Communion Showdown

Catholic members of Congress who publicly support the right to abortion will trek to Nationals Park for the Mass celebrated by a pope who has said such lawmakers should not receive Communion.

Leading these lawmakers, some of whom have repeatedly complained about remarks by Pope Benedict XVI and a few bishops on the subject, will be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the government's highest-ranking Catholic and a supporter of abortion rights.

Will Pelosi have the gall to defy church teaching and present herself before the Holy Father? Nothing has stopped her in the past. However, it will be Pelosi that will have to answer for her actions and not the pope. The ironic part is President Bush is more Catholic in my opinion then Pelosi.

She bent to kiss the pope's ring at the White House Wednesday as Benedict arrived, and later she spoke glowingly on the House floor about his commitment to truth, justice and freedom. A commitment that she apparently does not share.

And yes, her spokesman said, she intends to receive Communion from one of the 300 priests and lay ministers who will offer it to the gathered flock of 45,000.

I can only hope she is convicted before she does so once again.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shaun, can you give the specific rules of the church on this? Do they exsist?

Shaun Pierce said...

Yes thr rules exsist and to me they are clear.

"Canon Law 1398 Catholics who have obtained an abortion, or performed an abortion, have excommunicated themselves latae sententiae (automatically by their very action) from the Catholic Church. They remain outside the church until the reception of the sacrament of Penance through a good confession.

"Canon Law 1329 Catholics who are accomplices in enabling and permitting the crime of abortion to occur, who without their assistance the crime would not have been committed, incur the same penalty.

"Canon Law 915 Others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."