From "Faithful Priests Call on All Bishops to Back Archbishop Burke on Denying Communion to Abortion-Supporting Politicians" by Lifesite.org, posted 10/9/07
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (CCC), a national association of 600 priests and deacons dedicated to following the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church, have publicly endorsed the rationale of St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke to deny Holy Communion to politicians who obstinately and openly support abortion or euthanasia. "We respectfully urge all his brother bishops to universally and decisively support this initiative at the upcoming General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November," said the group in a release.
"The Code of Canon Law (#915) explicitly states that those 'who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion,' said the release. The confraternity explained, "Giving consent to an evil act is de facto formal cooperation in evil. Equally culpable are persons who are 'personally opposed to abortion' yet provide necessary assistance for the evil to occur. This is clearly understood as material cooperation in evil."
Rebutting excuses which have been made to refuse to deny communion to pro-abortion politicians, the CCC says: "It is specious to say that denying Holy Communion causes scandal to the faithful. Recall the parable in Matthew 22 where the man is physically removed from the banquet for not wearing a wedding garment. Some might consider it unfair treatment yet the gospel shows there is no excuse. The man was 'speechless' and Catholic politicians have no excuse, either. If they openly support abortion and/or euthanasia, even if 'personally opposed', they are in fact publicly unworthy to receive Holy Communion due to their cooperation in evil."
The CCC concludes, "Greater scandal is given when bishops, priests, and deacons do not protect the sanctity and dignity of the Most Blessed Sacrament by allowing public persons notoriously known for their positions which directly violate the Divine and Moral Laws."
