Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians

Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians

In pursuit of the truth – cinops be gone – Sunday, February 8, 2009

Vatican Official Archbishop Burke: Bishops have no choice but to refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians. (Let’s find out why?)

Excerpts from Hilary White’s article in LifeSiteNews.com, Rome, Jan. 30/09

Archbishop Burke called “nonsense” the accusation, regularly made by some bishops, that refusing Holy Communion “makes the communion rail a {political} battle ground”. In fact, he says, the precise opposite is true. The politician who insists on being seen receiving Holy Communion, despite his opposition to the Church’s central teachings, is using that reception for political leverage.

In 2004, when self-proclaimed Catholic and candidate for the Democratic party, Sen. John Kerry, was frequently photographed receiving Holy Communion despite his vigorous support of abortion, the US Bishops Conference issued a document which said only that it is up to individual bishops whether to implement the Church’s code of Canon Law and refuse Communion. The issue has remained prominent with the appointment of Joe Biden, another pro-abortion Catholic politician, as Vice President of the United States of America.

Archbishop Burke recalled previous experiences with Kerry, pointing to the several occasions when the Senator was pictured in Time magazine receiving Communion from Papal representatives at various public events. Burke said it is clear that Kerry was using his reception of Holy Communion to send a message.

“He wants to not only receive Holy Communion from a bishop but from the papal representative. I think that’s what his point was. GET IT IN “TIME” MAGAZINE, SO PEOPLE READ IT AND SAY TO THEMSELVES. ‘HE MUST BE IN GOOD STANDING.’

“WHAT ARE THEY DOING? THEY’RE USING THE EUCHARIST AS POLITICAL TOOL.”

In refusing, far from politicizing the Eucharist, the Church is returning the matter to its religious reality. The most important reasons to refuse, he said, are pastoral and religious in nature.

“The Holy Eucharist, the most sacred reality of our life in the Church, has to be protected against sacrilege. At the same time, individuals have to be protected for the sake of their own salvation from committing one of the gravest sins, namely to receive Holy Communion unworthily.”

Archbishop Burke also dismissed the commonly proffered excuse that such politicians need more “education”…. “I’ve always found that they don’t come forward.”…
He said the issue has been debated enough. He rejected the idea that the matter should be left to the USCCB, saying the conference has NO AUTHORITY IN THE MATTER. “This is a law of the universal Church and it should be applied.”

“I think this argument too is being used by people who don’t want to confront the issue, this whole ‘wait ‘til the Conference decides’ … well the Conference has been discussing this since at least 2004. And nothing happens.”

When asked what the solution was, he responded, “Individual bishops and priests simply have to do their duty. They have to confront politicians, Catholic politicians gravely and publicly in this regard. And that’s their duty. And if they carry it out, not only can they not be reproached for that, but they should be praised for confronting this situation.”
George H. Kubeck