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The Archdiocese of Washington is trying to duck a growing debate on whether pro-choice Catholic politicians can take Communion within its boundaries. The appointment of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, one of the nation's best-known Catholic politicians, to head the Department of Health and Human Services has consumed Catholic blogs and opinionmakers because the nominee has been told by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., to not take Communion. He would only lift the order, he wrote in a May 9 column in his archdiocesan newspaper, when the governor had "acknowledged the error of her past positions, made a worthy...

Bishop Joseph F. Martino has taken an administrative step toward fulfilling his vow to deny Holy Communion to Roman Catholic lawmakers who support abortion rights. The prelate published an official notice in the diocesan newspaper on Thursday reminding all Eucharistic ministers of their duty to follow Catholic law and refuse Holy Communion to anyone, specifically Catholic lawmakers, whose “unworthiness” to receive the sacrament is “known publicly.” “No one having accepted this responsibility (of administering Holy Communion) has the right to ignore the Church’s law in this regard,” the bishop told the ministers. The notice, signed by diocesan chancellor James B....

Two key items showed up on the Diocese of Scranton's 2009 page for Press Releases, both with today's date of February 26, 2009: 1) A 2nd letter sent to Senator Bob Casey from Bishop Martino and, 2) An Official Notice on worthy reception of Holy Communion which states that "all ministers of Holy Communion, ordinary and extraordinary" are to deny Communion to those whose worthiness to receive Holy Communion is publicly known.

On February 18th the meeting many Catholics dreaded occurred. Mercifully, the Vatican had the wisdom to forbid cameras or reporters into the 15 minute meet and greet. Had a picture emerged, it would have certainly been used to somehow cast Speaker Pelosi's positions on abortion and contraception as being within the realm of Catholic Orthodoxy. What was most instructive was the dueling press releases in the wake of the visit. The Vatican got theirs out first: "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of...

Bobby Jindal in a 2003 file photo. (CNS/Reuters) Tonight, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will deliver the Republican Party’s official response to President Barack Obama’s first address to Congress. Here is the profile of Jindal that the Register has commissioned to coincide with the young Catholic governor’s prime-time appearance on national TV:  Louisiana’s Catholic Rising Star By PETER FINNEY JR. REGISTER CORRESPONDENT BATON ROUGE — In a sense, the coincidental timing is the ultimate symbol of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s studious, calculated, thoroughly deliberated young life. On Mardi Gras night, Feb. 24, while most south Louisiana citizens will be enjoying a...

I'm surprised that a few comments on my post about Bobby Jindal as the new face of Christian conservatism allege that he's got ancestral Muslim roots, in addition to the acknowledged Hinduism of his Indian born parents. Remind you of any other recent rumor campaigns against promising young minority politicians? What's surprising is that some of the comments appear to be from pro-Sarah Palin conservatives. They're a likely preview of what a Jindal primary faceoff with Palin or another Christian conservative might look like, with both vying for conservative Christian support. I haven't read any credible profiles of Jindal claiming...

Pewsitter.com February 17, 2009 – As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi prepares to meet with Pope Benedict tomorrow in Rome, stateside, a nationwide petition project has been launched requesting the Catholic Bishops of the United States to withhold Communion from her and other prominent Catholics in public life that obstinately persist in their dissent from Catholic teaching on serious moral issues. This nationwide Withholding Communion petition is being launched by Pewsitter.com, a Catholic News Portal. The goal of the petition drive is to gather a least 1 million petitions for presentation to the U.S. Bishops and the Vatican....

Pope Benedict strongly rebukes Pelosi over abortion Vatican City, Feb 18, 2009 / 10:18 am (CNA).- House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s photo-op with Pope Benedict XVI turned sour when the Pontiff used the 15-minute meeting to reaffirm the teachings of the Catholic Church on the right to life and the duty to protect the unborn. No photo of Nancy Pelosi and the Pope will be forthcoming, since the meeting was closed to reporters and photographers. The two met in a small room in the Vatican just after the Pope's weekly public audience. Immediately after the meeting, the Holy See’s press office...

Archbishop Naumann, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama Denver, Colo., Feb 20, 2009 / 06:39 am (CNA).- In a startling defense of legal abortion supporter Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Catholics United has attacked Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, accusing him being more interested in trying to score political points against the governor than in crafting effective abortion policy within the reality of politics.The salvo from Catholics United comes as advisors to President Obama have told the press that he has decided on Sebelius as his next secretary of Health and Human Services nominee.Kathleen Sebelius, who professes to be Catholic, has...

OPINIONSPORTSARTSBUSINESSSOCIETY 'Nearly Everybody Reads The Bulletin' Friday, February 20, 2009 HHS Leader Sebelius Brings A Radical Abortion Record Published: Friday, February 20, 2009 Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is being reported as the front-runner as President Barack Obama’s appointment for Health And Human Services Secretary. Although Ms. Sebelius was touted by The New York Times as a bipartisan politician, she comes with a strong pro-abortion record. Not only has Ms. Sebelius — governor in a battleground state on the abortion issue — repeatedly vetoed any measures that would limit or regulate abortion that came across her desk, she also has ties...

Pope to Pelosi: Catholics cannot back abortion U.S. House speaker — a pro-choice Catholic — met with pope in Italy VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict, underscoring the Vatican's ruling on an issue that divides Americans, told U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday that Catholic politicians and legislators cannot back abortion rights. Pelosi, a powerful U.S. politician who is Catholic and pro-choice, has been accused by U.S. bishops in the past of misrepresenting Church teachings on abortion. "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural and moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the...

The press office made clear that the Pope will meet with Pelosi in his capacity as a head of state since the Speaker of the House is the third in line to lead the U.S., should the president and vice president be unable to do so. The idea of providing Pelosi with a photo-op has disturbed a significant number of U.S. Catholics and pro-life activists... Over this past weekend pro-life activists and bloggers launched verbal salvos against the Vatican because they believe that the Holy See plans to present Nancy Pelosi with an award. This is definitely not true, the...

In news from another part of the Roman-American fray, it's been confirmed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will meet Pope Benedict following Wednesday's General Audience as part of her Italian tour: On Monday at noon in Rome, the Vatican’s Press Office confirmed to [Catholic News Agency] that Pope Benedict will be receiving U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in an audience at noon on Wednesday. Pelosi, a self-proclaimed "ardent Catholic" who has sparked significant criticism from fellow Catholics in the U.S. for her pro-abortion views, arrived in Italy on Sunday for an eight-day official visit.... Although numerous reports have...

Vatican City, Feb 16, 2009 / 11:55 am (CNA).- On Monday at noon in Rome, the Vatican’s Press Office confirmed to CNA that Pope Benedict will be receiving U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in an audience at noon on Wednesday. Pelosi, a self-proclaimed "ardent Catholic" who has sparked significant criticism from fellow Catholics in the U.S. for her pro-abortion views, arrived in Italy on Sunday for an eight-day official visit. After landing at the USAF base in Aviano, she and the American delegation met with the mayor Florence, Leonardo Domenici at the "Palazzo Vecchio" (The Old Palace.) On...

This week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will meet with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican. With the debilitating illness of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Pelosi has become the de facto leader of dissident Catholic members of Congress. It's only appropriate that Pelosi should take Kennedy's place. When she became Speaker in January 2006, she chose Rev. Robert Drinan, S.J., as the celebrant of the Mass held in her honor. The late Father Drinan, a longtime professor of law at Georgetown University, had been the architect of the arguments now used as cover by Catholic politicians who wish...

Reports have surfaced that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a self-avowed "Catholic" adamant abortion supporter, intends to head a delegation to Euope that will meet with Pope Benedict XVI. Today the Drudge Report headlined a report by Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) on Houston's KSEV radio that Pelosi hopes to pass the federal economic stimulus bill in time for her join the group, which reportedly leaves Friday evening. According to Il Tempo, Pelosi will arrive in Rome Sunday afternoon, her first visit to the city since becoming Speaker of the House.  It has not been determined when Ms. Pelosi plans to meet...

Now, the story surrounding this important appointment may be taking an even more troubling turn. If the rumors prove to be true, the replacement for Tom Daschle may be the Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius. Catholics and all who recognize that the inalienable right to life attaches to all human persons from the moment of conception have serious reason to be alarmed if they are true. Governor Kathleen Sebellius is an outspoken Catholic dissident who views the taking of the lives of children in the first home of the whole human race as a “health service” and a “choice”. If...

Father John McCartney of Saint Matthew's on Long Island sums up the sad state Catholic politicians pretty well:Two days after the inauguration of President Obama, I traveled down to Washington with fifty-one parishioners for the annual March for Life on the 36th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade. It was a wonderful trip, and the march was the largest seen in years. It was also a decidedly young march, with vast numbers of high-school and college-aged young people participating. Of course, hundreds of thousands of peaceful pro-life protesters marching in the nation’s capital did...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat who describes herself as “an ardent practicing Catholic,” said on a nationally televised news program on Sunday that federal spending on artificial contraception helps states financially by lowering the amount spent on education and health care for children. Pelosi, appearing on the ABC program This Week, was asked by moderator George Stephanopolous about the inclusion of huge federal outlays for contraception in President Barack Obama’s proposed $825-billion ‘economic stimulus package.’ “Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?” asked Stephanopoulos. Replied the Speaker, “Well, the family...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming under heavy criticism today from those who say she implied children hurt the economy. Pelosi made the comments in an interview with ABC News over the weekend defending a decision to include a bailout for the abortion industry in the economic stimulus bill.As LifeNews.com is reporting today, the Democrats' stimulus plan now includes a measure to send more public funds to the Planned Parenthood abortion business to find contraception and birth control.In an interview with George Stephanopoulos Sunday morning on ABC's "This Week," Pelosi defended the move and helping...