Catholic politicians who support abortion legislation should be refused Holy Communion, says Cardinal Raymond Burke, who heads the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest legal tribunal that rules on canon law.
"There can be no question that the practice of abortion is among the gravest of manifest sins,” The American cardinal told the Irish newspaper Catholic Voice in an interview published recently.
Once “a Catholic politician has been admonished that he should not come forward to receive Holy Communion,” the cardinal added, “as long as he continues to support legislation which fosters abortion or other intrinsic evils, then he should be refused Holy Communion.”
The National Catholic Register reports that the cardinal said that local bishops and priests must ensure that Holy Communion is properly received to avoid “the grave sin of sacrilege” from those like Catholic politicians who receive Communion in spite of “grave moral evil.”
They must also prevent the “scandal” caused by this kind of reception because it “gives the impression that the Church’s teaching on the intrinsic evil of abortion is not firm.”
The Irish parliament is considering legalizing abortion where the mother's life is at risk, a push for a change in Ireland's laws after the death of Savita Halappanavar, who died at a Galway hospital after miscarrying.
The cardinal says that while her death is "tragic" it still does not mean “an innocent and defenseless human life can be justifiably destroyed in order to save the life of the mother." He warns the Irish people and the Irish government to be alert for this kind of justification for abortion, an act he says "is always and everywhere wrong."
Cardinal Burke said that Catholic politicians must support legislations that will"most reduce the evils which attack human life and the integrity of marriage."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.TableMate | Feb 22, 2013, 08:28 AM EST
How is letting wives die supporting “the integrity of marriage”?
WoundedKnee | Feb 19, 2013, 02:32 PM EST
"Just keep talking no one is listening." What an utterly dumb post by kerry214. There are more Catholics in the world than there are people of any other faith. And 86% of the people of the 26 Counties declared themselves Catholics in the last census. No one's listening, eh? Wake up, kerry214, your bigotry is no excuse for stupidity.
kerry214 | Feb 19, 2013, 12:46 AM EST
Just another old white male wearing a red hat talking trash. These are the people who will elect a new pope. Well boys your last choice was certainly not the cream of the crop. Just keep talking no one is listening.
WoundedKnee | Feb 18, 2013, 02:45 PM EST
What you wrote is nonsense, Maureen15. Those who back abortion are not Catholics--why would they want to participate in Catholic activities? Why don't they go attend a mosque or a synagogue?
Maureen15 | Feb 18, 2013, 02:33 PM EST
Hey...Burke....did you ever hear of the separation of Church and State. If Catholics who are elected of office has to push their religion on the voters....you will never see another Catholic is office.
Joe Kelsall | Feb 18, 2013, 10:31 AM EST
Jeez! That'd be a 'cardinal sin'!