Timothy Birdnow

Well, a Catholic Bishop has finally done his job and denied Holy Communion to a radical pro-abortion Catholic Democrat.

Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois has denied Senator Richard "Dick" Durbin (the Turban, the Sheik of the Burning Bland) the sacrament of Holy Communion because of his radical pro-abortion stand. According to the article in Life News:

"In a statement on the Diocese of Springfield website, Bishop Paprocki said, "Fourteen Catholic senators voted against the bill that would have prohibited abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization, including Sen. Richard Durbin, whose residence is in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.”

The full statement reads:

I agree completely with His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, who called the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act "appalling.”

Fourteen Catholic senators voted against the bill that would have prohibited abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization, including Sen. Richard Durbin, whose residence is in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. In April 2004, Sen. Durbin’s pastor, then Msgr. Kevin Vann (now Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, CA), said that he would be reticent to give Sen. Durbin Holy Communion because his pro-abortion position put him outside of communion or unity with the Church’s teachings on life. My predecessor, now Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, said that he would support that decision. I have continued that position."

End excerpt.

It's well past time the Catholic Bishops enforced Church doctrine. Many members of Congress vote in direct opposition to the teachings of the Church which they claim to be members of and which helps them be re-elected in no small measure. Ex-Communication is actually automatic in instances of grave sin - and voting to murder children is a grave sin - but the Church rarely issues a formal Ban of Ex-Communication, out of fear of being accused of entering pollitics and perhaps having their tax-exempt status revoked. But there is a higher authority the Bishops should be answsering to and their refusal to do what is right imperils the soul of the offender, the souls of bistanders who think there is no penalty for disobeying God's Will, and ultimately for the Shepherds themselves.

It is good to finally find a Bishop willing to take a stand. Better late than never.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 10:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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