Judie Brown, president of American Life League, the nation's largest pro-life grassroots educational organization, issued the following response to a recent statement by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, Ohio, that he would continue to allow known pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians to receive Holy Communion because he believed they should be given the “…benefit of the doubt.”
“While others may want to debate what is and is not true about pro-abortion 'Catholic' politicians, there is no doubt in the Catholic faith as to what the Sacrament of Communion is. The Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ and out of reverence to this truth, this Sacrament should be protected from any known sacrilege.
“It is unfortunate that Archbishop Pilarczyk has joined the ranks of those who appear willing to put the desires of man above the law of God. As the successors of the Apostles, it is the duty of the Church's shepherds to protect and defend the integrity of our Church and its sacraments.
“And exactly why should known pro-abortion 'Catholic' politicians be given the benefit of the doubt? Their open, unabashed, and unrelenting public support for abortion causes a grave scandal among the Catholic faithful. This fact alone is reason enough to incur action by our bishops. You cannot be a Catholic in good standing and be pro-abortion, period. When these recalcitrant Catholics are allowed to continue their schizophrenic practice of the faith — where they claim to be personally pro-life, but publicly 'pro-choice' — it misleads countless other Catholics into the misguided belief that this practice is acceptable and not sinful.
“We respectfully call upon Archbishop Pilarczyk to reconsider his position on this vital matter and to consider the words of his brother bishop, Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who stated in a pastoral letter on May 1, 2004:
Any Catholic politicians who advocate for abortion, for illicit stem cell research or for any form of euthanasia ipso facto place themselves outside full communion with the Church and so jeopardize their salvation. Any Catholics who vote for candidates who stand for abortion, illicit stem cell research or euthanasia suffer the same fateful consequences. It is for this reason that these Catholics, whether candidates for office or those who would vote for them, may not receive Holy Communion until they have recanted their positions and been reconciled with God and the Church in the Sacrament of Penance.”
This update courtesy of American Life League, the nation's largest pro-life educational organization. ALL • P.O. Box 1350 • Stafford, VA 22555 • 540-659-4171.
