Bishop From WI

[the_rev]

Here is the article taken from http://www.catholic.org

Lawmakers who back abortion, euthanasia told not to receive Communion

By Dan Rossini

January 8, 2004

A CROSSE, Wis. (CNS) -- Archbishop Raymond L. Burke has formally notified Catholic lawmakers in the La Crosse Diocese that they cannot receive Communion if they continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia.

[bishop Burke's pastoral letter, "On the Dignity of Human Life and Civic Responsibility," is now in print form. You can access the document here. Also, Bishop Burke has issued a notification for Catholic Politicians, available by clicking here.]

The four-paragraph canonical notification, published in the Jan. 8 edition of The Catholic Times, the La Crosse diocesan newspaper, called upon Catholic legislators in the diocese "to uphold the natural and divine law regarding the inviolable dignity of all human life."

"To fail to do so is a grave public sin and gives scandal to all the faithful," it said.

Archbishop Burke, who is to be installed Jan. 26 as St. Louis' new archbishop, released the canonical notification along with a 10-page pastoral letter to Catholics in the La Crosse Diocese about their political responsibility to uphold the value of human life.

He noted that the documents were issued while he is serving as diocesan administrator of La Crosse following his Dec. 2 appointment as archbishop of St. Louis. However, he said, the pastoral letter and the notification carry the full weight of his authority as bishop of La Crosse because both were signed Nov. 23, the feast of Christ the King.

"Catholic legislators who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and who continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia may not present themselves to receive holy Communion," the notification said. "They are not to be admitted to holy Communion, should they present themselves, until such time as they publicly renounce their support of these most unjust practices."

The two documents followed reports in the secular press in December that Archbishop Burke had sent private letters to three Catholic legislators in the diocese, warning them of the spiritual dangers of their votes against human life.

According to Archbishop Burke, the notification became necessary as an outcome of his correspondence with Catholic legislators. None of the three lawmakers to whom he wrote accepted his invitation for a private meeting to discuss their voting records, and in letters to the bishop indicated they were not open to changing their positions.

"After several exchanges of letters, it became clear in all three cases that there was no willingness to conform to the teaching of the church," he said. "So the notification became a necessity in order that the faithful in the diocese not be scandalized, thinking that it is acceptable for a devout Catholic to also be pro-abortion."

Archbishop Burke has declined to name the three politicians but secular news reports have identified two of them as state Sen. Julie Lassa and U.S. Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis.

The archbishop said the simultaneous release of the two documents was a coincidence, since the pastoral letter had been in the works for months. "I'd been thinking about it for a long time, and working on it with the help of others, and we finally got it into its (final) form," he said.

"I've come to understand as bishop that there is a real confusion on the part of many people in the diocese with regard to the relationship of the moral law to our civil laws," he added. "So I wanted to write a letter to clarify this."

In the letter, titled "On the Dignity of Human Life and Civic Responsibility," Archbishop Burke said many Catholics misunderstand the concept of "separation of church and state," taking it to mean that church teachings have no application to political life.

The letter affirms, on the contrary, that Catholics have the obligation to form their political judgments from church teachings, "especially in what pertains to the natural moral law, that is, the order established by God in creation."

"If the Catholic Church insisted to legislators that they vote for laws that punish people who steal, no one would find anything objectionable in that," said the archbishop in the document. "People all recognize that to take someone else's property is a crime. The natural law teaches us that. So also it teaches that human life is inviolable."

The letter also addresses the position of some Catholic politicians who say their efforts to help the poor and marginalized make up for the fact they do not vote consistently in favor of protecting life, and that in a democracy legislators are bound to vote according to the will of the majority of their constituents.

The archbishop's notification on reception of Communion cites a passage from the "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life," issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in January 2003.

That document reiterates the pope's teaching that Catholics involved directly in lawmaking bodies have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose" any measure that is an attack on human life. "For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them," it says.

[Lil Red]

This is from the e-letter I get from Deal Hudson, editor of Crisis Magazine:

I also noticed in the news today that Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wisconsin, has just taken another bold stand against pro-abortion Catholic politicians in his diocese. You might remember an e-letter I wrote about Bishop Burke in December -- politicians in the La Crosse diocese had been railing against a private letter the bishop had sent them, encouraging them to reconsider their position on abortion.

Well, the letter didn't seem to make much of an impact, but Burke refused to back down. Instead, he made public yesterday a decree ordering priests to bar those politicians from receiving Holy Communion until they had renounced their anti-life positions.

Burke said, "A Catholic legislator who supports procured abortion or euthanasia, after knowing the teaching of the church, commits a manifestly grave sin which is a cause of most serious scandal to others. Therefore, universal church law provides that such persons are not to be admitted to Holy Communion." 

Burke has done this exactly right -- first by approaching these politicians personally (and privately) and encouraging them to go over Church teaching on the subject with him. Only then -- when it became clear that these politicians weren't going to listen -- did he bring out the necessary big guns. If they're going to persist in grave sin, then they simply can't receive Communion, plain and simple.

I couldn't be more grateful to the bishop for taking this stand. It ends a powerful message to Catholics everywhere that these are serious issues that require serious consideration... and carry serious consequences if they're ignored. (It also sends a message to his fellow bishops to stand up for the Faith.)

Of course, one politician in the diocese, U.S. Rep. David Obey, has already come out with the tired I-vote-my-conscience line, telling the Associated Press that he doesn't respond to "a set of marching orders given by any church hierarchy, prelate or associated lobby group."

It's good to know that he has his priorities straight -- the shepherds of his Faith are simply another lobbying group that can be ignored at will. Maybe now that Bishop Burke has turned up the heat, Obey and others like him will be forced to acknowledge their double-standard and either assent or cut loose. There can be no middle ground.

By the way, Bishop Burke is soon to become Archbishop Burke of St. Louis -- and he's already promised to bring his no-nonsense policy for politicians with him.

[the_rev]

They haven't complied with the audits either, I'm glad I'm not a part of that dioceses!

Proud to be a member of the Green Bay Dioceses

[Paladin D]

Yes.

[the_rev]

There supporting murder, and thats wrong!

[Ash Wednesday]

Most definitely. Back in the old school before Vatican II they didn't put up with that kind of carp. I'm glad someone's bringing it back.

[willguy]

This guy's about to become my archbishop. At least we know he's not liberal! SAINT LOUIS REPRESENT!!!

[hyperdulia again]

llpol ljj jj jj0o oooo ooo oooo ooujjo jhhgfh.

[the_rev]

Most definitely. Back in the old school before Vatican II they didn't put up with that kind of carp. I'm glad someone's bringing it back.

You mean carp not carp the fish right!

You know, I'm just kidding you, I just love making fun of the way people type. Do it to me anytime!

[BLAZEr]

looks like we can make fun of you too . . .

lol, it's the fiddler bud . . . it changes all the donkey c*r*ap into donkey carp . . . lol . . .

[the_rev]

O my gosh, I didn't realize that!

[the_rev]

*Runs away, after humiliating himself*

*Pictures everybody laughing at him as he runs aways*

This is what I'm doing:

:surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender: :surrender:

[foundsheep]

looks like we can make fun of you too . . .

lol, it's the fiddler bud . . . it changes all the donkey c*r*ap into donkey carp . . . lol . . .

:rolling: :rolling: You had to pick Donkey! :loco:

[BLAZEr]

I was just waiting for someone to vote no on this one. I have a problem with this poll because of the way the second choice is phrased. Yes, all of us are imperfect. Yes, even the imperfect receive communion.

However, when people make decisions which will directly lead to the murder of innocents, we have to agree that this is more than an imperfection and is a mortal sin. How can we tell a woman who has had an abortion under duress and pressure that she is excommunicated and can't receive communion, but then turn and say to people who are publicly advocating and voting for abortion that they can?

Surely we have to admit that there is an evident contradiction between the two.

[the_rev]

Sorry for the bad wording!