U.S. Archbishop Burke Orders Priests to Refuse Communion for Anti-Life Politicians

Diocese communications director says the decree is binding on priests

LA CROSSE, Wisconsin, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, of the La Crosse Diocese, has issued an official order stating that politicians who support abortion or euthanasia are to be refused Holy Communion. The notification, published yesterday in the diocesan paper The Catholic Times begins by quoting extensively from authoritative Vatican documents explaining that support for abortion by Catholic politicians is gravely sinful.

The key paragraphs in the notification read:
"I hereby call upon Catholic legislators, who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse, to uphold the natural and divine law regarding the inviolable dignity of all human life. To fail to do so is a grave public sin and gives scandal to all the faithful. Therefore, in accord with the norm of can. 915, Catholic legislators, who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and who continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia may not present themselves to receive Holy Communion. They are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, should they present themselves, until such time as they publicly renounce their support of these most unjust practices.

"I ask for the prayers of all the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and of all people of good will within the Diocese of La Crosse, that Catholic legislators who have promoted procured abortion or euthanasia, with the help and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may undergo a conversion of heart in this most grave matter, so that human life may be protected and fostered in the greatest way possible and these legislators may be admitted once more to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion."

Archbishop Burke previously wrote the Catholic legislators to whom his notification applies asking them to meet personally with him. Explaining the necessity of the notification to the Catholic News Service the Archbishop said, "After several exchanges of letters, it became clear in all three cases that there was no willingness to conform to the teaching of the church. So the notification became a necessity in order that the faithful in the diocese not be scandalized, thinking that it is acceptable for a devout Catholic to also be pro-abortion."

The La Cross Tribune reported that Rose Hammes, director of communications for the La Crosse diocese, said the decree is binding on priests. She also told the Tribune the bishop's decree serves to remind all Catholics that the church has teachings they should abide by.

See the full notification online at:
http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/whats_new/notification.pdf

Email Archbishop Burke at:
mailbox@dioceseoflacrosse.com 

See the Tribune story and political reaction at:
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2004/01/09/news/00lead.txt

Archbishop Burke Issues Pastoral Letter Saying Right to Life is Most Important Political Issue

Emphasizes pro-abortion culture is strong where teaching against contraception is rejected

LA CROSSE, January 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, of the La Crosse Diocese, has issued a pastoral letter in which he clearly explains that life issues such as abortion and euthanasia take precedence over any other political considerations. The letter states, "Some will say that the defence of innocent life is only one issue among many, that it is important but not fundamental. They are wrong. In the natural moral law, the good of life is the most fundamental good and the condition for the enjoyment of all other goods."

Quoting Pope John Paul II, the Archbishop proclaimed that "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination" (Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, "The Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World" [December 30, 1988], n. 38b). Archbishop Burke says, "Catholics therefore cannot legitimately believe that, if they support programs for the poor and marginalized, this 'makes up' for not being consistently pro-life."

In addition to making political decisions that are pro-life, the Archbishop called on the faithful to pray for the establishment of a culture of life, but most importantly to start at home. "We must recognize that the building of a culture of life begins in the home, in our families," he said. "It begins with a true understanding of the conjugal union and its ordering to the gift of children So often Catholics fail to act against abortion or euthanasia with the appropriate energy, because they have compromised the Church's teaching on the procreative end of marriage by accepting artificial birth control."

The Archbishop suggests, "The port of entry for the culture of death in our society has been the abandonment of the respect for the procreative meaning of the conjugal act. It is the contraceptive way of thinking, the fear of the life-giving dimension of conjugal love, which very much sustains that culture." He quotes Pope John Paul II (Evangelium Vitae, n. 13): "[T]he pro-abortion culture is especially strong precisely where the Church's teaching on contraception is rejected".

He concludes, "If we are to act for the Gospel of Life with renewed vigour in our families and our parishes, we must adhere firmly to the Church's teaching on artificial contraception. We should promote natural family planning as a moral alternative for those who, for grave reasons, need to limit the number of children in the family."

See the full Pastoral letter online:
http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/whats_new/CivicRespPastoralLetter.pdf

Send your congratulations to Archbishop Burke at:
mailbox@dioceseoflacrosse.com

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Updated on RARTL January 2004