Thank you to Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento, California who has taken a stand for the Catholic faith. Bishop Weigand has laid down the law to California Gov. Gray Davis, a pro-abortion Democrat Catholic. He said yesterday that Davis should not receive Communion until he changes his stance on abortion.
- “As your bishop, I have to say clearly that anyone—politician or otherwise—who thinks it is acceptable for a Catholic to be pro-abortion is in very great error, puts his or her soul at risk, and is not in good standing with the church,” Weigand said. “Such a person should have the integrity to acknowledge this and choose of his own volition to abstain from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart.”
Bishop Weigand clarified that if someone presents himself at Communion, the priest cannot usually refuse him the sacrament. I’m no expert in canon law, but perhaps there is a provision for notorious Catholics who present a public scandal to the faith if they present themselves. In other words, what if a person’s sin is so public and so great that only a public renouncement would make him suitable for reception of the Eucharist? Can a bishop decide that? I would have thought he could.
But kudos to Bishop Weigand for the very strong public pro-life statement he is making.
This is my favorite line in the article.
- [Davis’ spokesman Russ] Lopez criticized the bishop for “telling the faithful how to practice their faith.”
Horrors! A bishop actually doing what he is supposed to be doing—telling the faithful what the faith is and how it should be lived. So exactly what is a bishop’s job, according to this ignorant boob? Oh right, priests should be sacramental dispensaries and keep their mouths shout if they won’t agree to mumble heterodox platitudes. I think Lopez should get a quick course in Catholic theology. I’m sure Thomas Aquinas College would accommodate him.
