Vatican warns US bishops over get-tough Communion proposals
Source: Associated Press
Vatican warns US bishops over get-tough Communion proposals
By DAVID CRARY
May 10, 2021
The head of the Vaticans doctrine office is warning U.S. bishops to deliberate carefully and minimize divisions before proceeding with a possible plan to rebuke Roman Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden for receiving Communion even though they support abortion rights.
The strong words of caution came in a letter from Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, addressed to Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB will convene for a national meeting June 16, with plans to vote on drafting a document on the Communion issue
There is division among the bishops, with some pressing for Biden and other Catholic public figures to be excluded from Communion over their abortion stance, and other bishops warning that such a move would be politically polarizing.
Ladaria, in his letter, said any new policy requires that dialogue occurs in two stages: first among the bishops themselves, and then between bishops and Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions.
Even then, Ladaria advised, the bishops should seek unanimous support within their ranks for any national policy, lest it become a source of discord rather than unity within the episcopate and the larger church in the United States.
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FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington. When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June 2021, theyll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians: Dont partake of Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)