion pol question
The US bishops took care of other business yesterday, in addition to voting on the new translations of the Mass. They also voted on recommendations on what to do about pro-abortion Catholic politicians who present themselves to receive Communion. After working for three years, including a massive public debate during the height of the 2004 presidential election, what did the task force led by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick finally come up with?
U.S. Catholic bishops on Thursday ended years of soul searching over whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be denied communion, leaving the decision with local bishops.
After years of “soul searching,“ the best they could come up with was to punt?
Let’s get one thing straight: The decision always belonged to local bishops. Each bishop decides what must happen in his diocese. He is sovereign in matters like these. The job of the bishops’ conference was to provide guidance and principles based on the Church’s teachings. Both then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, were pretty clear on what should be done. Arinze even said that a First Communion child would know what to do: Follow Canon 915.
“Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the impostion or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.“
Everyone agrees that there should be unity on this matter among the US bishops so as not to confuse the faithful, with one bishop giving Communion to Ted Kennedy, say, and another refusing. But no matter. The bishops who know what to do will continue to do it.
It’s not about politics and not about individual pols
Technorati Tags:abortion, bishops, Catholic, dissent, doctrine, politics
bk_keywords:Catholic, Catholic vote, pro-life.
Unfortunately, it looks like the bishops running the task force don’t get it.
Addressing the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, McCarrick said: “My concern is the fear that the intense polarization and bitter battles of partisan politics may be seeping into the broader ecclesial life of our Catholic people and maybe even of our Conference.“
If the task force members thought this was about politics, then it’s no wonder they punted. This isn’t about Republican v. Democrat. Heck, there are plenty of Catholic Republicans who should not be receiving Communion either. This is about the abortion holocaust and the scandal that so many Catholics in political life publicly support its continuation.
“Our concern is not politics, nor just particular policies, but their faith and even their salvation. These dialogues are not about winning votes, but saving souls,“ he said.
Again, he’s missing the point. This isn’t just about the individual politicians. If that were the case, then it would indeed be dealt with privately on a one-on-one basis, but it’s not. This is about the scandal to the faithful, the clear implication that one can be “personally opposed, but…“ on abortion and that this is a morally acceptable position. Don’t think this is what people think? then you weren’t paying attention to the John Kerry apologists in 2004.
Here we have yet another lost opportunity. And if this sets back the battle to end the scourge of legalized abortion for another decade or two, then those who did nothing here will have only God to answer for it.
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COMMENTS
AS I mentioned in the other post, I don’t believe they are available online yet.
Posted by Domenico Bettinelli on 06/16/06 at 11:40 AM They ‘get it’ fine; they just refuse to do anything about it; church doctrine? so what. Politics - can’t go there, except it appears when it comes to the illegal immigration issue. Pope Mahoney and his merry band have determined that influencing U.S. policy is part of their job description. Bet they’d have no qualms about denying communion to a politican who came down on what they consider to be the wrong side of this issue.
Posted by
on 06/16/06 at 02:48 PM Kevin, Whispers in the Loggia has the changes.
I have blogged on this before, but yes, the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts has said that this canon law applies to priests regardless of what their bishops say.
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