Posted on 02/24/2018 7:28:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind
One of the great hypocrisies of our time is the number of pro-abortion senators and congressmen who also claim to be Roman Catholic. Being pro-abortion and Roman Catholic is like being pro-LGBTQ rights and Muslim. Both sets are a contradiction of terms. Thankfully, the bishop of Senator Dick Durbin's (D-Ill.) diocese recognizes this contradiction of terms and is denying the senator communion until he repents of his grave sin.
Senator Durbin's office has yet to comment on the matter, but his views on abortion are well known. Last year, Durbin insisted in a CNN interview that Democrats who are personally pro-life must be "prepared to back the law, Roe vs. Wade, prepared to back women's rights as we've defined them under the law." Continuing, the senator asserted, "I am committed to women's rights under the law, reproductive rights certainly, and our party is. We've made that part of our platform and position for a long, long time."
Most recently, Senator Durbin voted to deny babies who are at least twenty weeks old their right to life. That vote is what prompted Bishop Thomas John Paprocki to issue the following statement:
"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."
Continuing the press release, Bishop Paprocki explains:
"Canon 915 of the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law states that those “who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” In our 2004 Statement on Catholics in Political Life, the USCCB said, “Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice. Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good.” Because his voting record in support of abortion over many years constitutes “obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin,” the determination continues that Sen. Durbin is not to be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of this sin. This provision is intended not to punish, but to bring about a change of heart. Sen. Durbin was once pro-life. I sincerely pray that he will repent and return to being pro-life."
While we can (and should) pray that Senator Durbin will heed the bishop's words and repent, withholding communion is probably going to be to no avail. Senator Durbin has consistently demonstrated during his time in office that he's more beholden to power and the Democratic Party than he is to the teachings of his own professed religion.
Would he agree that Democrats who are personally abolitionist must be "prepared to back the law, the Fugitive Slave Act, prepared to back property rights as we've defined them under the law"?
RE: In response,Dick Turbin converts to the Unitarian/Universalist “Church” in 3...2...1...
Actually, if he were an honest man with an honest conscience, he would do either one of these:
1) REPENT and SUPPORT CHURCH TEACHINGS
or
2) LEAVE the Catholic church.
Nice to see such a bloke gain some cajones—particularly under this Pope. Congrats.
Glad to see this Bishop (still) has some reverence for God.
Honest conscience? Even Jay Carney has called Turbin a liar from the podium of the White House Briefing Room.
And BTW...you owe me a new keyboard for that comment!
What took so long?
As an EM I applaud this move by the bishop. He has done 100% right.
Thanks SeekAndFind. As a politician and liar, I'm sure he'll be cool with voting pro-life, as long as he doesn't have to pretend to believe in God.
Good on ya.
I am not a Catholic, but can’t a priest do the same at the church level? Could Nancy Pelosi’s priest deny her communion at her church? If so, then why is this not happening? Until it does the Catholic Church as a whole is reeking of hypocrisy. I am not just referring to Nancy alone but to every Catholic that supports abortion and then gets in line for communion at mass.
Yes but Durbin could sill parish shop and go somewhere else. For a bishop to make this public means the whole diocese needs to follow this.
sill = still
RCINC is the oldest most profitable multinational corporation on the planet. The allowing of Kennedy, Pelosi, Kerry to receive communion was a financial decision. RCINC weighed financial impact vs. spiritual mission. Finances won out wasn’t personal it was business
I wonder how long it will take the current pope and his lackey’s to excommunicate the bishop for actually following the rules of the Catholic Church?
Waiting for the Pope to discipline, admonish, chastise and demote this Bishop.
dd will just go shop another ‘RC church’ that is more liberal to his way of thinking...
I still think we ALL probably would have been better off if the hard standing, single issue, demand abortion no matter the circumstances etc would have had MOTHERS that felt as compassionate as they.
After all there was NOT a mass exodus when certain members of the Priesthood were raping ‘our’ sons..
This Pope just doesn’t seem to have all the Beads on his Rosary.....
San Fran Nan should have been denied Communion long ago. Her bishop threatened but never followed through.
... Democrats who are personally pro-life must be “prepared to back the law, Roe vs. Wade, prepared to back women’s rights as we’ve defined them under the law.”
One such democrat is Dan Lipinski (D lL 3rd) who is facing stiff opposition in their March 30th primary. Much of it because of redistricting.
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