Report: No Communion Order to Follow Sebelius to Washington

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As an agnostic, I believe that the Catholic Church should throw anyone who doesn't strictly follow all the rules and teachings of the Catholic Church out of the Church. Refuse communion and keep them out of all Church organizations. By reducing the their faith to absolute adherence, they will reduce it to absurdity and millions will "see the light" and leave a failed and anachronistic organization that's based more on political control than true spiritual faith. Go for it! Control every aspect of their lives.

thebob.bob of OR 9:09AM March 28, 2009

How can a bishop decide that Kathleen Sebelius is not in the state of grace? That is up to God---and not up to bishops who may be guilty of transferring clerical child molesters from parish to parish. Perhaps such bishops should refrain from receiving Holy Communion.

Patrick of NY 8:31PM March 27, 2009

It is perfectly possible to be in public office, be anti-abortion personally but pro-Roe v. Wade. The logic of this is that any elected Catholic office holder who has the authority to do so, should work tirelessly for programs to assist pregnant women who are desperate so that they need not feel the need to chose an abortion. And, it also saves the lives of women, whom God also loves contrary to right-wing radical religious views, who do have an abortion. Even women who chose abortion as a birth control method. To insist that there is only one answer to the abortion question is to see the problem in black and white. Which,as had been said before, ignores the important grey matter in between.

Cambria of CA 1:32PM March 27, 2009

The governor and other political figures are free to leave the Catholic Church anytime.
They do not have to stay. By declaring themselves Catholic it should mean they completely adhere to all of the precepts of the Catholic Church.
For any reason they do not want to adhere to the Catholic Church's teaching there are numerous protestant churches to choose from.
That was the foundation of the protestant reformation. There is freedom of choice, they can use it.
Their selfishness is they expect the Catholic Church to change to accommodate the cafeteria selections.
The Catholic Church has never changed it's standards. The church has maintained the same rights and wrongs threw the centuries.
What has changed in the last 50 years is the faith of the Catholic Church has not been taught. Therefore we members of the Catholic Church do not understand our faith.
Are you bishops listening? The young people are leaving because they do not have anything to hold onto. They do not understand what it means to be Catholic.
This is in so many cases, the politicians support immoral choices. They are more concerned with holding political office than supporting the standards of the Catholic Church.

Barbara of ID 12:33PM March 27, 2009

The writer doubts Governor Sebilius will present herself for Holy Communion but that is precisely why this has garnered controversy. Archbishop Naumann privately asked the Governor to refrain from receiving Holy Communion. This was not public information and if she did as she was asked, no one to this day would ever know. The fact that she did so required a public statement on the part of the Archbishop. People are criticizing the Archbishop but he tried to do this privately and without fanfare. It was the Governor's choice to disregard his request that caused all the furor that has resulted. Few people seem to recognize this.

An informed Catholic of KS 9:55AM March 27, 2009

The term "cafeteria Catholic" is not limited to those who are at odds with the Church's teaching on abortion. Anyone who picks and chooses what to believe or adhere to among the church's teachings is classified as a "cafeteria Catholic".
Many people believe they are 'properly catechized' because they oppose abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage, while at the same time they support unjust war, unjust wages or torture.
It cuts both ways.

Consistent of OH 9:54PM March 26, 2009

When it suits their purpose, these Church prelates choose to mix Church with State - and when it suits their purpose to not - as in Latin America when priests took political stands to protest human rights violations due to the Vatican's narrow view of the Catholic priesthood's role - demonstrates an extremely hypocritical posture. But this of course, is nothing new about Rome. The Vatican - and other prelates - do this consistently with oppressing women, ordaining former married Episcopal priests into the Roman Catholic priesthood but not allowing their own laicized married priests to re-enter active ministry, and for making grand moral statements when the ranks of our bishops are morally bankrupt in their own sins around the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and then covering up these crimes so that civil prosecution could not take place.
I am so sick and tired of these bishops who have really no moral ground to stand on themselves, dictating to others what they themselves do not profess. In truth, it is against U.S. Constituional Law for any Federal politician to impose his/her own religious beliefs in his/her exercize of his/her office.
This is not medieval Europe. Ms. S's responsibility is to carry out the law that has already been legislated. But of course, the bishops in the Catholic Church do not understand U.S. Constitutional Law or the ethical dangers of violating that law. Ms. S has already stated that she is against abortion - but that she cannot impose her own religious beliefs in the exercize of the duties to which she has sworn an oath to carry out.
If the Catholic Bishops want to see the law changed that support abortions and stem cell research, then they need to get off their fat duffs, roll up their sleeves, and do the grunt work along with the rest of us lowly beings.

Tanana of WA 9:39PM March 26, 2009

I need to make some corrections to the comments. 1)Archbishop Burke did not apologize for his remarks but for the way in which Randall Terry used them in calling for the removal of two bishops. Burke makes his valid points through rational argument, not through engaging in public attempts to unseat bishops. He is probably the target of a lot more mud than he slings. He asks Catholcs to ask there bishops, not to resign, but to tell Catholics who publically deny Church teachings not to receive communion, period.
2) A simple glance at the Guttmacher report will correct the statement that 76% of abortions are performed for economic reasons. 73% of women having abortins said not being able to afford a child was a factor in their decision, but only 23% said it was the main factor. I do agree with the commenter's point about making sure women can afford to have and raise children; the Church, through numerous charities, probably helps the poor more than any other non-governmental organization in the whole world. We serve women and children through pregnancy centers, hospitals, charity clinics, food pantries, soup kitchens, etc. These servicess may help prevent some abortions and some other crimes as well. But we don't decide to prevent bank robbery solely through preventing the poverty that may lie behind it. We try to prevent the poverty, and we also make bank robbery illegal. We must do the same with abortion: work to eliminate its underlying causes but legally protect children and their mothers as well. Finally, abortion is not a faith issue but a fundamental human rights issue. Science shows that the child in the womb is a human being; if it does not die naturally or is not killed it will develop into a baby, a child, an adult and an old person. Just as the teenager is the same person when he or she is old, the unborn child is the same person as the teenager and old person he will grow to be. He or she is perfectly innocent and has the same absolute right not to be killed as any other innocent person.

Carolyn McMurray of VT 8:34PM March 26, 2009

The denial of communion to a person who considers himself or herself a Catholic but obstinately refuses to acknowledge or live by Church teaching is necessary A Catholic who denies Church teachings has freelyc hosen to break his or her communion with the Church and should stay away from the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is not only the reception of the body and blood of Christ but a sign of our unity as His body on earth. In most cases, we do not judge, allowing the person to decide whether he or she should receive. When the refusal to acknowledge and live by Church teachings is, however, public and repeated, as in Ms. Sebelius's case, the Church has the duty, first to ask her privately not to receive, then, if she continues , to ask her publicly, as Archbishop Naumann has done, and finally to deny her communion. The Church has that duty, not to punish her, but to call her to return to unity. It also has the duty to prevent scandal, the confusion that results when the actions of some members confuse other Catholics about what is right and wrong. Sebelius and other Catholic politicians and pundits are working hard to sow this confusion, with the result that children who could have been saved from abortion,are killed and mothers who should have been helped to have and raise their children are mourning them instead.

Carolyn McMurray of VT 8:16PM March 26, 2009

If you haven't heard, Burke is apologizing for how his remarks were used and any pain he has caused his brother bishops.
I hope he likes purple, because he won't be wearing red anytime soon. At least Terry did not mention the embarrassing fact that His Holiness gave Giuliani Communion when he offerred Mass in New York.

Michael Bindner of VA 4:44PM March 26, 2009