ironmonk Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Pro-abortion pols barred from communion Catholic bishop issues decree addressing 'manifestly grave sin' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: January 9, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com A Roman Catholic bishop issued a formal decree barring any Catholic lawmaker in his diocese who favors abortion from participating in the church's Holy Communion sacrament. Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wis., who will be installed later this month as archbishop of St. Louis, made the decree public yesterday. The American Life League, a Virginia-based group that has encouraged bishops to take such action in accordance with church law, hailed the move as "a historic step forward." "We have diligently brought to the attention of America's bishops the pro-abortion public comments of Catholic elected officials in each of their dioceses, and the church's remedy for this disparity," said American Life League's president, Judie Brown. In his notification, 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." The decree orders priests to withhold communion from such lawmakers until they "publicly renounce" their support of abortion rights. American Life League publishes the names of public officials who "claim the Catholic faith yet ignore the church's clear teachings on the sanctity of human life." The group says it has identified more than 500 state and federal officials. The group noted the Vatican reinforced those teachings a year ago when it issued a "Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life." The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently established a task force to address the issue. "We will continue to encourage the task force – and all American bishops – to defend the truth and send a loud, clear message to all Catholic public officials: You cannot be pro-abortion and Catholic," Brown said. A Democratic lawmaker in Burke's diocese, U.S. Rep. David Obey, said he respects the bishop's effort to attempt to influence him through advocacy and reason, the Associated Press reported. "The votes I cast are driven by my own independent judgment and conscience, not by a set of marching orders given by any church hierarchy, prelate or associated lobby group," Obey said, according to the AP. ------------------------------------------------------------ It's clear that any Catholic who supports abortion should not receive the Eucharist. Your Servant in Christ, ironmonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thicke Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 It's a shame to me that these politicians, leaders of the community have put themselves in the position where they are not in a proper state of grace to receive the Blessed Sacrement. We should all be sure to include them in our prayers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmonk Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 It's a shame to me that these politicians, leaders of the community have put themselves in the position where they are not in a proper state of grace to receive the Blessed Sacrement. We should all be sure to include them in our prayers.... I agree... It almost seems as though these men might use the Faith to get votes. God Bless, ironmonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now