Denver, Colo., May 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The matter of Communion and pro-abortion politicians is not one about giving or not giving the Eucharist, but a matter of honesty on the part of the recipient, said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver in a column published yesterday in the Denver Catholic Register.
“The current media turmoil over ‘denying Catholic politicians Communion’ is filled with ignorance about the Church and the real meaning of the Eucharist,” said the archbishop.
“Denying anyone Communion is a very grave matter. It should be reserved for extraordinary cases of public scandal,” he continued.
“But the Church always expects Catholics who are living in serious sin or who deny the teachings of the Church – whether they're highly visible officials or anonymous parishioners – to have the integrity to respect both the Eucharist and the faithful, and to refrain from receiving Communion,” he said.