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‘Prime act of pastoral charity’ to deny pro-abortion politicians Communion: Cardinal Burke
LifeSiteNews ^ | 3//20/14 | Peter Baklinski

Posted on 03/21/2014 8:15:56 AM PDT by BlatherNaut

ROME, March 20, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “The priest’s refusal to give Holy Communion is a prime act of pastoral charity, helping the person in question to avoid sacrilege and safeguarding the other faithful from scandal,” said American Cardinal Raymond Burke in an interview published exclusively in English today by LifeSiteNews.

Burke was responding to the question of how a priest should proceed when he encounters a Catholic politician presenting him or herself for Communion while at the same time publicly supporting abortion or homosexual “marriage.”

“The exclusion of those who persist in manifest and grave sin, after having been duly admonished, from receiving Holy Communion is not a question of a punishment but of a discipline which respects the objective state of a person in the Church,” said Burke in the wide-ranging interview, conducted by Izabella Parowicz and originally published in Polish by Polonia Christiana magazine.

(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic
KEYWORDS: abortion; burke; cardinalburke; catholicpoliticians; communion; holycommunion; politicians; proabortion

1 posted on 03/21/2014 8:15:56 AM PDT by BlatherNaut
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To: BlatherNaut

Well, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and Pope(s), what are you waiting for?


2 posted on 03/21/2014 8:19:43 AM PDT by FroggyTheGremlim ("It is not the color of his skin, ... it is the blackness that fills his soul")
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To: BlatherNaut
The priest’s refusal to give Holy Communion is a prime act of pastoral charity, helping the person in question to avoid sacrilege and safeguarding the other faithful from scandal,” said American Cardinal Raymond Burke in an interview published exclusively in English today by LifeSiteNews.

It's a rarity (and thus noteworthy) to see the emphasis placed on the priest's responsibility.

3 posted on 03/21/2014 8:44:03 AM PDT by Alex Murphy ("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
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To: BlatherNaut

caritas

The definition of caritas is Latin and means love for all.

Charity is derived from caritas, the Latin word for love.

Bishop Burke is right. A bishop must love and care for his sheep just as the Good Shepard, Jesus, does. That means loving them enough to deny them the Eucharist.

People like Pelosi, Biden and all the of Kennedy clan and so many more Catholics in politics don’t see what their support of abortion is doing to their souls. Their pastor/bishop is remiss in his duties to them by allowing them to continue placing their souls is eternal jeopardy by receiving the Eucharist while promoting such a grave sin.

This is why we must pray for our priests and bishops. They are only human and need God’s grace to have the courage to subject themselves to the vitriol they will get when they stand by God’s laws and refuse to participate one’s self destruction.


4 posted on 03/21/2014 1:12:41 PM PDT by Jvette
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To: BlatherNaut

Tell that to Francis Cardinal Burke. He doesn’t seem to mind it.


5 posted on 03/22/2014 9:54:35 AM PDT by piusv
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To: eCSMaster

It is the responsibility of the Bishop in the person’s home diocese....only.


6 posted on 03/22/2014 9:56:12 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Whose responsibility was it at the papal mass?


7 posted on 03/22/2014 9:57:34 AM PDT by piusv
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To: piusv

It still falls back to the Bishop in their home diocese. Please do your homework.


8 posted on 03/22/2014 10:23:48 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: piusv

If you are referring to Pope Francis, I read on a thread somewhere that he does not distribute Communion at these Masses. FWIW.


9 posted on 03/22/2014 11:05:42 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Whether he hands out communion himself or not, it’s still his responsibility when other priests at his own masses hand out communion to those who should not receive it.


10 posted on 03/22/2014 11:14:29 AM PDT by piusv
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To: piusv

Do you really understand the role of the priest?

God waits for everyone to come to him and repent. Until the sinner does that, priests or even the Pope cannot do anything.

And we definitely cannot judge, for we don’t know if they (the people receiving Communion) went to Confession, repented, said the Penance and promised to amend their ways.


11 posted on 03/22/2014 11:37:29 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Here we have Cardinal Burke making it very clear that priests should not give communion to pro-abortion politicians. Do you think *he* knows what the role of a priest is? I think so.

And then we have Francis allowing the very same exact thing happen at his very own inaugural mass. But, hey, since *he* isn’t the one giving out the communion he gets off scott-free, eh?

How is this okay with anyone who professes they are Catholic?


12 posted on 03/22/2014 11:59:03 AM PDT by piusv
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To: piusv

Burke can judge, but I know I can’t.


13 posted on 03/22/2014 12:01:23 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

We are to judge actions, not souls.


14 posted on 03/22/2014 12:08:11 PM PDT by piusv
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To: Tax-chick; GregB; Berlin_Freeper; SumProVita; narses; bboop; SevenofNine; Ronaldus Magnus; tiki; ...

FULL TEXT

ROME, March 20, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “The priest’s refusal to give Holy Communion is a prime act of pastoral charity, helping the person in question to avoid sacrilege and safeguarding the other faithful from scandal,” said American Cardinal Raymond Burke in an interview published exclusively in English today by LifeSiteNews.

Burke was responding to the question of how a priest should proceed when he encounters a Catholic politician presenting him or herself for Communion while at the same time publicly supporting abortion or homosexual “marriage.”

“The exclusion of those who persist in manifest and grave sin, after having been duly admonished, from receiving Holy Communion is not a question of a punishment but of a discipline which respects the objective state of a person in the Church,” said Burke in the wide-ranging interview, conducted by Izabella Parowicz and originally published in Polish by Polonia Christiana magazine.

Following the words of Jesus at the last supper, Catholics believe that at the moment of consecration the Communion wafer is no longer bread — even though it has the appearance of bread — but has been turned into the body of Jesus Christ.

The law of the Church in Canon 915 states that those who are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion” since they have made themselves unworthy to receive the divine guest Jesus.

Burke, a prominent canon lawyer and head of the Vatican’s highest court, known as the Apostolic Signatura, continues: “Even as Saint Paul, in chapter 11 of the First Letter to the Corinthians, admonished the early Christians: ‘For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself’ (v. 29), so also the Church, down the ages, has admonished those engaged in manifest and grave sin not to approach to receive Holy Communion.”

“In the case of a politician or other public figure who acts against the moral law in a grave matter and yet presents himself to receive Holy Communion, the priest should admonish the person in question and then, if he or she persists in approaching to receive Holy Communion, the priest should refuse to give the Body of Christ to the person.”

Burke has been outspoken throughout his years as a bishop about withholding communion from Catholic politicians who persist in their error.

Burke told the Irish newspaper Catholic Voice last year that it is not possible for a politician to support the killing of children in the womb and receive communion as a Catholic in good standing.

“There can be no question that the practice of abortion is among the gravest of manifest sins and therefore once a Catholic politician has been admonished that he should not come forward to receive Holy Communion,” he said, adding that “as long as he continues to support legislation which fosters abortion or other intrinsic evils, then he should be refused Holy Communion.”

In a September interview with the Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based newspaper, Burke said that pro-abortion Catholic politician Nancy Pelosi “must” be denied Communion.

“This is a person who obstinately, after repeated admonitions, persists in a grave sin — cooperating with the crime of procured abortion — and still professes to be a devout Catholic,” the Cardinal said at that time. “I fear for Congresswoman Pelosi if she does not come to understand how gravely in error she is.”

In December, Burke told EWTN that he had considered backing away from advocating the discipline because of “very severe criticism” he had received, but honesty compelled him to continue.

“The Holy Eucharist is the most sacred reality. It is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And I simply wouldn't approach to receive Holy Communion if I was in the state of sin and neither would I give Holy Communion to someone who I knew was is in the state of sin.”

“I would consider myself less than an honest canon lawyer not to insist on this.”

Find the full interview with Cardinal Burke here.

15 posted on 03/22/2014 3:31:10 PM PDT by NYer ("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
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To: NYer
In December, Burke told EWTN that he had considered backing away from advocating the discipline because of “very severe criticism” he had received, but honesty compelled him to continue.

Very interesting. I had not heard this. I wonder whether the very severe criticism was from Francis himself.

16 posted on 03/22/2014 3:48:48 PM PDT by piusv
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To: NYer

Thank you for posting this. I am in full agreement with the Cardinal.


17 posted on 03/22/2014 3:51:53 PM PDT by GreyFriar ( Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: Salvation; piusv
And we definitely cannot judge, for we don’t know if they (the people receiving Communion) went to Confession, repented, said the Penance and promised to amend their ways.

Why Pope Francis Doesn't Give Communion

Using Pope Francis' distorted logic, no priest would distribute Holy Communion in public.

18 posted on 03/23/2014 1:00:02 PM PDT by ebb tide
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