Thank goodness Pope John Paul The Great appointed solidly conservative bishops during his papacy. (To draw a political analogy, this is the equivalent of President Reagan appointing young conservative judges to the federal bench.)
First, we check in with Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, who has stated that Sen. Joe Biden should avoid receiving communion on account of his strong pro-abortion policy stand.
Archbishop Chaput, who was scheduled to lead a pro-life candlelight vigil Monday night here in front of Planned Parenthood, called Mr. Biden’s support for abortion rights “seriously wrong,” said archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette De Melo.
“I certainly presume his good will and integrity,” said the archbishop, “and I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for Communion if he supports a false ‘right’ to abortion.”
Next, we head back here to Washington, D.C. where Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl slams House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for claiming that the Catholic Church is conflicted about when life begins.
In a release issued Monday night, Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said Pelosi’s comments on “Meet the Press” on Sunday “were incorrect.”
Wuerl noted that Pelosi responded to a question on when life begins by mentioning she was Catholic.
The release quoted Pelosi as saying the church has not been able to come with a definition of when life begins.
“After Mr. Tom Brokaw, the interviewer, pointed out that the Catholic Church feels strongly that life begins at conception, she replied, ‘I understand. And this is, like, maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy,’ ” the release said.
Wuerl strongly disagrees.
He said, “We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops. Given this responsibility to teach, it is important to make this correction for the record.”
Wuerl pointed out that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear, and has been clear for 2,000 years. He cited Catechism language that reads, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception … Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”
A Pelosi spokesman did not immediately comment for this article.
Game, set and match to Archbishop Wuerl.
Filed under: Abortion, Democrats, National Politics, Religion
