“You cannot approach Sacramental Communion” Catholic Diocese Bars Actively Pro-Abortion Politicians From Taking Communion

The Catholic Church and Christianity more broadly have always stood opposed to the evil that is abortion. From the Didache onwards, the Fathers of the Christian Church have condemned the practice. From Saint Augustine to Saint Thomas, opposition to the “Secular Sacrament” remained firm. All the best Protestant Reformers decried “abortion rights” as nonsensical perversions of right order in.

For the Sovereign God of the Bible declares He has uniquely knit every one of us, purposing all of us for our own vocations (Psalms 139:13-16). To unjustly terminate a unique creation of God, an entity as human as the rest of us, is evil beyond measure.

Indeed, that we are even having this debate in America is a genuinely perplexing fact of our daily reality. Of course, as we shall see, the discussion extends beyond our borders. Yet, it is exceptionally salient in America.  In America, we believe in the right to life. It is the right that gives content to all the other rights we enjoy — the first right even.

To neglect our duty to protect life is to fail our humanity. To ignore our responsibility to protect the innocent is to act in discord with the Christian Faith, the faith which has stood the test of time. The Gates of Hell shall never prevail against God’s Church (Matthew 16:18), after all, and God will value His children as long as the Church shall subsist.

Since opposition to abortion is a De Fide issue in Catholicism, if a politician acts in discord with that faith, they are in a state of mortal sin.  Someone in a state of mortal sin cannot justly receive Communion. They are intentionally and with full knowledge and consent lending their support to a grave act, one of the most solemn acts imaginable. Simply put, Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are cooperating with evil. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

” 2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. “A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae ,” “by the very commission of the offense,”  and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.”

In the American context, this rule has been applied to Democrat Politicians before. Recall, a Church barred John Kerry from taking Communion in 2004 for his stance. Back in 2019, then-Candidate Joe Biden was guarded from the rail. A good priest and a good Bishop will act to protect the dignity of life and his Church’s teaching.

In Mexico, a similar debate is occurring. After a court made illegal the act of prosecuting abortions in 2021, Mexico as a whole has not stood opposed to the evil of abortion, despite their overwhelming Catholic-majority population. As such, it was time for the Bishops in Mexico to act. And one Diocese did just that. As the Catholic News Agency reports, The Catholic Diocese of Culiacán, Mexico sent out the following guidance:

“Answering the question: Can a deputy or any person who professes to be a Catholic, while openly cooperating or legislating against life, receive Holy Communion? No. You cannot approach Sacramental Communion. Nor that person can be a godparent or companion of other people who want to receive other sacraments such as baptism.”

This is good news for all of us who support life. All life is meaningful, whether here or abroad. Hopefully, this action, and similar actions in our country, can move our Catholic politicians to act according to the dictates of both faith and reason. Abortion is evil, and it must end now.