Archbishop Raymond Burke (CNS)

Archbishop Raymond Burke, prefect of the Vatican’s highest court, says Canon Law requires that Communion be denied to pro-abortion politicians.

In a March 2 interview with Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry that was made public this morning, Archbishop Burke said Canon 915 specifies bishops, priests and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion must withhold Communion when a pro-abortion politician presents himself or herself for reception of the sacrament.

Said Archbishop Burke, “The canon is completely clear; it is not subject in my judgment to any other interpretations. When someone is publicly and obstinately in grave sin, we may not administer holy Communion to the person.”

This is done for two reasons, the archbishop said: to prevent the person seeking Communion from committing a sacrilege; and to protect the sanctity of the holy Eucharist.

As for the question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic politician can be assumed to be “publicly and obstinately in grave sin,” Archbishop Burke said, “Yes, for someone who in any way contributes in an active way to the murder of innocent defenseless infants in the womb — children in the womb — from the very inception of human life, this is the greatest of sins. And such a person, until he or she has reformed his or her life, should not approach to receive holy Communion.”

Archbishop Burke served as archbishop of St. Louis until his appointment last year as prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. He set forward the same position regarding reception of Communion while still in St. Louis, but it’s not a position that most American bishops share with respect to dealing with the problem of pro-abortion politicians who present themselves for Communion.

Other bishops believe that pastoral latitude exists on the matter and, therefore, that ministers of Communion are not automatically obliged to withhold Communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians whenever they present themselves.

But, as Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver stressed in an interview last fall, this doesn’t mean there is any division among the bishops about whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should receive Communion.

“I don’t think there’s any differences among the bishops about pro-choice Catholics presenting themselves for Communion,” Archbishop Chaput said. “They shouldn’t do it.”

Added Archbishop Chaput, “That’s not what the debate’s about among bishops. Because if you’re not in union with the Church on the serious issues of faith and morals, you shouldn’t receive Communion, whether you’re a bishop or a private citizen, a simple Catholic or a politician who claims to be Catholic. The differences among the bishops is whether they should be refused holy Communion if they present themselves anyway.”