An archbishop from the hometown of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is speaking out this week to suggest that she and President Joe Biden should be denied communion.
Archbishop Sounds Off
“If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion,” said Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wrote in a pastoral letter over the weekend, according to Fox News.
Though he did not mention Pelosi and Biden by name, this comes as scrutiny is growing over their respective stances on this issue. Each of them have often pushed for expanded abortion access while claiming to be devout Catholics, which is a contradiction, according to both catechism and Cordileone’s statement.
It has long been said by the Catholic Church that members who are conscious of committing grave sin should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion until after they obtain absolution through confession.
Archbishop Doubles Down
“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,” the archbishop said.
“…this discipline has been exercised throughout our history, going back to the New Testament,” he added. “When other avenues are exhausted, the only recourse a pastor has left is the public medicine of temporary exclusion from the Lord’s Table. This is a bitter medicine, but the gravity of the evil of abortion can sometimes warrant it.”
“[P]lease stop pretending that advocating for or practicing a grave moral evil—one that snuffs out an innocent human life, one that denies a fundamental human right—is somehow compatible with the Catholic faith,” Cordileone continued.
“It is not,” he said. “Please return home to the fullness of your Catholic faith. We await you with open arms to welcome you back.”
Catholic Church On Abortion
The section of the catechism that discusses abortion specifically said that the procedure and infanticide “are abominable crimes.”
“The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority,” it read, going on to warn that “when the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.”
This article was originally published by the Political Insider. Read the original article.
ThinkCivics researches, examines, and reports on issues that matter most. We deliver explanative, fearless, and insightful analysis for public consumption.
