The U.S. bishops’ conference could be given a vote this June on whether to draft and publish a document addressing the question of administering the Eucharist to pro-choice Catholic politicians. The document could be finalized and approved as early as November, sources tell The Pillar.
The USCCB’s administrative committee discussed on Tuesday a path forward for a proposed document on “Eucharistic coherence,” several sources within the bishops’ conference told The Pillar. A plan to develop the statement had the approval of a majority of the committee’s members, sources confirmed.
According to sources present at the meeting, the document would address the Code of Canon Law’s canon 915, which prohibits those who “obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin” from admittance to Holy Communion. The canon’s relevance to Catholics politicians supportive of legal protection or public funding for abortion has been a matter of disagreement among U.S. bishops.
One source told The Pillar the intended statement would be “much broader” than canon 915, but would address the question.
Such a document was first proposed by a short-term working group on the Biden administration, launched in November by conference president Archbishop Jose Gomez. The idea has since been passed on to the conference committee on doctrine.
On March 1, Gomez sent a memo to U.S. bishops, which said the doctrine committee had been asked to develop a proposal for a statement on “Eucharistic coherence.” Such a statement would aim to “strengthen an understanding and deepen a common faith in the gift that has been given to us in the Sacrament of the Altar.”
The proposal would be considered by the USCCB’s administrative committee, as happened this week, and then the full body of bishops, Gomez said.
Full story at The Pillar .
Gregory, Cupich, Tobin, McElroy and their allies will either kill the document or ensure that it’s so ambiguous that it has no teeth and no value. Nothing is preventing any bishop from enforcing Canon 915 in his own diocese right now. USCCB not needed.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Anonymous 9:20 am.
Yes, any competent and faithful bishop would be able to compose a policy statement this afternoon applying canon 915 to politicians and anyone else who persist in supporting laws that continue or expand abortion. I believe many bishops around the country within one day condemned the fake “insurrection” at the Capitol on January 6. Evidently that was an episcopal priority. See the difference in the way bishops respond? Hmm….
Cardinal Tobin on his opposition to reproductive freedom act in NJ
https://www.nj.com/opinion/2021/03/cardinal-tobin-why-the-catholic-church-opposes-the-reproductive-freedom-act-opinion.html
Let’s be honest and simply say pro-abortion. Why is abortion the only issue where we call someone “pro-choice?” Death penalty supporters are not called “pro-choice,” they’re called pro-death penalty, yet, they don’t believe that all persons should be put to the death. They believe that only murderers and states they live in “choose” death. The matter of the choice being made is critical, essential and should always be identified.
And, are not Catholics “pro-choice” in education, vaccination, and more?
Better get a good background in traditional Catholic teaching on abortion and the death penalty. Total opposition to the death penalty carried out by the state, for very dangerous criminals convicted of henious crimes like murder, is very recent in Church history, starting with the reign of Pope St. John Paul II. However, the crime of murdering innocent, unborn babies in their mothers’ wombs, has always been viewed as extremely evil, a mortal sin. You can tell the difference between the two– can’t you?? Abortion is an extremely horrific crime, taking the life of an innocent baby in its mother’s womb! Unthinkable! Baby Murderers should rightfully be excommunicated! In a good society, with a true moral conscience, Abortion is correctly viewed as Murder– with appropriate punishments.
I am in no way comparing the two. Did you miss my point? It’s about the term “pro-choice” being applied only to abortion, without a mention of the subject matter. The term “pro-choice” is never applied to education, religion, vaccinations, the death penalty, taxes, the border, firearms ownership, racism or a large number of issues (none, in fact, that I can think of). The term “pro-choice” is used by those who are pro-abortion in order to avoid the use of the word abortion, which many people realize is the horrendous choice to kill an innocent baby (and violate her or his mother).
The term “pro choice” was invented by abortion supporters, when abortion was made legal in the U.S., in 1973. That was their moniker. Maybe now, you want to invent another use of that term.
Not a good idea, to confuse the abortion supporters’ term, “pro choice,” the choice of a Mother to to kill her baby by abortion, if she wants— with other choices to make, some of which might be positive. Too confusing. Instead, you can say that you are “pro-education,” or “pro-vaccination,” or whatever.
Please watch this thundering homily by Fr. William Kosco of St. Henry Parish, Buckeye, AZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BefWRj0c6pI
We already have Canon 915. What more do these bishops need, to do their jobs correctly? A good moral conscience, backbone, and a desire to do their jobs correctly for Christ, has been missing among these bishops, for years, since the close of the Council! Will their current strategy work? I bet it will fail!
Unnamed sources. No attribution to authorship. Grain of salt.
Why is there a single square host in the paten? Is that the gluten-free one?
It is round. You may be confused by the shadow of the chalices on it.
Sorry. I see it now.
i googled ‘square host” and the first hit was “Dick Clark’s New years Rockin’ Eve”
LOL
There are low-gluten communion wafers (Catholics cannot use gluten free) for sale on ebay. They are square and look like one in the picture.
The Host, the Bread of Life, does not have to be round and disk-like.
The matter of which it is made does matter, not the shape.
According to Canon Law:
Can. 924 §1. The most holy eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed.
§2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.
§3. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.
Of course, if Cardinal Burke or another canonist would like to correct me, I’m open to learning.
Each bishop is competent in his own diocese to teach the truth of the church without regard to the conference. He does not need a vote by a conference and is not subject to its decision. Expect bishops to be all over the map on this according to their personal beliefs and interpretations of the Bible and the catechism which will not impede some to do as they please
If abortion is against God’s law, why is the death penalty not also? Granted, the death penalty is only for first degree murder or treason. In imposing a death penalty, the government assumes a power given only to God.
I believe there is a difference between pro abortion and pro choice. I am anti-abortion but believe under secular law [but not divine] one can choose a legal abortion.
Are you pro-choice regarding slavery? Robbery? Embezzlement? Racism? What your post amounts to saying is that abortion is legal, therefore it is a legally permissible choice, which is a tautology. Ask yourself the prior question of whether legal abortion is a good or a bad law? A moral or an immoral law? A just or an unjust law? Ask yourself the foundational question of what the purpose of laws are. Can a law be evaluated by some higher standard than it merely being the law, duly enacted by vote or by legislative decree? Are there duly enacted laws that should be reversed? When you ask and answer those questions correctly, you’ll see that abortion isn’t a narrowly Catholic or religious matter; it pertains to whether America is a just society, with laws that promote and protect individual natural rights and the common good.
mikem– your beliefs make no difference. Different countries with different religions and different laws, make no difference. To take the life of a helpless little Child, made by God– born or unborn — is called: Murder! How about the Muslim custom of Honor Killings of women and girls in a family? If our country recognized Honor Killings as “legal,” or as the “right” of a Muslim family to carry out on its females, as a “custom”—- would you accept that– since it is “legal??” You need a good Moral Conscience– not blind acceptance of a law! Go rescue those poor little innocent babies! Join 40 Days for Life!! Save the babies from. abortion– Murder!– down at Satanic Planned Parenthood!
Mike M is utterly confused.
mikem, capital punishment for certain henious crimes, is stipulated by the Old Testanent. The Catholic Church had always traditionally accepted the use of the death penalty, by societies, for certain henious crimes. Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis give reasons for their belief in abolition of the death penalty, in today’s era. On Aug. 2, 2018, Pope Francis had No. #2267 in the Catechism changed, to state that the Catholic Church’s teaching on the death penalty was now changed– the death penalty is now no longer acceptable for any reason at all, in today’s society. Not all theologians agree on this change, however. Some leading theologians strongly believe that the Pope cannot change our Catechism.
To all above comments abortion is murder.
Many good comments above. Fr. Richard succinctly nails it, though.
Card.Joseph Tobin of NJ, responding to a question if he agreed with Bp. McElroy’s statement on the pre-eminence of abortion as an intrinsic evil, said, “I think Bishop McElroy was warning against exclusive choices, either/or, or highlighting something to the point that other issues disappear.
“If I understood his intention correctly, he was right,” he added.
Yes, Card. To in has just been appointed by PF for overseeing the selection and appointment of bishops…?
Card. Tobin, correction to typo above
As you might expect– the huge, beautiful old monastery where I worked baking Altar Breads one summer, when young– is now torn down and remodeled into a great big new complex of three luxury condo high rises, of abput 300 condos each, several restaurants, gyms, and other businesses. They are still tearing down and converting more parts of the old monastery, into more businesses! All the construction is supposed to be finally wrapped up, by the end of this year. Guess the archdiocese made lots of money off the sale of that gorgeous, holy place! Most of the nuns are probably all in their graves. The younger nuns transfered years ago, to other monasteries. The Catholic Church has a sad post-Conciliar epitaph…