Posted on 02/25/2019 12:06:03 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o
Pro-life Catholics who wish Catholic Church leaders would step up and deny communion to leading politicians who support abortion are getting good news today.
One Catholic bishop is denying communion to pro-abortion Democrat Dick Durbin, a top Democrat in the Senate who has long supported and promoted abortion. Durbin joined other Democrats to block a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks.
Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois says Durbin is “cooperating in evil” and persisting in “manifest grave sin” because of his abortion advocacy and must therefore “not be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of his sin.”
In a statement on the Diocese of Springfield website, Bishop Paprocki said, “Fourteen Catholic senators voted against the bill that would have prohibited abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization, including Sen. Richard Durbin, whose residence is in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.”
The full statement reads:
I agree completely with His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, who called the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act “appalling.”
Fourteen Catholic senators voted against the bill that would have prohibited abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization, including Sen. Richard Durbin, whose residence is in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In April 2004, Sen. Durbin’s pastor, then Msgr. Kevin Vann (now Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, CA), said that he would be reticent to give Sen. Durbin Holy Communion because his pro-abortion position put him outside of communion or unity with the Church’s teachings on life. My predecessor, now Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, said that he would support that decision. I have continued that position.
Canon 915 of the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law states that those “who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” In our 2004 Statement on Catholics in Political Life, the USCCB said, “Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice. Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good.” Because his voting record in support of abortion over many years constitutes “obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin,” the determination continues that Sen. Durbin is not to be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of this sin. This provision is intended not to punish, but to bring about a change of heart. Sen. Durbin was once pro-life. I sincerely pray that he will repent and return to being pro-life.
A 2013 letter from Pope Francis says pro-abortion politicians should not be eligible for communion in the Catholic Church.
In the letter, Pope Francis directed the Argentinean bishops to govern the Church there following the Aparecida Document.
The text states, in part, “[people] cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals.”
“These are the guidelines we need for this time in history,” the pope wrote to the bishops.
Your thoughts?
And when will Nancy Pelosi get the same treatment?
Good news.
I respect the bisho.
Finally. Downstate Illinois is pretty darned conservative. Great to see this happen. Now someone needs to pin Slick Dick Durbin down for a comment.
That’d be a hoot to watch.
L
I don’t imagine this will do much to cramp his style.
Looks like pro-abortion Democrat Dick Durbin will have to go church-shopping for one with a more liberal priest. Never mind about taking communion when your heart is not right with God!
Thank you for reporting this, Mrs. Don-o. Makes my day.
Nasty Pelosi will get the same treatment when the Bishop of San Francisco receives a spine transplant.
It’s a good start.
Thanks for posting.
You shouldn’t have to be Catholic or Christian to be against abortion.
I would think being human made it self evident that it was a heinous crime.
This is good news. Many more bishops need to do the same thing regarding abortionist politicians in their dioceses.
Hallelujah! Finally ONE Bishop gets it.
It’s way past time these people were forced to choose
between their Catholicism and their baby-killing politics.
For too long they’ve been able to use the veneer of being
Catholic to harvest votes from key demographics.
It surprises me how many Democrats claim to be Christians and yet support infanticide.
1 John 4:20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
What could be more hateful that killing a baby?
The Egregious Donna Wuerl is a big part of the problem. He can and should say the same regarding ALL abortionist members of Congress.
What needs to be understood here is that this is absolutely what a Bishop doesn’t want to do but has to do to preserve the sanctity of the sacrament and uphold what the Church teaches and believes. While we are all sinners, Senator Durbin and others that participate in the pushing of the culture of death need to repent of their very public sinful actions. That is the whole point of withholding the sacrament and in some cases pronouncing excommunication.
Even infanticide seems to have universally accepted by everyone except Jews until the rise of Christianity.
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Make then consider their sole when voting!!!!!!
And Fredo Cuomo to start.
They are all tough until the are reminded that they are in a state of mortal sin, should they die unrepentant, they are headed for Hell.
Facing the possibility of loosing you immortal soul to Satan I think is sobering.
United Methodists will welcome him in a minute
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