Sometimes supposedly educated people say the most incomprehensible things. To wit, Monika Hellwig, speaking at a conference at the National Press Club, said the following of the push to have pro-abortion Catholic politicians denied Communion:
Monika K. Hellwig said that tactic would contribute to the misperception that abortion is a “Catholic issue” when it should be an issue with all candidates.
... Hellwig said the focus on whether Catholic politicians such as Kerry should be allowed to receive Communion is a “monumental red herring” drawing attention away from the main issue.
“The central issue should be what is wrong with a culture that sponsors abortion and what can we do about it. What can we do about it at the political level, in the culture, in the pattern of society?” she said. ... She said it is a mistake to isolate abortion “from other issues of the election and from other issues of the sacredness of life.” One problem, she said, is that abortion “has come to be seen as a Catholic issue.”
She is guilty of a false dichotomy. There is no such thing as a “Catholic” issue because issues of life are human issues. How is the imposition of discipline upon recalcitrant members of our Church taking away from the debate? In fact, by her own presence at the National Press Club, Hellwig is proving that this public discussion of pro-abortion Catholic politicians has brought the debate to the fore once again.
