Archbishop Timothy Dolan appointed to highly influential Archdiocese of New York...

"Pray, My children, a constant vigilance of prayer for your priests, cardinals, bishops, your clergy, for a great test, a delusion has been set amongst them to test their valor, to test their holiness, to test their fidelity to My Son's Church!" - Our Lady of the Roses, May 23, 1979

LifeSiteNews.com reported on February 23, 2009:

The Vatican announced this morning the appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan, currently Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. The announcement puts an end to months of intense speculation about who will succeed Cardinal Egan, who has passed the mandatory age for retirement, in the influential diocese.

The installation mass is scheduled to take place on Easter Wednesday, 15 April, at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

"I pledge to you my love, my life, my heart, and I can tell you already that I love you, I need so much your prayers and support, I am so honored, humbled, and happy to serve as your pastor," Dolan, 59, said in a statement addressed to Catholic New Yorkers this morning.

Archbishop Dolan is well known to orthodox Catholics and those active in the pro-life movement for his adherence to and defense of Church teaching on life and the family, and for his dynamism, love and sense of humor.

The bishop has from time to time waded into the fracas, whether in correcting Catholic politicians who support abortion or denouncing in the strongest terms sexual scandal within the Church. However, despite his reputation for solid Catholic orthodoxy, his affable personality has made him well-respected and well-liked by a broad swathe of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Last year Dolan was one of the U.S. bishops who took to task House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and now VP Joseph Biden, after they both, in separate appearances on NBC's Meet the Press, claimed that support for abortion is in keeping with Catholic teaching. In an op-ed Archbishop Dolan clarified Church teaching on abortion, and defended the right of bishops to correct Catholics, including politicians, when they misrepresent Catholic teaching.

"When prominent Catholics publicly misrepresent timeless Church doctrine - as Biden and Pelosi regrettably did (to say nothing of erring in biology!) - a bishop has the duty to clarify," he said. "We cannot be mute on this premier civil rights issue of our day."

Dolan's reputation as an effective pastor was cemented by his frank and open treatment of the clergy sex abuse crisis. In an interview with the National Catholic Register in 2002, Bishop Dolan, then Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, observed that the clergy sexual abuse scandal serves as a warning about the abandoning of the Church's teachings on chastity. "In a way, thanks be to God that people are horrified by this terrible scandal," he said. "It is at odds with human decency, it is at odds with the Gospel, it is particularly at odds with everything the priestly vocation stands for.

"It also shows again how far off the mark we've gotten when it comes to the Church's whole teaching on chastity, how far we have strayed from the Church's beautiful teaching on sexual love. What's a painful paradox is that many of the people who find this [scandal] most horrible don't make the connection that so are other sexual aberrations."

Michael Sean Winters, writing in "America," a national Catholic weekly magazine, expressed the sentiment of many when he wrote earlier today: "The Church in New York, and indeed all of America, rejoices this morning at the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan to be the next Archbishop of New York.

"It has been easy to applaud most of Pope Benedict's appointments. But, in choosing Dolan to assume the cathedra at St. Patrick's, Benedict has made a truly great choice. Dolan will be great with the necessary, if unseemly, task of fundraising. He will be great with the media. He will help build up the morale of his clergy. Ellis once said that Cardinal O'Connor was 'a lion' in the mold of the greatest of American bishops such as Gibbons, John Ireland, and John Hughes. Dolan could be another in that tradition, a bishop who is unafraid to love his flock, to defend his Church, and to preach to a culture that is desperately hungry for the Gospel."

Praise for the announcement also came from Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, who said that the choice of Archbishop Dolan was perfect for New York, which is considered to be the most influential diocese in the country.

"What a perfect fit: Archbishop Dolan has the erudition, tenacity, affability and orthodoxy necessary for a leadership role in New York. My dealings with him have been extraordinarily positive.

"In other words, Archbishop Dolan did not hesitate to step up to the plate. He showed leadership from top to bottom. Which is why a man of his character is a perfect fit for New York's rough and tumble milieu. We look forward to working with him."

Read related LSN articles:

Interview with Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04012702.html

US Bishops Denounce False Abortion, Marriage Teaching by "Catholic" Theologian Maguire
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032301.html

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Cardinal Rigali: Abortion is the “transcending issue of our day”...

"What manner of government is there that condones sin? Abomination upon abomination--giving monies for the murder of children, giving monies for the murder of the elderly!
"Your government, My child, has been infiltrated by men of sin." - Our Lady of the Roses, September 13, 1975

LifeSiteNews.com reported on October 24, 2008:

In a pastoral letter released yesterday, Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, calls abortion the “transcending issue of our day.” The release of the pastoral letter comes only days after Cardinal Rigali released a statement in his capacity as Chair of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in which he observed that Catholics are “morally obliged” to oppose Roe v. Wade (See http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08102203.html).

In his most recent letter Cardinal Rigali drives home the point that the grave immortality of abortion is not a revealed truth known only to Christians, but rather a truth that is universally accessible to all, regardless of religious background. Because the dignity of human life is written on the human heart, he says, “no one … most especially, no Catholic, can ever say: ‘I did not know [abortion is evil]’.”

But despite this fact, he laments, America nevertheless supports abortion in its “most extreme and horrific forms.”

For this reason Cardinal Rigali warns that while a Catholic “owes loyalty to the communities of which he is a part,” this loyalty must be subject to a higher law - the natural and revealed laws of moral conduct. Throughout history governments have sanctioned grave evils, such as the Holocaust, slavery, and racial segregation, a fact that proves that governments cannot necessarily be depended upon to protect the dignity of the human person.

Like these intrinsic evils, the bishop states unequivocally, abortion cannot ever be condoned, even in circumstances where it has been made acceptable or "legal."

Cardinal Rigali writes: “The transcending issue of our day is the intentional destruction of innocent human life, as in abortion. We wish with all our hearts that no candidate and no party were advocating this heinous act against the human person. However, since it is a transcending issue, and even supported in its most extreme and horrific forms, we must proclaim time and time again that no intrinsic evil can ever be supported in any way, most especially when it concerns the gravest of all intrinsic evils: the taking of an innocent life.”

If the right to life is not defended as paramount, the Cardinal says, the cry for all other “rights” crumbles, rendered “illusory”: “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”

Like those Catholics who risked their lives to end the atrocities of slavery, racial segregation, and the holocaust, today’s Catholics, he adjures, must be willing to respond “with the same generosity of body and heart, and the same courage.”

“When by the most barbaric means, unworthy of any civilized people, the brain of a child is sucked out of his or her head by a vacuum, God thunders: ‘This is a child!’”

“When a baby is left to die of exposure on a shelf because of a failed abortion, and this is considered a ‘right’ by any leader, God, the Source of all law and authority, thunders: ‘This is a child!’”

Cardinal Rigali’s pastoral letter can be found here: http://cst-phl.com/

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Comments expose long-festering problem of bishop's conferences and their often liberal bureaucracies

Scranton Bishop unexpectedly visits forum, repudiates false teachings on Catholic voting...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on October 22, 2008:

An unexpected visit by the bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania to a parish forum on the upcoming elections, has resulted in a small firestorm of controversy, after the bishop forcefully repudiated the idea that Catholics can vote for pro-abortion politicians. Some of the bishop's comments exposed a long festering problem since the Second Vatican Council over bishops conferences and their often liberal bureaucracies. The conferences, which have no actual teaching authority, quickly assumed a far greater role in the Church than was intended by the Council, often replacing the authority and obligations of local bishops on many issues.

Parishioners of St. John’s church in Scranton were discussing a statement that had been produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that some argue lends itself to the interpretation that Catholics can vote for pro-abortion candidates under certain circumstances. They were taken aback, however, when Bishop Joseph Martino arrived at the forum unannounced and told his flock, “No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese. The USCCB doesn’t speak for me.”

An eyewitness said that the bishop told his audience that he had voted against the USCCB statement, titled “Faithful Citizenship,” and described it as a consensus document “written to mean all things to all people.”

“The only relevant document ... is my letter,” he said. “There is one teacher in this diocese, and these points are not debatable.”

Bishop Martino was referring to a pastoral letter he issued earlier this month that rejected a trend in the US Catholic Church, sometimes bolstered by official USCCB statements, that claims that abortion and euthanasia are moral equivalents to other issues such as war and economic injustice. According to this theory a Catholic can in good conscience vote for politicians who are pro-abortion but hold acceptable views on other “peace and justice” issues.

In his letter, Bishop Martino called legal abortion “injustice of the worst kind” and said that laws that create a situation in which “the weakest and most vulnerable are denied, because of their age, the most basic protection that we demand for ourselves ... is discrimination at its worst, and no person of conscience should support it.”

Bishop Martino specifically cited and strongly refuted the common argument that says while abortion is wrong, it is not “the only relevant ‘life’ issue that should be considered when deciding for whom to vote.” Morally equivalent issues, he suggested, might be euthanasia and destruction of embryos for research purposes, because these involve the direct killing of human beings. However, while health care, education, economic security, immigration, and taxes “are very important concerns,” he said, “the solutions to problems in these areas do not usually involve a rejection of the sanctity of human life in the way that abortion does.”

A statement from the diocese later confirmed the Bishop’s comments at the forum, as reported in the media. The diocesan statement said Bishop Martino had been “concerned because of the confusion and public misrepresentations about Catholic teaching on the life issues.”

“Certain groups and individuals have used their own erroneous interpretations of Church documents, particularly the U.S. Bishops’ statement on Faithful Citizenship, to justify their political positions and to contradict the Church’s actual teaching on the centrality of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research,” the statement said.

“When Bishop Martino heard how some of these issues were being presented at the forum, he determined that he must address the forum to fulfil his obligation as the authentic teacher of the Catholic faith in his diocese.”

In recent years, Catholics have received conflicting messages from their Church’s leadership over whether it is permissible to vote for a politician who, while supporting abortion, is supportive of efforts to help the poor, or of other “peace and justice” causes.

Bishop Martino’s letter is regarded as one of the stronger statements refuting and condemning the erroneous, but nevertheless popular, so-called “seamless garment” theory that downplays the unique evil of abortion. “Consider this,” the bishop wrote in his letter, “the finest health and education systems, the fairest immigration laws, and the soundest economy do nothing for the child who never sees the light of day. It is a tragic irony that ‘pro-choice’ candidates have come to support homicide – the gravest injustice a society can tolerate – in the name of ‘social justice’.”

He added, “Even the Church’s just war theory has moral force because it is grounded in the principle that innocent human life must be protected and defended.”

Pro-life advocates have noted that during the current US general election cycle, the tone of statements from the Catholic bishops has been considerably stronger than in the past.

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, told LifeSiteNews.com today, “There’s no question that the Seamless Garment was a convenient catch all term to describe things that are not morally equal.” But Euteneuer said that the wind is certainly shifting in the Catholic hierarchy.

Fr. Euteneuer said that statements such as the one from Bishop Martino are becoming more common. “The internal culture of the bishops’ conference itself seems to be changing and that is a good sign, because they seem to be immune to external influences.” Scandals, pressure from lay people and even massive law suits, Fr. Euteneuer said, have not had a profound effect on the Bishops’ conference, but “when the bishops themselves start to move in right direction, things begin to change.”

Fr. Euteneuer said the change in the US bishops has certainly been more noticeable since the visit this spring of Pope Benedict XVI. Their shift towards greater orthodoxy can be put down to the leadership of Pope Benedict, he said, who as a fellow bishop has the insider’s ability to break into the conference’s closed shop.

Such change is slow, he said, but comes as “more bishops are formed in orthodoxy and given a chance to act. The Catholic Church, because of its hierarchical structure has the capacity to reform itself like no other institution.”

Read the full text of Bishop Martino’s letter:
http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=29838

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Bishops: Catholics “morally obliged” to oppose Roe v. Wade...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on October 22, 2008:

In an October 21 statement Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., said, "Our faith requires us to oppose abortion on demand and to provide help to mothers facing challenging pregnancies," The bishops urged Catholics to study the teaching of the Church, rather than rely on statements and materials from outside groups and individuals.

Cardinal Rigali, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Murphy, chair of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, made the joint statement in response to arguments that the Church should accept the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision on abortion as a "permanent fixture of constitutional law" and should concede that the only way to reduce abortions is to provide more government support for pregnant women.

At the same time the two bishops also responded to those who argue that the Church's efforts against abortion should focus solely on restoring recognition for unborn children's human rights and that proposals to provide social and economic support for pregnant women distract from that effort.

"Providing support for pregnant women so they choose to have their babies is a necessary but not sufficient response to abortion. Similarly, reversal of Roe is a necessary but not sufficient condition for restoring an order of justice in our society's treatment of defenseless human life," they said.

The bishops also noted that "in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision knocked down laws against abortion in all 50 states, fabricating a constitutional 'right' to abortion that continues to haunt and divide our society. ... Roe v. Wade is a clear case of an 'intrinsically unjust law' we are morally obliged to oppose. Reversing it is not a mere political tactic, but a moral imperative for Catholics and others who respect human life," they said.

The bishops added that legalizing abortion had greatly increased annual abortions in the United States. "The law is a teacher, and Roe taught many women, physicians and others that abortion is an acceptable answer to a wide range of problems."

The bishops noted strides made in modifying Roe v. Wade's unjust legal precedent and drew attention to the many lives saved by the modest laws and regulations allowed under Roe. They voiced concern that the pending pro-abortion "Freedom of Choice Act" (S. 1173, H.R. 1964) in Congress would threaten advances made in limiting abortions.

"Bans on public funding [of abortion], laws requiring informed consent for women and parental involvement for minors, and other modest and widely supported laws have saved millions of lives. Laws made possible by reversing Roe would save many more," they said.

"On the other hand, this progress could be lost through a key pro-abortion proposal, the 'Freedom of Choice Act,' which supporters say would knock down hundreds of current pro-life laws and forbid any public program to 'discriminate' against abortion in providing services to women," Cardinal Rigali and Bishop Murphy said.

"By protecting the child's life to the maximum degree possible, improving life-affirming support for pregnant women, and changing the attitudes and prejudices imposed on many women to make them see abortion as an acceptable or necessary solution, we will truly help build a culture of life," they said.

The full text of the joint statement may be found at http://www.usccb.org/prolife/Rigali-Murphy-Joint-Statement.p....

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No compromises: Kansas State Bishops declare voting for abortion candidate is "evil"...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on August 12, 2008:

A vote cast for a politician who supports abortion and same-sex "marriage" is nothing less than casting a vote for "evil" says a state conference of Catholic bishops.

In a voter's guide released for the second time since 2006, the Kansas Catholic Bishops make it clear that Catholics would "commit moral evil" by voting for a candidate who embraces abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning, and same-sex "marriage," when a morally acceptable candidate is available.

The voter's guide signed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, bishops Ronald Gilmore of Dodge City, Paul Coakley of Salina, and Michael Jackels of Wichita sends a strong message to Catholics that advancing pro-abortion candidates and their aims is incompatible with the Catholic Faith. The statement means trouble not only for Catholic politicians like pro-abortion US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but also for the conservative Catholic Doug Kmiec, a well known constitutional law professor who endorsed BO
as a "natural" for the Catholic vote.

The bishops observe that "voting is a moral act" and that in some matters of morality, such as immigration, universal health care, and affordable housing, "the use of reason allows for a legitimate diversity in our prudential judgments."

Other acts, regardless of the motive or circumstances, always "involve doing evil" and must be opposed: "These choices include elective abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, the destruction of embryonic human beings in stem cell research, human cloning, and same-sex 'marriage.'"

"Such acts are judged to be intrinsically evil, that is, evil in and of themselves regardless of our motives or the circumstances. They constitute an attack against innocent human life, as well as marriage and family," state the bishops.

"In light of the above we would commit moral evil if we were to vote for a candidate who takes a permissive stand on those actions that are intrinsically evil when there is a morally-acceptable alternative."

Catholic voters have to bring a "correct conscience" on matters regarding innocent human life and the family even when faced with the choice of two unacceptable candidates.

"So when there is no choice of a candidate that avoids supporting intrinsically evil actions, especially elective abortion, we should vote in such a way as to allow the least harm to innocent human life and dignity," the bishops conclude.

"We would not be acting immorally therefore if we were to vote for a candidate who is not totally acceptable in order to defeat one who poses an even greater threat to human life and dignity."

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"It's time we stop accommodating pro-abortion politicians, and it's time we start demanding that they accommodate us." - Supreme Knight Carl Anderson

Supreme Knight of Columbus calls for Catholic revolt against abortion...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on August 6, 2008:

With an electrifying speech from the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus on Tuesday, the Catholic fraternal organization has begun mobilizing its members for one of the most ambitious political operations since Roe v. Wade: liberating the Catholic vote from pro-abortion politicians.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson addressed the 126th annual convention of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization, in Quebec City and pledged the Knights to fight abortion promoting politicians, who buy Catholic votes with their stand on other issues.

"We have heard a great deal this year about the need for change," said Anderson in a clear reference to the mantra of BO
, the presumptive pro-abortion nominee of the Democratic Party. "But at the same time we are told that one thing cannot change - namely, the abortion regime of Roe vs. Wade."

"It is time that we demand real change, and real change means the end of Roe vs. Wade," he said.

In contrast to other Catholic social justice issues like poverty and the death penalty, Anderson asked delegates, "What political issue could possibly outweigh this human devastation" of nearly 50 million abortion deaths in the US since 1973?

"The answer, of course, is that there is none," Anderson said.

He added, "Abortion is different. Abortion is the killing of the innocent on a massive scale."

"It is time to put away the arguments of political spin masters that only serve to justify abortion killing."

Anderson then committed the Knights to "end the political manipulation of Catholic voters by abortion advocates," whom he accused of entangling "Catholic people with abortion killing."

"It is time to stop creating excuses for pro-abortion candidates. Catholics should no longer be asked to be partners in the abortion regime by voting for politicians who support abortion."

"We will never succeed in building a culture of life if we continue to vote for politicians who defend and support a culture of death," said Anderson to thunderous applause from the assembly. "It is time that Catholics shine a bright line of separation between themselves and all those politicians of every political party who defend the abortion regime of Roe vs. Wade."

The Knights of Columbus speech comes at a critical time in this election year, especially with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again justifying her advocacy of abortion and same-sex "marriage" while publicly describing herself as a "faithful Catholic," despite the jarring juxtaposition.

In 2006, Pelosi and other pro-abortion leaders of the Democratic Party regained power in Congress by running a handful of pro-life Democrats and wooing back Catholic voters who supported George Bush on abortion and other social issues in 2004. However, Anderson says that this election cycle the Knights are determined to send both Democrats and Republicans this message: the pro-life vote is a Catholic vote and abortion advocates need not apply.

"Imagine if this year millions of Catholic voters simply said 'no' - 'no' to every candidate of every political party who supports abortion," he declared. "It's time we stop accommodating pro-abortion politicians, and it's time we start demanding that they accommodate us."

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

Knights of Columbus Calls on All 230,000 Members to Demand Morgentaler Award be Revoked
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08071712.html

Knights of Columbus Calls Pro-Gay "Marriage" Knights "Embarrassing"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07070605.html

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Pro-Abortion Politicians - "No we cannot vote for these people because for us the Supreme Law of God is the Ten Commandments - which is the Law written into human nature." - Cardinal Dziwisz

Interview with Pope John Paul II secretary: Catholics may not vote for pro-abortion politicians...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on June 26, 2008:

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz was personal secretary to Pope John Paul II. After the Pope's death he was appointed Archbishop of Kraków in 2005, and in 2006 was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Cardinal Dziwisz at the International Eucharistic Congress last week.

Asked if it was permissible for Catholics to vote for politicians who support abortion, Cardinal Dziwisz replied, "No we cannot vote for these people because for us the Supreme Law of God is the Ten Commandments - which is the Law written into human nature."

Asked about the European Union pressure on Poland to abandon its moral stands in favour of life, the Cardinal said: "Poland is the only country that, after years of abortion being practiced, abolished it when freedom arrived after the fall of communism. We absolutely want to keep this law which defends life - but all the liberal and leftist forces from Europe are against Poland.

"They say there is no freedom in Poland and that women are oppressed. However, we want to bring these (our) moral values to Europe because this is the richness of Europe. But they still don't understand. We hope that in the future they will understand that the real and true richness that Poland gives to Europe is faith, life and the family - a healthy family."

The Cardinal also encouraged the pro-life movement all over the world to remain active. "You can create a pro-life atmosphere. If the 'movement for life' is present in the world - this helps us (referring to the Church in Poland) and we help you from our position," he said.

On the discouragement sometimes felt in the pro-life movement, the Archbishop of Krakow said, "To win we need to pray, to pray, and this Congress gives us the way - we can renew ourselves by returning to Mass, going to adoration and confession."

Cardinal Dziwisz also spoke about homosexuality and the efforts to alter the definition of marriage. "Sin can never be a right or law. Herein is the ruin of a culture when sin is called 'normal'," he said. "We can never accept bad for good. We cannot share in sin."

"For us the Ten Commandments are important because they saved many peoples throughout the centuries and they will save them in the future," he added. "We cannot therefore abandon the Ten Commandments for other laws made democratically. We need to respect the laws of nature - respect the laws that the Lord gave us."

The former secretary to John Paul II was pleased to hear of LifeSiteNews.com editor John-Henry Westen's seven children. "Seven children, seven children," he said smiling. "You have a football (soccer) team - so your wife could be at one goalpost and you at the other and the children in between."

Concluding the interview, the Cardinal imparted his blessing on LifeSiteNews.com and handed the reporters a prayer card with the image of John Paul II and an embedded relic.

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Philadelphia Cardinal Rigali: One must believe what the Church teaches to receive Communion...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on June 19, 2008:

Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia is in Quebec City for the International Eucharistic Congress - a week-long event focusing on the Catholic belief that Christ Himself is present in Holy Communion.

Cardinal Rigali, who is also the President of the Pro-Life Committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, discussed with LifeSiteNews.com the issue of worthiness to receive Communion in the context of Catholics who support abortion and same-sex "marriage", contrary to Church teaching.

"We're talking about the very life of the church when we're talking about the Eucharist and participation in the Eucharist," said Cardinal Rigali. "St. Paul tells us that anyone who receives the Eucharist must be prepared. This is the apostolic catechesis."

"St. Justin in the second century tells us: 'The only people who are to go to Communion are people who believe everything we believe'. So it's a question of our faith."

The Cardinal referenced St. Paul warning that, "Anyone that approaches the body of Christ has to examine himself to see where he stands, because if you're not worthy then you're heaping condemnation on yourself."

The Cardinal noted that there are "many people who are confused on the faith, many people are confused on the issue of life." That is why, he said, "the Church has been putting in so much effort to try to clarify the absolute necessity to support, to promote, to cherish human life, and not to do anything to destroy it."

"We invite people to come to the Eucharist," he said, "but we are constantly reminding them 'just a moment now' this belongs to our tradition - the Eucharist is not just something we just receive; it's the body of Christ."

"We have to accept the teachings on the body of Christ and we have to accept the teaching of the body of Christ, which is the Church, on other things to be fully worthy," he said.

While he said that the prime responsibility is that of the person to examine himself before God regarding his worthiness to receive Communion, Cardinal Rigali added that "obviously the Church has an obligation to safeguard the Eucharist against abuses."

"We teach children who prepare for first Holy Communion to be worthy, to be in the state of grace," he said. "That's what we tell everybody - you have to be in the state of grace."

He concluded: "To be in the state of grace you must embrace what the Church embraces, you have to embrace the faith of the Church, and you're not free to receive the Eucharist if you don't embrace the faith of the Church. This is St. Paul, this is St. Justin, this is the whole history of the Church."

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"It is my intention . . . to have similar pastoral dialogues with other Catholics in elective office who support legalized abortion"

Archbishop Naumann defends his call for pro-abortion politicians to refrain from Communion...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on May 27, 2008:

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City on Friday published a question and answer explanation and defense of his May 9 public request to Governor Kathleen Sebelius to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until repenting of her political support for abortion. The Archbishop also confirmed plans to address other pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

"In this column, I want to provide you with my responses to some of the more common questions and misunderstandings regarding my pastoral action." wrote the Archbishop in the diocesan newspaper The Leaven.

"Governor Sebelius holds the highest elective office in the state of Kansas, making her the most prominent Catholic in public life," responded the archbishop to accusations of "singling out" Sebelius.

"It is a time-intensive process to enter into verbal and written dialogue, as is necessary, to insure a person is aware of the spiritual and moral consequences of their actions, as well as to understand the scandal their actions cause for others."

"It is my intention eventually, as much as the limitations of my own time permit, to have similar pastoral dialogues with other Catholics in elective office who support legalized abortion," added the Archbishop.

Naumann went on to explain why Sebelius' abortion support is particularly scandalous, i.e. capable of leading others to sin through bad example.

"Governor Sebelius' public support for legalized abortion, as a Catholic, naturally leads others to question the moral gravity of abortion. In effect, her actions and advocacy for legalized abortion, coupled with her reception of holy Communion, have said to other Catholics: 'I am a good Catholic and I support legalized abortion. You can be a good Catholic and support legalized abortion.'"

Sebelius is known as an aggressive supporter of radical abortion "rights" and has vetoed a number of pieces of common-sense legislation over the years that would have reigned in an out-of-control abortion industry in Kansas. As a result, abortion mills remain uninspected in spite of documented substandard conditions, and abortion laws meant to protect women and viable babies remain unenforced.

Sebelius has close ties to abortionist George R. Tiller, who has funneled huge amounts of campaign contributions to Sebelius in the past. Tiller currently faces 19 criminal charges, a grand jury investigation, and two open investigations with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts for criminal conduct and violations of the standard of care. Nevertheless, Sebelius remains supportive of Tiller and his notorious abortion business.

The Archbishop also refuted "pro-choice" rhetoric contending that a Catholic politician could be personally opposed to abortion while still supporting a woman's "right to choose."

"Freedom of choice is not an absolute value. All of our laws limit our choices. I am not free to drive while intoxicated or to take another's property or to assault someone else. My freedom ends when I infringe on the more basic rights of another."

Naumann also rejected accusations that bishops have been using the Eucharist in a political attack on the Democratic Party and approvingly cited the example of Cardinal Edward Egan's request for pro-abortion Republican Rudy Giuliani to refrain from Communion.

"I encourage Catholics who are Democrats to remain Democrats, but to change the extremist position of the party on abortion. If the majority of Catholic Democrats objected to the platform of the party supporting legalized abortion, it would change tomorrow," added the Archbishop.

While not yet requiring ministers of the Eucharist to deny Sebelius Holy Communion, the Archbishop left open the possibility of such a mandate in the future.

"I have, at this moment, not asked the ministers of the Eucharist not to give holy Communion to the governor."

In his letter titled "Worthiness to receive Holy Communion," then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote that a Catholic politician who would vote for "permissive abortion and euthanasia laws" after being duly instructed and warned, "must" be denied Communion. Ratzinger's letter explained that if such a politician "with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it."

See the archbishop's full article on the issue:

Governor’s Veto Prompts Pastoral Action
http://www.theleaven.com/columnists/archbishop_naumann.htm

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Archbishop Publicly Tells Pro-Abortion Kansas Governor Not to Receive Communion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08051001.html

Bishop: Denying Communion to Obstinate Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians "in many cases becomes the right decision and the only choice"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07013109.html

Abortion-Politician-Communion Scandal Shows Real Lack of Pastoral Concern - Editorial
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08052102.html

Read the Archbishop's Q&A:
http://cjonline.com/stories/052308/bre_communion.shtml

Read the Ratzinger on denying Holy Communion:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/apr/050419a.html

To contact the Archbishop for addressing pro-abortion politicians:

Archbishop Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann
12615 Parallel Parkway
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-1570
FAX: (913) 721-1577
Email: archkck@archkck.org

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New York Cardinal Egan slams Giuliani for receiving Communion at Papal Mass - demands meeting...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 28, 2008:

The decision by several prominent pro-abortion politicians to publicly receive Holy Communion at papal Masses during the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI, despite clear Church teaching that says that their reception of Communion would constitute a grave sacrilege, may have backfired. While at first it seemed like it would be business as usual, today Cardinal Edward Egan of New York issued a statement condemning the reception of Holy Communion by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The Archdiocese informed LifeSiteNews.com that the issue is being brought forward publicly at this time "because it has become a public issue and a public question."

"The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God," said Egan. "Throughout my years as Archbishop of New York, I have repeated this teaching in sermons, articles, addresses, and interviews without hesitation or compromise of any kind."

He continued, "Thus it was that I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion."

"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York," said Egan, "and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding."

Responding to the matter in the press, Giuliani said that his faith "is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential."

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, responded, "The Catholic faith is not simply about one's private and confidential relationship with God. It's public, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Giuliani received Communion in public. Mr. Giuliani's support of legal abortion is also public. That's why Cardinal Egan's remarks are entirely appropriate, as is his expectation that Mr. Giuliani abide by those remarks."

The Pope, just prior to his elevation to the pontificate, issued a document to the US Bishops which outlined that in keeping with Church teaching, pro-abortion politicians who present themselves for communion even after being warned not to "must" be denied communion.

LifeSiteNews.com asked Joseph Zwilling, Director Office of Communications at the Archdiocese of New York, if there had been any communication on the matter between the Pope or Vatican and the Archdiocese. Zwilling replied, "No."

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Ottawa Archbishop explains why pro-abortion politicians are denied Communion...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 14, 2008:

The mainstream media has picked up on comments by Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast regarding reception of Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians. However, one part of the discussion which has received little discussion is the reason why the Church would deny politicians reception of Communion.

"The Code of Canon Law says in #915 that 'those whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin," explains the religious leader of Canada's national capital,"are not to be admitted to Holy Communion'."

"What is at issue is whether a politician who does not himself or herself participate in an abortion but supports 'a woman's right to choose' (or however else shows support for abortion) is guilty of grave sin and then obstinately persists in this state of grave sin."

Archbishop Prendergast stresses that denying Holy Communion is undertaken out of concern for the offending Catholic (politician in the case at hand). "The Church's concern is for anyone who persists in grave sin, hoping that medicinal measures (which is how excommunication and interdict are to be understood) may draw them away from the wrong path to the truth of our faith."

The Ottawa prelate points out how Christians from the beginning were told of the need to be in good standing with the faith before receiving Communion. "(St.) Paul said that before receiving communion a Christian should take part in self-examination and only then receive the Body of the Lord after necessary conversion (1 Cor 11:28)."

Prendergast has no dislike for politicians, in fact just the opposite. "I deeply admire politicians for their desire to serve the public good and to make the many sacrifices necessary to win public office and to give themselves to public service," he says, adding, "They ought to be motivated by a concern for justice, good order, the public good, etc."

He notes however that "One of the greatest areas for effecting justice is the support of life in the womb and through all stages of life. Abortion goes against the Church's understanding, based on the teaching of Jesus, on the inviolability of innocent human life - including the unborn - and of the obligation of public servants to protect the weakest in society. It is hard to see how the support of abortion is not a very grave evil."

The decision to take "medicinal" remedies, says the Archbishop, is not taken lightly, and is simply an attempt at direct intervention with the politicians. "Perhaps politicians embrace the support of a woman's right to choose unthinkingly, following party policy; this is where the church with the help of its pastors and through fellow believers needs to come to the assistance of those who serve the public good," he said.

"It may take time to work with political figures before one can conclude that they are obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin and that, therefore, denial of communion or of encouraging them not to present themselves for communion is reached as the medicinal remedy to draw them back to the way of Christ, Our Lord, the Way, the Truth and the Life."

One other consideration in addressing seriously such grave violations of Church teaching is scandal. "If one were to allow Catholic political (or other public) figures to freely espouse abortion without drawing to their attention that this is a grave evil," explained Archbishop Prendergast, "other believers might be tended to accept this, not knowing any better and be led on the wrong path: that is what 'scandal' is. One must do everything possible to prevent others from falling away from the path of Christ - i.e. from being scandalized."

See related LifeSiteNews articles:

Pope Supports Excommunication for Pro-Abortion Politicians - "Incompatible with Receiving Communion"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07050901.html

Second U.S. Bishop Says Vatican Letter on Pro-Abort Politicians Withheld from Bishops
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/aug/04080603.html

Cardinal McCarrick Continues to Conceal Rome's Insistence that Pro-Abort Politicians Be Denied Communion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06102310.html

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Archbishop Burke says ministers are "held, under pain of mortal sin, to deny the sacraments to the unworthy"

Archbishop Burke preaches tough Communion rule: Turn away abortion-rights backers under pain of mortal sin...

The Columbus Dispatch reported on October 1, 2007:

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, a veteran of clashes between Catholic bishops and politicians, has attempted for years to enlist fellow bishops to deny Holy Communion to wayward politicians.

Now, the conservative cleric is invoking the church's highest punishment -- mortal sin -- to persuade the lay and ordained Catholics who distribute Communion at Mass to safeguard the sacrament.

Drawing on the works of the late Italian Jesuit scholar Felice Cappello, Burke says those ministers are "held, under pain of mortal sin, to deny the sacraments to the unworthy."

That argument could place Communion ministers on the frontlines of the "wafer wars" as the 2008 presidential race heats up, and as bishops debate a document on "faithful citizenship."

"It is clear that church discipline places an obligation on the minister of Holy Communion to refuse Holy Communion to persons known, by the public, to be in mortal sin," Burke writes in a new journal article.

Burke lays out his case like a legal brief in Periodica de re Canonica, a journal widely read in seminaries and published by Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, an elite school for Catholic clergy.

"No matter how often a bishop or priest repeats the teaching of the church regarding procured abortion, if he stands by and does nothing to discipline a Catholic who publicly supports legislation permitting the gravest of injustices, and, at the same time, presents himself to receive Holy Communion, then his teachings ring hollow," Burke writes.

A former top official in the Signatura, the Vatican's high court, and a noted expert in canon law, Burke previously has kicked off public debates over policing the Communion rail. While bishop of La Crosse, Wis., he ordered clergy to refuse to offer the sacrament to certain pro-abortion-rights politicians.

In 2004, Burke and a handful of other bishops said they would refuse Communion to presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Burke also said Catholics who voted for pro-abortion-rights politicians, such as Kerry, should refrain from taking the sacrament until they confessed their "mortal sin."

In his new article, the archbishop explicitly criticizes his fellow bishops, the majority of whom voted in 2004 to leave the Communion decision up to individual bishops.

Burke retorts: "The question regarding the objective state of Catholic politicians who knowingly and willingly hold opinions contrary to natural moral law would hardly seem to change from place to place."

The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of the influential conservative Catholic journal First Things, called Burke's article "a scholarly tour de force."

"The (archbishop's) concern is not a political concern," Neuhaus said. "The article is about, how does the church preserve the sanctity of the Holy Eucharist?"

But the article is ambiguous in some areas, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center in Washington.

If Burke is calling on Communion ministers to disobey their bishops and deny Communion to Catholic politicians, it would be "revolutionary" and "encourage anarchy," Reese said.

"Most bishops do not want ministers of Communion playing policeman at the Communion rail," he added. "This is a significant change in focus. Suddenly, you're going to have a few thousand decisionmakers in parishes across the country."

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of St. Louis said Burke was unavailable to comment on this article.

"The discipline and rules set down by My Son and those He chose to write the Book of life and love must be adhered to. We direct, in the name of the Trinity, that you bishops and cardinals of the world must use your full powers as hierarchy to excommunicate and defrock all who seek to dethrone My Son and destroy the Faith!" - Our Lady of the Roses, August 21, 1974

"The Eternal City of Rome must now take action by those in rule, the cardinals and the bishops, to restore this city to the light. Those who seek to build a church of man must be removed by the power of excommunication given to those who rule as representatives in My houses, churches upon your earth.
     "As it was in the time of Noe, as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrha, so shall it be upon your earth. Man shall be permitted to fall fast into the abyss. Why? Because he has hardened his heart and closed his ears to the truth. He has given himself to all manners of pleasures of the flesh. Sin has become a way of life in your country and in the countries throughout your earth.
     "The children of God, the candles upon earth, My child, shall suffer much persecution from the agents of darkness.
     "Man runs amiss, My child. He scatters the sheep. He seeks peace where there is no peace. He is going farther into darkness.
     "You shall not gather your flocks, My pastors, by compromising your Faith! You shall not gather the flocks for the Eternal Father in Heaven by giving yourselves to the world, by adopting humanism and modernism as your guide.
     "It is a simple lesson of faith that you must give to the children and to all in your care. As pastor you shall stand before Me and shall you say to Me that your teaching has been pure in My sight? Amen I say unto you, I shall cast you from Me and send you into the abyss. As you sow, so shall you reap." - Jesus, December 31, 1975

Directives from Heaven... https://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

D146 - Honor the Eucharist, Part 1 PDF
D147 - Honor the Eucharist, Part 2 PDF
D186 - Excommunication PDF

Articles...

Archbishop Burke: Bishops must discipline pro-abortion Catholic politicians
https://www.tldm.org/News11/ArchbishopBurkeDisciplineProAbortCatholicPoliticians.htm

Pope Benedict supports excommunication for pro-abortion politicians: "Incompatible with receiving Communion"
https://www.tldm.org/News10/PopeExcommunicateDenyCommunionToProAbortCatholicPoliticians.htm

Pope Benedict XVI says that refusing Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians is a "doctrine of the Church"
https://www.tldm.org/News7/Ratzinger3.htm

Honduran Cardinal: "A politician who publicly supports abortion, he excommunicates himself"
https://www.tldm.org/News10/HonduranCardinalCommunionMustBeDenied.htm

Pope Benedict warns pro-abortion politicians against receiving Communion unworthily
https://www.tldm.org/News10/PopeUnworthyCommunion.htm

Catholics must be free of grave sin to receive Holy Communion
https://www.tldm.org/News6/ReceptionofCommunion.htm

Archbishop Burke: more profoundly sorrowful would be a bishop who failed "to safeguard the worthy reception of Communion"
https://www.tldm.org/news6/Burke2.htm

Sacrilegious Communion and the U.S. bishops
https://www.tldm.org/News6/sacrilege.htm

Austrian Bishop Lugner says mall owner excommunicated for providing space for abortion clinic
https://www.tldm.org/News10/AbortionBishop%20Lugner.htm

Bishop Henry says he would refuse Prime Minister Holy Communion, would consider excommunication
https://www.tldm.org/News7/AbortionBishopHenry.htm

Links...

Bishops and bald eagles, Judie Brown, March 2, 2007
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/brown/070302

Cardinal Ratzinger said, "The minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it." He did not say 'could,' or 'may,' but that he "must," Barbara Kralis, July 6, 2004
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/kralis/040706

Prohibition is worthless without enforcement, Barbara Kralis, June 24, 2004
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/kralis/040624

Is not murder just as evil as lust in the eyes of God? Barbara Kralis, June 8, 2004
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/kralis/040607

Ten questions regarding the denial of the Eucharist, Barbara Kralis, May 24, 2004
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/kralis/040524

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