By Deacon Keith Fournier
Published: 02-23-09
His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Churchs consistent teaching on the dignity of human life.
ROME (Catholic Online) - Following the much anticipated event of the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi meeting with the Holy Father the Vatican issued the release set forth below in both English and Italian.
The release was first posted Stateside by Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggia. Now all major news sources have picked up this important story.
Catholic Online (
www.catholic.org)
The Speakers office released a statement later on Wednesday concerning this meeting. It is set forth in full after the Vaticans initial statement. The Holy Sees statement was issued immediately after the meeting.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States the Speaker of the House was pleased to greet him and use the public gesture of kissing his ring a sign of respect for his Petrine office. She has regularly called herself an ardent Catholic. Yet her position on the fundamental human rights issue of our age the right to life from conception to natural death and at every age and stage is often in direct opposition to the truths revelealed by the Natural Law and the infallible teaching of her own Church.
Catholic Online will be following all the developments surrounding this story throughout the day.
Vatican Statement
Following the General Audience the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs. Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the United States House of Representatives together with her entourage.
His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Churchs consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics and especially legislators jurists and those responsible for the common good of society to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development. (emphasis added)
Later on Wednesday the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi released her own statement. As one can see it is quite a different recounting of this important meeting:
Speaker Pelosi Statement
It is with great joy that my husband Paul and I met with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today.
In our conversation I had the opportunity to praise the churchs leadership in fighting poverty hunger and global warming as well as the Holy Fathers dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel.
I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph of my familys papal visit in the 1950s as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren."
Vaticans Archbishop Burke No Communion for Catholic Politicians who Support Abortion
By Hilary White
2/5/2009
A Catholic who publicly and after admonition supports pro-abortion legislation is not to receive Holy Communion and is not to be given Holy Communion.
ROME (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke in an exclusive interview last week told LifeSiteNews.com that the issue of pro-abortion politicians continuing to receive Holy Communion is still one of major concern and that it is the duty of bishops to ensure that they are refused.
He told LifeSiteNews.com I dont understand the continual debate that goes on about it. Theres not a question that a Catholic who publicly and after admonition supports pro-abortion legislation is not to receive Holy Communion and is not to be given Holy Communion.
The Churchs law is very clear said Archbishop Burke who was appointed last year by Pope Benedict XVI as the head of the Churchs highest court the Apostolic Signatura. The person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion and it Canon Law doesnt say that the bishop shall decide this. Its an absolute.
Among the US bishops directly to address the issue Archbishop Burke was one of around a dozen who vigorously supported a directive of the Vatican that said pro-abortion Catholic politicians must be refused Holy Communion if they attempt to receive at Mass. Others have refused to abide by the Vatican instruction and the Churchs own Code of Canon Law saying they would rather focus on education of such politicians.
Archbishop Burke called nonsense the accusation regularly made by some bishops that refusing Holy Communion makes the Communion rail a political battle ground. In fact he said the precise opposite is true. The politician who insists on being seen receiving Holy Communion despite his opposition to the Churchs central teachings is using that reception for political leverage.
In 2004 when self-proclaimed Catholic and candidate for the Democrat party Sen. John Kerry was frequently photographed receiving Holy Communion despite his vigorous support of abortion the US Bishops Conference issued a document which said only that it is up to individual bishops whether to implement the Churchs code of Canon Law and refuse Communion. The issue has remained prominent with the appointment of Joe Biden another pro-abortion Catholic politician as Vice President of the United States of America.
Archbishop Burke recalled previous experiences with Kerry pointing to the several occasions when the senator was pictured in Time magazine receiving Communion from Papal representatives at various public events. Burke said that it is clear that Kerry was using his reception of Holy Communion to send a message.
He wants to not only receive Holy Communion from a bishop but from the papal representative. I think thats what his point was. Get it in Time magazine so people read it and say to themselves He must be in good standing.
What are they doing? Theyre using the Eucharist as a political tool.
In refusing far from politicising the Eucharist the Church is returning the matter to its religious reality. The most important reasons to refuse he said are pastoral and religious in nature.
The Holy Eucharist the most sacred reality of our life in the Church has to be protected against sacrilege. At the same time individuals have to be protected for the sake of their own salvation from committing one of the gravest sins namely to receive Holy Communion unworthily.
Archbishop Burke also dismissed the commonly proffered excuse that such politicians need more education. Speaking from his own direct experience he said that Catholic politicians who are informed by their pastors or bishops that their positions in support of pro-abortion legislation makes it impossible for them to receive Holy Communion Ive always found that they dont come forward.
When you talk to these people they know he said. They know what theyre doing is very wrong. They have to answer to God for that but why through our pastoral negligence add on to that that they have to answer to God for who knows how many unworthy receptions of Holy Communion?
Archbishop Burke said that the issue had been debated enough. He rejected the idea that the matter should be left to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops saying the Conference has no authority in the matter. This is a law of the universal Church and it should be applied.
I think this argument too is being used by people who dont want to confront the issue this whole wait til the Conference decides...well the Conference has been discussing this since at least 2004. And nothing happens.
When asked what the solution was he responded Individual bishops and priests simply have to do their duty. They have to confront politicians Catholic politicians who are sinning gravely and publicly in this regard. And thats their duty.
And if they carry it out not only can they not be reproached for that but they should be praised for confronting this situation.
