A call for consistency

Bart Gingerich has provided a thoughtful analysis in regards to how Cardinal Burke has called for U.S. Representative  Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to be denied Communion for her views on abortion.

While this call from the Vatican, from one who is on the highest court, is good news, there is still more to say about the matter. Cardinal Burke has rightfully made such a call, which is to help Nancy Pelosi and may provide some comfort and clarification for the curious flock of Catholics looking to see how those like Representative Pelosi are dealt with. On the other hand, there is Donald Cardinal Wuerl, who would rather not use Communion in such a way.

The Roman Catholic Church is clear with its stance on abortion. Because of this well-known position, the Church has taken a lead in the fight against such a grave evil. The Church may falter though, and it cannot be truly consistent in upholding these values, when it permits those pro-abortion politicians like Nancy Pelosi to call themselves Catholics in good enough standing to receive the Eucharist.

Nancy Pelosi has been in the news before with her quite public stance.  And she has not seemed to want to take spiritual guidance where it is needed. She completely dismissed Father Frank Pavone, of Priests for Life, challenging her to drop either her Catholicism or her pro-abortion stance.

One of many examples of Pelosi’s attitude includes a recent, well-publicized comment in which Pelosi referred to abortion as “sacred ground” when asked a question by The Weekly Standard:

Asked what the moral difference is between what Dr. Kermit Gosnell did to babies born alive and aborting those same infants moments before birth, Pelosi refused to answer.

“As a practicing and respectful Catholic, this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this,” Pelosi said. “I don’t think it should have anything to do with politics.”

Representative Pelosi gravely misunderstands what it means to be a “practicing and respectful Catholic” then, and creates a scandal when referring to abortion as “sacred ground.” She also says that she “[doesn’t] think it should have anything to do with politics,” yet is involved in a political position herself where she advocates for abortion.

One can certainly be a Catholic and a politician, as pro-life politicians do demonstrate, such as U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), U.S. Representative Dan Lipinski (D-IL), U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI). The list goes on.  Nancy Pelosi has missed that mark, however, by choosing her political beliefs over her faith.

The California congresswoman should be grateful to Cardinal Burke for his move, especially since as Bart points out, this is being done for her own soul. We can only pray that she will finally listen to this authority then, especially if she considers herself to be a good Catholic who acknowledges the authority of her spiritual leaders.

The National Catholic Register points out that Cardinal Burke may be in a position of power, but his call for Pelosi to be denied Communion came during an interview, rather than as an actual judicial act.

The mentioned piece does conclude though with a rousing excerpt from the interview, which may be of some encouragement for those who are looking for further consistency and authority from the Church:

8) Many Catholics are outraged by the way politicians like Ms. Pelosi flout Catholic teaching on life issues such as abortion. Did the interview touch on this matter?

Yes. The following exchange occurred:

Q. Many faithful Catholics are troubled when high-profile political figures with unconcealed antilife, anti-family positions are honored in such ways as receiving invitations to speak at Catholic university commencement ceremonies and given honorary degrees or memorialized at public Catholic funeral Masses without having renounced their immoral positions. Faithful Catholics, at the same time, are taught they have committed a serious sin if they vote for these same candidates. How are those who are seriously trying to live out their faith to reconcile this apparent contradiction?

A. You cannot reconcile it — it is a contradiction, it is wrong, it is a scandal, and it must stop! We live in a culture with a false sense of dialogue — which has also crept into the Church — where we pretend to dialogue about open and egregious violations of the moral law. Can we believe it is permissible to recognize publicly people who support open and egregious violations, and then act surprised if someone is scandalized by it? For Catholic institutions or individuals to give recognition to such persons, to honor them in any way, is a source of grave scandal for which they are responsible. In a certain way, they contribute to the sinfulness of the individuals involved. There is no way to reconcile it; it simply is wrong.

If we cannot reconcile it, if it is indeed a contradiction, and if it is scandalous to give recognition to those like Nancy Pelosi, then we need consistent spiritual discipline on this matter. The Church should not reward bad behavior, or let the wrongdoers think that they can continue in that same behavior with no eternal consequences. Pope Francis has spoken on this as well.

In saying that he will not deny Communion to Nancy Pelosi, Cardinal Wuerl does make some arguably good points, and comes from a position of knowledge and authority himself. But to those concerned, even outraged, Catholics, there has to be a better, more consistent answer as to what the Church can really do to keep up with its unwavering pro-life position.