Canon 915

Canon 915 states: "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion." So with this I must I ask, why is it that bishops and clergy still allow pro-abortion politicians and others who obstinately propose legislation against Catholic moral teaching to receive the Eucharist?

In the United States there is an open battle transpiring between the conservative and liberal sides of the church. This battle is most visible in the debate between the "culture of life" and the "culture of death". However, the battle field extends far beyond the U.S. borders and can be viewed on every continent and has been spoken of the bishops in Africa, Europe and Asia, but it is in America that the battle is most vocal.

Since the 1970s, abortion has been legal in the United States and countless lives have been lost to this demonic procedure, but equally dangerous is the contraception culture which is closely linked to it. However, this is not the main point of this piece. What I wish to draw your attention to is the fact that there are many Catholic politician who propose abortion legislation and contraception, basically what John Paul II referred to as the "culture of death". They readily propagate laws that enable or encourage the use of these means for population control or reproductive freedom, but these ideas run contrary to beliefs of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, these politicians shamelessly put the world before the church, and promote a culture that will do nothing other than corrupt the masses.

As Catholics, we are taught that if we encourage a sin or enable that sin, we are in fact guilty of that sin. These politicians have done just that. They have encouraged means that lead people to sin. As we know from my other works, the procurement of an abortion and the use contraception are indeed sins. Worse still, these are public sins. You may ask why do I point out that they are public sins? I mention this because these sins are not concealed in any form; therefore, the parish priest, the bishop, the flock in general are aware of these grievous sins. Then, I must again ask why are these politicians allowed to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist?

A person may argue that politician may have gone to confession before Mass; however, confession and absolution are based on the idea that the penitent is truly contrite and will try to no longer manifest in the sin in question, but when the person continually persists on the same track and does not deviate, despite priestly advice, one must consider that contrition is not truly present. Further, being complicit in a sin like abortion is no small matter. You must remember that the punishment for procurement of an abortion is automatic excommunication (Canon 1398). Hence, the encouragement of these politicians is quite serious.

There has been an argument put forward that to withhold the Eucharist would be to politicize it, but this far from true. Canon 915 demands that the Eucharist be withheld from those manifest in grave sin. It is the job of the clergy to enforce this canon. This is not the politicization of the Host, but the protection of it. As Catholics, we are not supposed to approach the Sacrament of the Altar if we are in grave sin. If the priests or bishops are aware that a person is in a state of grave sin, they are supposed to deny them reception. How is the politicization? Rather, this is following church law. When priest and bishops fail to defend church law, they send a mixed message. They confuse the laity and lead them to an ambiguous approach toward religion. It tells the laity that they can pick and choose what they believe, that they need not confess their sins and be contrite, and that there is really nothing wrong with abortion and the culture of death.

The Catholic Church has a rich tradition, which has been handed down to us from Christ to the Apostles and their successors until the present day. This tradition has taught us to protect life and has recognized the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist from the beginning. We are the Church militant and we are the defenders of the Church. We must not let errors permeate through the doors of the eternal church, nor should we tolerate the defilement of the Holy Eucharist by it being exposed to unworthy hands, which is another grave sin. As the church militant, it is necessary for us to speak up and make sure that priests and ordinaries give heed to canon 915 and protect the Church and her flock.

Pax tecum.