Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich discusses Pope Francis, the future of the Catholic Church, the unrest in Ferguson, and more

On Giving Communion to 

Pro-Abortion Politicians

By Bill Maguire

It is curious in a non-Catholic country like ours that the question of who should or shouldn’t be allowed to receive communion has become such a hot topic. Seemingly, this kind of question would be considered inside baseball, simply an intra-church matter. Yet, our secular media is dominated by headlines about what this or that bishop (or Synod of bishops) has to say about whether the Church should deny the Eucharist to the divorced and remarried or pro-abortion politicians.

In his interview with Face the Nation’s Norah O’Donnell, Chicago archbishop Blase Cupich was asked to comment on the following issue:

When you say we cannot politicize the communion rail, you would give communion to politicians, for instance, who support abortion rights.

Before I give the archbishop’s response and my take on it, I want to acknowledge how easy it is for public figures to misspeak—especially in the contentious arena of the major Sunday talk shows. It happens all the time. Additionally, I understand it must be a challenge to effectively address such a hot-button issue in the space of a sound bite. Thus, while I believe Archbishop Cupich’s answer potentially runs the risk of causing scandal to the faithful, I equally believe such was certainly not his intention.

With that said, Archbishop Cupich answered O’Donnell’s question in the following manner, which I believe to be an unintentional misstatement on his part:

I would not use the Eucharist or as they call it the communion rail as the place to have those discussions or a way in which people would be either [sic] excluded from the life of the church. The Eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. It’s also a time of forgiveness of sins. So my hope would be that that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth.

To examine the archbishop’s response, I believe it is helpful to follow the lead of Cardinal Bergoglio (Pope Francis) and Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on the question of whether Catholic politicians who support abortion should be permitted to receive the Eucharist.

Cardinal Bergoglio is acknowledged as one of the primary authors of the Aparecida Document (the concluding document of the 2007 General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean). Moreover, after being elected pope, Francis wrote aletter to the Argentine Assembly of Bishops directing them to implement the Aparecida Document, saying: “These are the guidelines we need for this time in history.”

Here is what the Aparecida Document—approved by Pope Benedict XVI and reaffirmed by Pope Francis—teaches concerning the matter at hand:

We hope that legislators [and] heads of government … will defend and protect [the dignity of human life] from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia; that is their responsibility…. We must adhere to “eucharistic coherence,” that is, be conscious that they 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.

Cardinal Ratzinger—in his official capacity as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—sent a memorandum (July 2004) to Cardinal McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, regarding the worthy reception of the Eucharist. He writes:

Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

.....................

Read more: www.crisismagazine.com