Remind me never to go into battle with you. If I’m walking toward a land-mine, by your logic, you’ll stay out of my “self-inflicted” injury and let me go.
The Church is the conduit of the Sacraments. It should not administer them to those for whom it would be a burden on their souls. This is a matter that is spiritual (dealing with the things of God—and the souls of the faithful) and temporal (the Sacraments instituted by Christ).
What you fail to note is that 1) this question was asked of the bishop... so it was a setup to stir controversy. It was a question that demanded a response and he referenced Canon Law correctly. 2) Guiliani calls himself a Catholic. However, he doesn’t consider himself subject to Canon Law. Refusing him the Eucharist is not a political matter, it is a Church matter. He can avoid the issue by declaring what is obvious... he is not a Catholic. Then he won’t have to worry about presenting himself for communion.
You ask that the Church neuter Herself.
> Remind me never to go into battle with you. If I’m walking toward a land-mine, by your logic, you’ll stay out of my “self-inflicted” injury and let me go.
Mate, if you are going into battle with me, you would not be walking toward a land-mine in the first place. The mines would have been cleared long, long before you had any opportunity to stumble into one.
> You ask that the Church neuter Herself.
No, I ask the Church to attend to matters Spiritual, and allow the rest of us to attend to matters Temporal.