Catholic Archbishop Apologizes For Remarks On Denying Communion To Politicians Who Support Abortion Rights

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Mar 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the Vatican supreme church court and former archbishop of St. Louis, apologized Thursday for his comments on some U.S. bishops' handling of whether politicians who support abortion rights should receive Holy Communion, the AP/Detroit News reports (Zoll, AP/Detroit News, 3/26). Burke made the comments during an interview last month with antiabortion-rights activist Randall Terry. Terry showed a videotape of the interview at the National Press Club on Wednesday as part of his campaign to demand the removal of U.S. bishops who allow politicians who support abortion rights to receive Communion. The tape shows Burke answering a question from Terry about the "deafening silence" from Washington, D.C., Archbishop Donald Wuerl and Arlington, Va., Bishop Paul Loverde about whether they should have allowed then-Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, a Catholic abortion-rights supporter, to receive communion during last year's presidential campaign. Burke responded, "I would encourage the faithful when they are scandalized by the giving of Holy Communion to persons [who] are publicly and obstinately in sin, that they go to their pastors, whether it's their parish priest or to their bishop, to insist that this scandal stop" (Washington Post, 3/27). Burke also told Terry that U.S. Catholics should urge bishops to withhold communion from politicians who support abortion rights."It is weakening the faith of everyone," Burke said.

After the tape was released, Burke issued a statement saying that Terry's use of his comments was "objectionable," adding, "If I had known what the true purpose of the interview was, I would never have agreed to participate in it." He continued, "I am deeply sorry for the confusion and hurt which the wrong use of the videotape has caused to anyone, particularly to my brother bishops." Terry contends that Burke knew the purpose of the interview and how it would be used.

The AP/News reports that Burke has given several interviews to the media and antiabortion-rights groups about the church and political issues. According to the AP/News, a "small minority of bishops agree with Burke that Communion should be denied over abortion," but "[m]ost American prelates say they privately discuss the issue with Catholic politicians and lobby all lawmakers against the procedure" (AP/Detroit News, 3/26). The issue of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights has "gained new urgency for conservative Catholic groups as such public officials have risen to prominence in Washington," according to the Post. Catholic groups have protested Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' (D) nomination for HHS secretary and demanded Wuerl and Loverde deny her Communion if she moves to their dioceses (Washington Post, 3/27).

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