Posted on 05/23/2021 4:57:55 PM PDT by ebb tide
UNITED STATES, May 21, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Should pro-abortion politicians who say they are Catholic, like President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, be admitted to Holy Communion while attending Mass? The question has become a dividing line for U.S. cardinals and bishops. Some say that such a ban would amount to a “weaponization” or “politicization” of the Eucharist. Many more point out, however, that such a ban is required by Church teaching and is necessary to protect the sacrament, to avoid scandalizing the faithful, and to call the sinner to repentance.
LifeSiteNews has put together a list of statements of cardinals and bishops who have publicly commented on the matter and who make clear what side of the line they fall on. The lists are ordered chronologically with the most recent statements at the top. LifeSite will add to this list as more information becomes available. Special thanks goes to The Pillar for beginning such a list.
Bishops who support Church teaching in denying Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians
Archbishop Charles Chaput, Archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 20, 2021, First Things article: “Persons who do not believe in the Real Presence, who ignore or do not accept Church teaching, or who are otherwise objectively in a state of serious sin, should not present themselves for Communion. It’s that simple and that serious. If they do, they not only put their own souls in grave jeopardy, but—just as grievously—they also violate the rights of Catholics who do seek to live their faith authentically. This Eucharistic discipline, the coherence of Catholic belief and the behavior it requires, is rooted both in Scripture and constant Church practice. It applies to all Catholics, not merely public officials, and it applies all the time and everywhere. There is nothing intentionally “political” about it. Claiming that it weaponizes the Eucharist for political ends is both misleading and, when advanced by anyone in Church leadership, inexcusable.”
Bishop James Wall, Gallup, New Mexico
May 18, 2021, First Things article: “Our concern is not political but pastoral; it is for the salvation of souls. This issue has political ramifications, but that is not an excuse to shy away at this crucial moment. […] Back in 1998 our conference named abortion a ‘preeminent threat’ and in 2019 we reaffirmed that the ‘threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself.’ Pro-abortion political leaders have not heeded these calls, and now we seek to apply the last remaining and most severe medicinal option we have: eucharistic sanctions.”
Bishop David Ricken, Green Bay, Wisconsin
May 13, 2021 The Compass News article: “I am very grateful for Archbishop Cordileone’s letter because it expresses very concisely and clearly in one document what has been on my heart and mind. His words are what I have tried to convey in my preaching and teaching on behalf of life over all my years as a bishop, and I strongly encourage you to read his letter. […] When a Catholic assumes a public office, he or she cannot use the excuse that ‘personally I am opposed to abortion, publicly my party allows it.’ These and other similar words are an attempt to hide one’s cooperation in the sin of abortion, just as Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after eating the forbidden fruit in the garden. […] When Catholics in public positions of authority and trust provide active or passive approval, it contradicts the eternal truth that every life is sacred from the moment of conception and gives scandal to the people. Their willingness to deny this truth not only harms the unborn and the women and other family members impacted by an abortion, it puts their own souls in eternal jeopardy. Out of love for them and a desire to see them repent, I must speak up and share the truth!”
Bishop Thomas Tobin, Providence, Rhode Island
May 10, 2021, Tweet: “While the CDF letter on the U. S. Bishops study of the reception of Holy Communion offers some guidance, it would also be helpful if the CDF would again remind Catholic politicians that it is morally inadmissible for any Catholic leader to support, promote and fund abortions.”
Bishop Donald Hying, Madison, Wisconsin
May 7, 2021, Statement: “Almost fifty years after Roe v. Wade, 66 million lives have been snuffed out at the very beginning of their existence and countless individuals have been spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically damaged by this profound violence; we still have legal abortion in the United States, with many of our national leaders embracing a pro-abortion position, including self-professed Catholics. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the Archbishop of San Francisco, issued a pastoral letter on May 1, entitled, “Before I Formed You in the Womb, I Knew You.” A timely reflection on the moral evil of abortion, the need to challenge political leaders who are pro-abortion — especially those who profess Catholicism — and the linkage between the Eucharist and communion with the Church in her doctrinal and moral teaching, “Before I Formed You in the Womb, I Knew You” invites us to reflect on these important issues and to deepen our commitment to building a culture of life in our country and world.”
Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Phoenix, Arizona
May 6, 2021, Statement: “In his Pastoral Letter, “Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone offers a powerful defense of the Church’s teaching on the dignity of all human life, which logically and morally requires a consistent condemnation of abortion. […] I thank Archbishop Cordileone and Archbishop Aquila, as well as all my brother priests and bishops who voice their loving concern not only for unborn children and their parents, but for those who have been led to believe that they can publicly disagree with the Church on abortion while continuing to claim their Catholic Faith and receive Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, it is an obligation and an act of love to proclaim and point out this truth in charity.”
Bishop Liam Cary, Baker, Oregon
May 6, 2021, Statement: “As I prepare to publish my own thoughts on the question, I wish here to endorse the pastoral letter of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and two articles by Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver. […] To be faithful to their office, therefore, bishops must ‘correct Catholics who erroneously . . . promote abortion,” even if that correction leads to “the public medicine of temporary exclusion from the Lord’s Table.’
Bishop James Conley, Lincoln, Nebraska
May 5, 2021 Tweet: “Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, released a clear and thorough pastoral letter on the Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion and Catholics in Public Life, so important for our times. I encourage you to read it.”
Bishop Robert Vasa, Santa Rosa, California
May 4, 2021, Statement: “We have lived with abortion in our country for nearly 50 years. Perhaps our hearts have grown calloused to the moral and physical evil of this denial of humanity. Archbishop Cordileone reminds us that legalized ‘abortion is the axe laid to the roots of the tree of human rights: when our culture encourages the violation of life at its youngest and most vulnerable condition, other ethical norms cannot stand for long.’ I commend the Archbishop for offering encouragement to Catholics in public life who advocate for life. I join him in asking that those who participate in or support this grotesque industry to actually look at the evil that is being done and open their hearts to God converting grace. I, too, call upon those in public life, especially Catholics, to recognize that the killing involved in an abortion is not in any way justifiable or defensible. They cannot support such evil and expect no spiritual consequences. The Archbishop makes it clear that we hate the evil of murder which abortion perpetrates but do not condemn the women or others who have been misled into choosing this evil. Finally, there is a call to all men and women of good will to persevere in respecting and affirming the goodness of every human life, born and unborn.”
Bishop Michael Barber, Oakland, California
May 3, 2021, Facebook post: “Archbishop Cordileone has written an excellent pastoral letter stating Christ and the Church’s teaching in defense of human life. I recommend its careful reading and consideration by all the faithful in our Diocese of Oakland.”
Archbishop Alexander Sample, Portland, Oregon
May 3, 2021, Tweet: “Here is a recent pastoral letter by the Archbishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone. It is well worth a careful read. An important discussion for our times.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, San Francisco, California
May 1, 2021, Pastoral Letter: Catholic politicians who “reject the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of human life and those who do not seek to live in accordance with that teaching should not receive the Eucharist. It is fundamentally a question of integrity: to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the Catholic liturgy is to espouse publicly the faith and moral teachings of the Catholic Church, and to desire to live accordingly. […] Because we are dealing with public figures and public examples of cooperation in moral evil, this correction can also take the public form of exclusion from the reception of Holy Communion. […] If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. To publicly affirm the Catholic faith while at the same time publicly rejecting one of its most fundamental teachings is simply dishonest. Heeding this perennial call to conversion is the only way to live the Catholic faith with integrity.”
Bishop John Doerfler, Marquette, Michigan
April 28, 2021, Facebook post: “There seems to be confusion these days about the worthy reception of Holy Communion. In part, that confusion may be due to some Catholic politicians who actively support grave evils such as abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, etc., yet claim to be ‘good Catholics.’ A while back, I addressed the question of the worthy reception of Holy Communion in my column in The UP Catholic and a YouTube video. It seems opportune to refer to that video again. It applies to all of us, whatever our walk of life: farmers and factory workers, clergy and lay persons, students and teachers, politicians and private citizens, etc. We should all strive to prepare our hearts to receive the Lord. There is no sin too great for the Lord to forgive, yet we must repent of our sin and seek the Lord’s mercy. If it is a mortal sin, we should go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.”
Archbishop Samuel Aquila, Denver, Colorado
April 18, 2021, Catholic World Report article: “When one partakes of the Eucharist, one is stating by one’s very action that one is in communion with Christ and his Church. However, if one is in mortal sin when receiving Communion, one is telling a lie, for, in being in a state of mortal sin, one is neither in communion with Christ nor his Church.”
April 14, 2021, America Magazine article: “When the church minimizes the danger of an unworthy reception of the Eucharist, she fails to properly love those who continue to jeopardize their souls. […] I take this responsibility very seriously, which is why I am compelled to address the error that any baptized Catholic can receive Communion if he or she simply desires to do so. None of us have the freedom to approach the altar of the Lord without a proper examination of conscience and proper repentance if grave sin has been committed. The Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement, and the sanctity of that gift is only diminished by unworthy reception. Because of the public scandal caused, this is especially true in the case of public officials who persistently govern in violation of the natural law, particularly the pre-eminent issues of abortion and euthanasia, the taking of innocent life, as well as other actions that fail to uphold the church's teaching regarding the dignity of life.”
Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Springfield, Illinois
March 11, 2021, Canon Law Society of America conference talk: Bishop Paprocki said that Catholic politicians who publicly and obstinately advocate for abortion can and should be denied Communion. “I'm talking about their external actions. If they're living in a way or holding positions that are contrary to church teaching, then the Minister of Communion has to deny them the sacrament.”
Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Kansas City, Kansas, USCCB’s chairman of Committee on Pro-Life Activities
Feb. 13, 2021, Catholic World Report interview: “The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic, and acknowledge that his view on abortion is contrary to Catholic moral teaching. It would be a more honest approach from him to say he disagreed with his Church on this important issue and that he was acting contrary to Church teaching. When he says he is a devout Catholic, we bishops have the responsibility to correct him. Although people have given this president power and authority, he cannot define what it is to be a Catholic and what Catholic moral teaching is. […] I believe the president has the responsibility not to present himself for Holy Communion. When Catholics receive the Eucharist, they are acknowledging the Real Presence of Jesus, and also belief in the teachings of the Church. President Biden doesn’t believe in the Church’s teachings on the Sanctity of Human Life, and he should not put the priest in the situation where he has to decide whether or not to allow him to receive the Eucharist. He should know that after 78 years as a Catholic.”
Cardinal Raymond Burke
Sept. 28, 2020, Catholic Action for Faith and Family interview: Joe Biden is “not a Catholic in good standing” because of his support for abortion and, consequently, he “should not approach to receive Holy Communion.”
August 8, 2020, Fox News interview: Pro-abortion Catholic politicians “may not present themselves to receive Holy Communion, because they’re not in communion with Christ. It’s not a punishment. Actually, it’s a favor to these people to tell them don’t approach, because if they approach, they commit sacrilege.”
Cardinals, bishops who back giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians
Bishop Robert McElroy, San Diego, California
May 5, 2021, America Magazine: “The Eucharist is being weaponized and deployed as a tool in political warfare. […] A national policy of excluding pro-choice political leaders from the Eucharist will constitute an assault on that unity, on that charity [to which the Church is called by Christ].”
Feb.1, 2021, Georgetown University talk: “I do not see how depriving the president or other political leaders of Eucharist based on their public policy stance can be interpreted in our society as anything other than the weaponization of Eucharist and an effort not to convince people by argument and by dialogue and by reason, but, rather, to pummel them into submission on the issue.”
Bishop John Stowe, Lexington, Kentucky
April 28, 2021, AP News quote: “If a politician is targeted as a negative example by his own church, that sets a sad context in which the church can deal with this Catholic president. It contributes to the polarization of the church and of society.”
Cardinal Blase Cupich, Chicago, Illinois
April 14, 2021 Letter: Cupich raises “a number of concerns” with Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila’s hard-hitting article explaining why pro-abortion politicians who say they are Catholic cannot receive Holy Communion. “I write as a brother bishop with the suggestion that you consider offering a public clarification of your point,” wrote Cupich.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Washington D.C.
Nov. 24, 2020, Catholic News Agency: Noting that Biden went to Mass and received Communion for eight years as vice president, Gregory said that “I’m not going to veer from that. […] “On my part, it’s a matter of the responsibility that I have as the archbishop to be engaged and to be in dialogue with him, even in those areas where we obviously have some differences.”
P.S. I think the list is incomplete. I believe Bishop Strickland is certainly on the orthodox side and Cardinal "Nighty-mite, Baby" Tobin is in Cupich's, Gregory's and McElroy's heterodox camp.
Ping
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and I were classmates in Jr High and High School in San Diego. He was Sam back in the day. Very nice guy.
Texas Bishop (Strickland) Decries Support for Pro-Abortion Biden-Harris Administration
Here is what happens to conservative Catholic democrats if they vote against such things listed here:
IN THE RACE FOR HOUSE SEATS EVERYONE RUNNING UNDER THE DEMON-O-CRAT LABEL VOTED FOR THESE TWO ISSUES
ABORTION FUNDING SUPPORT AND THIS. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE USED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RACES BUT WAS NOT
FORCE Schools To Let Male Athletes Compete In Girls’ Sports...Any Dem congressman who didn’t support this got kicked out by holding their primary in remapped districts.This effort by those in control of the demo party shpould have been used to demonstrate where that party is coming from. Why weren’t those votes an issue in this 2020 campaign by the Republicans ? Not just where this occurred but nationally?
.. Democratic candidate for America’s Vice President California and likely presidential replacement Sen. Kamala Harris sponsored a Senate bill that would that would force funding public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls’ sports teams.
In March 2019, Harris cosponsored the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Among other things, the bill would force public schools to expand female athletic teams to include biological males who identify as transgender girls
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3873820/posts
.Also did this http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3877896/posts and this http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3880192/posts
.. HERE’S HOW THEY TREATED CONSERVATIVE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WHO DON’T SUPPORT FUNDING STUFF LIKE THIS
.. And why there is no such thing as a Conservative Dem in Congress An example is Illinois 3rd district
..
Todays Democrats weren’t happy with this father William O Lipinski then sucessor son Daniel also votes against abortion and then be the only congressional democrat to vote NO on allowing men to to call themselves a women and compete with women in college sports. To stop this the demoncrats decided to remap his district of areas which supported him for the 2020 primary.
The ward (the 23rd) and the congressional district formerly the 5th which they changed into being the 3rd Illinois congressional by taking ward areas which had areas dominated by hispanic fore names and placed them into the Louis Gutierez district.
In the reshaped 3rd Congressional district primary Daniel Lipinski lost because of this redistricting. Of a district which had previously included adjacent Chicago city wards to his 23rd. which was “re-mapped in 2012 after former alderman and ward committeeman now congressman William O Lipinski annouced his retirement and wanted his son for his congressional replacement .
The remap was replacing ward boundaries of the 14th known as the stockyards which had experienced extensive demographic changes. They chopped up and placed sections of streets and blocks that were not only in the 23rd but the of adjacent 12th and 15th wards and made them the 14th ward
Now because Chicago alderman oversee routing of such things as garbage collections and getting city services . Some have complained of seeing rodents since as well as complained of poor road maintenance on their block. Because with this remap if your residence was in one ward your neighbor across the street or a block down is might be in another ward
.. The 5th was a district in the 1950’s which was a part of the third largest school district in the country run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Those city wards were primarily composed of dozens of traditional value family oriented Catholic/Christian communities centered around their churches and their schools. Hence opposed to funding such things as abortion and LGBT activities rather for issues that dealt exclusively with city issues such as a subway L service and the Stevenson Expressway.
These Wards once were reliable supporters of Dan’s father, William O Lipinski. But after the 2012 redistricting the number of precincts in the 23rd were cut back to 39 and even their ward headquarters location was stuck in another ward.
And where many wards had areas with Hispanic last names those areas were redistricted and assigned to the Louis Gutieriez’s district. In areas where buildings were abandoned affected by the no money down home mortgages or had changed because of this. The ward such as the 14th known as Back of The Yards because of the former stock yards which has since relocated was remapped to include portions of other wards mainly the 23rd which Those results actually tear up the concept of a neighborhood and pit people against each other by using division.
In some of those wards areas of city blocks which were zoned exclusively for single family dwellings residents suddenly found their neighborhood having houses torn down and being replaced with multiple apartments with the units not required to furnish parking facilities and many renters were illegals. Much of which fit the plans for the suburbs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3881650/posts
http://www.theusmat.com/mdwbea.htm
You’re right in naming some that should go on the “bad bishops” list, but I think this article is only using the criterion of publicly advocating one way or the other for Communion.
Did you all see that 4500 Notre Dame students voted to disinvite Biden from doing the commencement address because of his pro-abortion positions…and his advisers made him withdraw? Now that’s winning, and, better yet, with young people.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who got the shot is pro abortion. The road to hell is wide.
Astounding...Differences over what? The best time to hold the parish dinner... What "dialogue" is possible on the subject of the violation of the revealed word of one's faith? IMO, it's very clear; get in line with church tenets or get out.
The Pillar has compiled their statements here, and will continue to do so:
Excellent.
But is he a Catholic today?
“As far as I’m concerned, anyone who got the shot is pro abortion. The road to hell is wide.”
My son the Marine was required to get the shot before deploying. He was not advised regarding the use of cells from murdered babies.
He was tricked.
I hope God sees it that way.
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